PARIS 21 CONSORTIUM MEETING 17–18 OCTOBER 2002 REPORT BACK FROM SOUTH AFRICA Mr Sizwe Sidloyi, The Presidency: Cabinet Office

National Statistical System for monitoring & evaluation Workshop held in Cape Town on 3-6 April 2002 reconfirmed the need for closer collaboration between producers and users of stats The workshop added impetus to the process which led to the development of the MOU between Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) and Policy Coordination and Advisory Services (PCAS) in the Presidency

Cont… MOU intends to document the nature and scope of the envisaged relationship There is a recognition of the need for conclusive linkage between technical activities of Stat SA and the more analytical/policy-oriented activities of PCAS in order to serve the country more efficiently and effectively

Core Business of PCAS Facilitate integrated and strategic policy formulation by Government as a whole; Monitor and evaluate implementation of these policies; Advise the Presidency on interventions required; and Contribute to the implementation of specific projects.

Continued This is done through interface with departments, clusters, political principals, periodic reviews of Government’s outputs and outcomes, identification of gaps and uncertainties in policy and praxis, and assistance in the implementation of specific projects in the Presidency. A National Statistics System, which aims to integrate existing statistical systems in order to improve the efficiency of data collection and utilisation, is therefore critical to the work of the PCAS.

Points of convergence The mandates of Stats SA (through the NSS component) and PCAS meet at this point. The NSS (driven by the NSS component) brings together producers and users of statistical data and provides technical expertise for the generation and use of development indicators. Armed with these indicators, the PCAS can monitor and evaluate policy relevance and implementation. The advice of PCAS on strategic policy coordination will be more accurately informed when supported by statistical information and scientifically rigorous indicators yielded in collaboration with the NSS component.

Continued From this point of view, there will be a synergy between the parties. PCAS informs the NSS component on policies and the manner in which to support government, while the NSS component reveals, through statistical data and development indicators, the prevailing environment for policy implementation, and through statistical information, to what extent government initiatives are attaining policy goals.

Continued A key concept of a national statistics system is that it favours an outcome-based approach to policy implementation. It is important that provision should be made for appropriate institutional arrangements that can support this approach. This approach will provide policy-makers with concrete inputs that will ensure evidence-based decision-making and policy implementation. MOU between PCAS and Stats SA is in a sense a natural progression and formalisation of the existing relationship between two parties whose missions converge in the following, namely: to facilitate sustainable integrated development.

Results of collaboration April workshop successes: Recommendations are being implemented Stats SA working with Clusters Sessions with departments in place Stats SA represented in Clusters The President’s Office (Policy Unit) has benefited from statistics produced by Stats SA on how to structure policy work Statistics being used to influence policy direction

Continued Stats SA has been instrumental in the development of indicators for the Ten Year Government Progress Review Project. Assisted the following Clusters: Governance and Administration Social Sector Economic Justice Crime Prevention and Security International Relations, Peace and Security

National Statistics System Institutional Framework for Policy, Information and Planning Vision Policy formulation Policy interpretation Government priorities Priority area supervision Government priorities Programme coordination Standards, definitions, classification, methodology Policy implementation Indicators Cabinet PCAS FOSAD CLUSTER National Statitistics System Priority areas (examples) Poverty reduction / elimination Rural development Urban renewal Economic & employment growth Public service restructuring SADC NEPAD Supply of statistical information Government departments. Parastatal organisations Research Institutions. NGOs Business. Public Donors. International organisations Demand for information Monitoring & Evaluation Statistic Council, Users