PARIS21 Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century - Contribution 2017-2019

Today the challenge is not just producing more and better data to respond to an ever growing demand, but also supporting its effective use to lead to better policies and ultimately better lives. The post-2015 agenda and the deliberations for the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have crystallized attention on the quality and availability of statistics for manage­ment, program design and monitoring perfor­mance. Technological innovations have unlocked unprecedented new opportunities in data produc­tion, dissemination and analysis, leading to in­creased demand for data and rising expectations at all levels of society. But the “data revolution” also brings up new risks and challenges such as the question of the quality of the information, verification of the sources, etc. In this respect, PARIS21, with its expertise in statistical capacity building can help countries to face these challenges and even take advantage of new opportunities.

PARIS21's vision is to reduce poverty and improve govern­ance in developing countries by promoting the integration of statistics and reliable data in the decision-making process.

The main target group of the PARIS21 program are the statisticians, the policy-makers, and other data producers and users in developing countries.

1. The coordinated action of National Statistical Systems (NSS) is improved;
2. Countries have been assisted effectively in the planning, production and dissemination of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators;
3. Paris21’s function of knowledge hub is recognized and valuated.

Objectives from Busan Action Plan on Statistics (BAPS):

1. Fully integrate statistics in decision making;
2. Promote open access to statistics;
3. Increase resources for statistical systems.

Expected results:  

Guidelines and best practices for National Statistical Systems (NSS);

• Advocacy toolkit for countries;
• Facilitation of NSDS design and implementation with training sessions at country and regional levels;
• Communications strategy for Statistics Botswana.

Outputs related to Busan Action Plan for Statistics (BAPS):

• Statistical systems that address country priori¬ties;
• Standards that permit full public access;
• Knowledge and skills needed to use statistics effectively;
• Ensure financing for statistical information.

Results from previous phases:  

PARIS21 has been successful in raising attention to the importance of statistics and helping coun­tries make plans to improve their statistical sys­tems. The development and implementation of the first generation of the National Strategies for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) has laid the groundwork for a long term, trusted relation­ship where PARIS21 receives requests by na­tional governments as well as regional entities for its support (peer reviews, regional seminars, development of advocacy and training materials, promotion of dialogue mechanisms, etc.). In 2016, PARIS21 was directly engaged with 40 countries and reached 91 countries through regional activi­ties.

PARIS21 has played an important role in defining statistical needs in the context of the Busan Ac­tion Plan for Statistics (BAPS), Post-2015 discus­sions, and the “data revolution”.

PARIS21 has become a trusted advocate for devel­oping countries by highlighting their statisti­cal needs within international agendas.

PARIS21 regularly conducts external, independent evaluation assessing the organization as a whole and the role of the Secretariat in facitiliating its work: the latest (2014) concluded that PARIS21 had been very successful in meeting its original mandate and objectives.

Global and regional institutions, National Statistical Of­fices, Ministries in developing countries, UN agencies, countries, private sector (mobile phone operators).

2017 voluntary contributions come from Canada, Fin­land, Ireland, Korea, Norway, Islamic Development Bank.

The PARIS21 secretariat is delivering its program in the framework of the partnership. Activities always respond to country needs and requests and are delivered, as much as possible, with regional partners.

The PARIS21 secretariat also acts as a knowledge hub and convenor/facilitator for discussions between the differ­ent partners (i.e. facilitating the user/producer dia­logue at various levels.).

PARIS21 is participating in international events and initia­tives, such as the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data.

PARIS21 works closely with the UN Statistical Commis­sion; the World Bank and other multilateral institutions are on the Board.

Phase 8 15.09.2017 - 31.12.2019   (Completed)