REACHING THE GOALS Is there a role for the RSS? Jenny Church Chair, RSS International Development Working Group

Not an international society but … international reach international reputation a (re)new(ed) interest in international development

A learned Society Developing the knowledge base and sharing good practice Bringing together statisticians from all areas [of the development community] in a neutral forum Resolving complex issues of definition and measurement

Providing professional development opportunities ‘… enhance capacity-building support to developing countries … to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data …’ (Target 17.18) ‘… support statistical capacity building in developing countries’ (Target 17.19)

Providing professional development opportunities Standard-setting qualifications CPD Mentoring Encouraging members to engage in pro bono work

Policy and advocacy Raising the profile of statistics for better evidence and decision-making Linking producers and users of statistics Giving statisticians a voice

More and better data To ensure that everyone is counted (‘leave no-one behind’) To monitor progress and ensure accountability To be available in an accessible and useable form as widely as possible

A data revolution Mobilise new technology to provide faster, more detailed, more complete data Put greater emphasis on open data and the use of innovative data sources Ensure that no-one is excluded from this ‘brave new world’ through lack of resources, knowledge, capacity or opportunity Ensure equality of access to data and information and in the ability to use it

What needs to be in place ? Properly resourced national statistical systems Able to operate without political interference With access to new tools and technology Not just collecting data but transforming it into useful information And putting data into the hands of everyone who needs it

Civil registration In 2012, four out of ten babies delivered worldwide were not registered with civil authorities Leads to exclusion Administrative systems much more cost-effective than surveys Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Scaling Up Investment Plan

Mobile technology Using Android mobile technology and free data processing software could save 60% of the cost of household survey data processing Using mobile phones for household panel surveys SMS provided by village health workers in Uganda can provide alerts to outbreaks of malaria and how much medicine is on hand at health facilities PARIS21 Innovations Inventory http://innovations.paris21.org/

RSS President, Professor Peter Diggle commenting on the statement said: “The poorest people in the world face an overwhelming need for progress. Each country needs to make its own progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, but there are crucial gaps in the data and capacity to measure this. The RSS is glad to see yet more evidence of broad support for a genuinely world-wide ‘data revolution’ on World Statistics Day.”