Transcript The Busan Action Plan for Statistics: A Developing Country Perspective Abdul Rahman Ghafoori President General Central Statistics Organization, Afghanistan Meeting on the Busan Action Plan for Statistics 25

The Busan Action Plan
for Statistics:
A Developing Country
Perspective
Abdul Rahman Ghafoori
President General
Central Statistics Organization, Afghanistan
Meeting on the Busan Action Plan for Statistics
25 February 2012
New York
OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION
Background
Over-all objectives
1. Fully integrate statistics in decision
making
2. Promote wider and open access to
statistics
3. Increase resources for statistical systems
In each objective :
• Progress
• Challenges
• Actions
BACKGROUND
Afghanistan suffered 30 years of war and still
insecurity exists in about one-third of the districts
in the country
Statistics a heavy casualty – physical and
statistical infrastructure have been badly
damaged and skill levels depleted
But huge demand exists for data for national
reconstruction and development
International community provides about 50% of
national recurrent and investment budget
CSO receives about $2.5m a year from the
government and $2m to $5m from donors
Statistics system needs to be rehabilitated
Obj: Fully integrate statistics in decision making
P
R
O
G
R
E
S
S
Afghanistan National Statistics Plan (ANSP) –
national priorities
sets out manageable data collection given resource
and capacity constraints;
CSO briefs the Council of Ministers on progress and
key economic and social indicators;
Discussions with policy makers in ministries about
priorities, e.g., Deputy Minister of Ministry of Labor on
the labour force module;
Statistical Task Force meeting bringing key
stakeholders together (national and international)
to discuss latest developments and priorities
Obj: Fully integrate statistics in decision making
C
H
A
L
L
E
N
G
E
S
Fast moving environment and priorities change
frequently;
Capacity of decision makers to use statistics for
decision making and monitoring is weak;
National processes for planning, budgeting and
M&E are still underdeveloped. Hence, difficult to
ensure statistics is fully integrated
Obj: Fully integrate statistics in decision making
A
C
T
I
O
N
S
Seminars for users and producers of statistics as
well as other workshops and conferences;
Council of Ministers updated on the key economic
and social indicators available;
Build the capacity of statistical cells within line
ministries to enable them to better link into the
planning, budgeting and M&E processes within their
ministries;
Continue with Statistical Task Force meetings
Need to better integrate statistics into the National
Priority Programme process
Obj: Promote wider and open access to statistics
P
R
O
G
R
E
S
S
Efforts to improve the timeliness and reliability of
data is continuous;
Improvements to the website;
Micro data access policy;
Statistical Year Book;
Accelerated Data Program (ADP) documenting
datasets
Obj: Promote wider and open access to statistics
C
H
A
L
L
E
N
G
E
S
Sharing and dissemination of information by
Government Ministries;
Capacity to analyse data and be confident of its
quality;
Different methodologies and concepts used across
government can lead to confusion
Obj: Promote wider and open access to statistics
A
C
T
I
O
N
S
Development of AMIS - cross government
databank/base accessible to all users;
Further enhancements to the website;
Develop and implement a dissemination strategy;
Maintain a catalogue of available surveys/statistics
of forthcoming reports;
Improve publishing capacity within CSO;
Improving CSO analytical capacity to
improve presentation of information for stakeholders
use
Obj: Increase resources for statistical systems
P
R
O
G
R
E
S
S
System wide approach to the development of
statistics in place. Donors coordinate behind ANSP
- in line with national priorities;
Statistics for Results Facility (SRF) funding received
to support implementation;
Statistics Task Force (STF) provides a forum to
ensure coordination of support and activities;
CSO in the lead in terms of coordinating the national
statistical system and donor support
Lack of resources is currently not a major problem
for Afghanistan but could be in 2015.
Obj: Increase resources for statistical systems
C
H
A
L
L
E
N
G
E
S
Some donors still prefer to operate outside ANSP;
Large demand for data from International
Community (including military); some are prepared
to pay for what they need rather than aligning
behind a prioritised strategy;
This leads to:
i) spreading CSO capacity too thinly across many
activities,
ii) distorted incentives for data collection, and;
iii) duplication of efforts
Fiscally constrained environment means limited
funding from the Government for statistics.
Dependence on donor support will be required in
the long term
Obj: Increase resources for statistical systems
A
C
T
I
O
N
S
To continue efforts to bring donors into line;
UN is trying to better coordinate their agencies’
efforts in support of statistics;
CSO to continue to lobby for the government and
donor funds to support the statistical system
Thank
You