Aims of the workshop PARIS21 Workshop Accra 27-28 July 2005

Aims To identify the current status of strategic statistical planning in the region To share experiences and learn lessons To identify the successes and constraints to implementation of plans To begin to consider solutions to these constraints To set out practical steps forward

ABOUT PARIS21 Goal: evidence-based policy making and implementation Purpose: greater demand, availability and use of better statistics and statistical analysis Independent evaluations in 2003 - said that PARIS21 is making a difference PARIS21 stands for: Partnership in Statistics for development in the 21st Century The partnership was launched at an international meeting hosted by OECD in Paris on 18 November 1999 so we have celebrated our fifth anniversary on Africa Statistics Day. As I have just said, the consortium's goal is: to develop a culture of evidence-based policy making and implementation in order to improve governance and government effectiveness in reducing poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The partnership can help to achieve this by stimulating: Greater demand, availability and use of better statistics and statistical analysis in national, international, and civil society decision-making. An independent evaluation in 2003 said that PARIS21 is making a difference and is still needed. Recognition of the need for ‘better use of better statistics’ as part of the ‘enabling environment for development’ is increasing, but much more remains to be done to improve the availability of good quality statistics.

PARTNERSHIP Between statisticians, analysts, policy makers and development professionals Between developed, transitional and developing countries PARIS21 Secretariat works mainly at the international and regional levels, through: Advocacy Facilitation PARIS21 is a partnership between statisticians, analysts, policy makers and development professionals in developed, transitional and developing countries. PARIS21 has a small Secretariat hosted by OECD in Paris. The Secretariat works mainly at the international and regional levels to help promote and deliver partnership aims in support of statistics for development, mainly through: advocacy and facilitation, including resource mobilisation. More about this later.

STATISTICS FOR DEVELOPMENT in the 21st CENTURY Need for statistics and strategic approaches has been reinforced by: Managing for Development Results Poverty Reduction Strategies Millennium Development Goals There is increased consensus internationally that development in many countries, particularly the poorest, has faltered in the past because development efforts did not focus on results. Good statistics are essential for the design, management, monitoring, and evaluation of national policy frameworks such as Poverty Reduction Strategies and for monitoring progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. There is now greater emphasis on evidence-based policy-making. Good statistics are increasingly recognised as a core component of good governance and as an important part of the enabling environment for development. There has been a big improvement since 1999 in recognising the need for statistics. Development policy and poverty reduction needs for statistics is being spoken about more by statisticians, and statistics, particularly the need for more and better statistics is being spoken about more by development policy makers. Also there has been a big improvement in cooperation between international agencies, though more needs to be done on donor coordination generally and fitting donor support within national plans for the development of statistics. More too about that later.

Marrakech Action Plan for Statistics (MAPS) MAPS aim: “to mainstream strategic planning of statistical systems and prepare national strategies for the development of statistics for all low-income countries by 2006.” Integrate statistical development within PRSs and national development plans. The Second International Roundtable on Managing for Development Results was held in Marrakech, Morocco, in February 2004. The first was hosted by the World Bank in Washington in 2002. The Roundtable agreed the Marrakech Action Plan for Statistics, which stressed the importance of strategic approaches to statistical capacity building and set a target for all low income countries (where appropriate) to have NSDSs by 2006 and to have started to implement them by the following year with a view towards having better data to monitor progress towards national and international development goals by 2010. This goal, which had already been endorsed by PARIS21’s Steering Committee has driven PARIS21’s work programme ever since. Thank you.