Specific Objectives: 1 & 2 Technical Content Specific Objectives: 1 & 2 The What Part

Countries National Strategies Meetings & Conferences Environment Quality Administrative Records Response Burden Governance Registers Story Telling Sharing of Know-How Tools & Methods DC Meeting, June 2009 This strategy shall complement the specific National Strategies for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) and sub-regional strategies Cooperation Public Trust Monitoring Systems Research in Statistics Tech 4 Statistics Data analysis Statistical Literacy Capacity Building - Training Energy Code of Practice Practices Capacity Building - Communication Migration Energy Employment Agriculture Metadata Statistics 4 All Countries National Strategies Regional Strategies Meetings & Conferences NSDS

Commonalities Alignment Intervention Enrichment – Build on what exists Common Priorities National Dakar Declaration, Nov 2009 By 2014 statistical systems in all countries should better meet the needs of users, operating in an efficient, cost-effective and results-based manner By 2014, the international community should support a program of research and development to modernize statistical tools and technologies and to promote their use Common Interests Regional Focus on Users Common Challenges Global Focus on Production Processes The planning, implementation and evaluation would be through the Concept of mutual beneficial framework

Focus on Production Processes Focus on Users Focus on Production Processes Target: Empowering users Means: Data and Tools Goal: Relevant statistics To meet needs raised in the region and the evolution of the EU-MED policy agenda Target: Production processes Means: Frameworks, standards, Tools Goal: Quality conscious, Cost conscious, Comparability conscious Objective One Objective Two Visibility Relevancy: Available data and new ones

HOW Objective One: Empowering Users Facts: More data in stock than the ones that are made available Presentations need to reflect the questions of concern More emphasis is needed to collect users feedback More attention is needed to disseminate statistics for researchers – Digital data files HOW User-producer dialogue User-tailored data sets Cataloguing data Joint analytical studies Statistical literacy Usability Techniques Statistical Calendar

Objective One: Empowering Users Cataloguing data The development of standards is a regional activity that benchmarks EU experiences while the actual implementation of the cataloguing is an activity to be undertaken by the MED partners Large amount of data in stock & users have become more demanding Develop/adopt regional standards on presenting information about available data in each country (Not publications) Details of standards/formats is to be decided by regional technical working groups Cooperation: National & regional levels Sharing common tools, approaches and databases. Flexibility and efficiency of data storage and access facilitates greater use of that data and connections between different sectors. Helsinki Meeting, 6-7 May 2010

Amman Declaration, July 2011 Objective One: Empowering Users User-producer dialogue The monitoring of users’ preferences / satisfaction with appropriate intervention The aim is to strengthen the level of cooperation among users and producers of official statistics in each country Each working group for the priority sectors sets a vision for establishing user-producer dialogue within official statistics Standards for Measuring User Satisfaction /identify common trends in the needs and the attitudes of users in the MED region Emphasizing the need for implementing satisfaction and level of confidence surveys of the data users by the NSOs. Amman Declaration, July 2011 Areas of priority include employment statistics, migration, the relation with media, statistics for democracy and the role of civil society as well as economic and social development

Objective One: Empowering Users Joint analytical studies Strengthen the professional cooperation among users and producers of statistics Further validate quality and relevance of statistics (feedback) Attention to content and design of joint studies (Harmonization) Capacity building in data analysis The focus areas: economic and social development, employment, democracy and migration

Amman Declaration, July 2011 Objective One: Empowering Users Statistical literacy To bridge the gap between users and producers of statistics Variety of communication medias especially Data Visualization (DV), e-learning medias and interactive ones Advocacy materials to maintain reputable corporate image Develop trust with stakeholders especially the media, decision makers and the public at large Emphasizing that the process of propagating statistical awareness is the responsibility of the NSOs. Amman Declaration, July 2011 Training and seminars; regional activities through e-learning Initiating such activities under MEDSTAT III

Objective One: Empowering Users User-tailored data sets There are different international initiatives that focus on collection of data sets (PUF-Public Use Files) in certain areas such as data from censuses. Users obtain data sets with proper documentation that would allow them to perform their own data analysis. Digital data files reflect the essence of user empowerment. Discussions on access to data files versus confidentiality and the related policies applied in certain countries were of particular interest . Helsinki Meeting, 6-7 May 2010 Standards need to be developed to define boundaries of data confidentiality. Procedures for data access (licenses, agreements) Work will be initiated in this area under MEDSTAT III.

Objective One: Empowering Users Statistical Calendar Enable users to better map their own calendar of activities (research/development/monitoring) with the release dates of official statistics Focus on standards and procedures Opportunity for regional calendar Considering transparency in all stages of the statistical process, thus facilitating acceptance and perception of the statistical data by the users Amman Declaration, 2011

By 2014, modernize statistical tools and technologies Objective One: Empowering Users Usability Techniques To provide the users with what they need in a suitable way. What we see is “suitable” is not necessary SO in the eyes of users Usability techniques refers to how well users can learn and use a product to achieve their goals and how satisfied they are with that process By 2014, modernize statistical tools and technologies Dakar Declaration, 2009

HOW Objective Two: Improving the production Facts: Previous MEDSTAT programs: harmonization in various sectors: The challenge is on how to keep the momentum with focus on priorities! Quality is of concern for both producers and users EVERYWHERE Regional approach is instrumental for better and effective National coordination within the official producers of statistics The utilization of IT: Quantifiable benefits to data processing, especially in the form of direct cost savings and improved timeliness of statistics HOW Quality Framework Code of Practices National Coordination Harmonization: Priority Areas Technology-4-Statistics Capacity Building

Objective Two: Improving the production Quality Recognised professional standards (Trust & Credibility Enablers) Quality must thus be addressed for both the data and the processes Specificities of the MED countries (current practices, resources, challenges) Regional quality working group (First Forum of EU_MED statisticians -end of 2012) Model of Quality Framework for countries to adapt, opportunity for regional quality framework (ESCWA’s Strategic vision, 2011) A Quality approach has been introduced in some countries but without a conceptual framework and methodological approach Helsinki Meeting, 6-7 May 2010 Pilot quality framework in two countries Technical support Self assessment, Peer Review (support of MEDSTAT III) Focus on documentation of experiences/lessons learned Stressing upon the necessity to produce high quality data for increasing the data users’ confidence, particularly the media in order to preserve the credibility of the NSOs and to avoid any mistrust Amman Declaration, 2011

Objective Two: Improving the production Code of Practice Move public debate from “About statistics” to the issues raised by statistics Better place official statistics within the public debate and the decision making on social and economic development Opportunity to Benchmark European Code of Practice Seminar to promote statistical governance/quality The importance of the European code of practice as a foundation for quality was recognised …comparison between different standards applied in the MPCs could be useful. Helsinki Meeting, 6-7 May 2010 Model of MED Code of Practice Regional working group 3 test countries for the implementation of the code of practice (support of MEDSTAT III)

Objective Two: Improving the production Capacity Building Training is one of the pillars of the EU-MED cooperation in statistics Stronger relation through sharing existing materials, pooling trainers and sharing the cost of development Consolidated regional training plan; knowledge platform Capacity building of young statisticians on Policy apprehension & EU standards National training centres/programs, regional training strategy, Training of trainers Stressing upon the Arab, regional and international organizations to promote capacity building and to construct the national statistical systems from the financial as well as the technical aspects Amman Declaration, 2011 Mobilize all available training resources and opportunities which have emerged in the MED countries in the past years, to facilitate the sharing of investments between the MED countries

Objective Two: Improving the production National Coordination Under MEDSTAT II and III, coordination mechanisms were sectoral (energy, transport, migration, tourism and environment) Easier and larger circulation of data among national services Progress in the production of statistics

Each of the countries could take the lead for one theme. Objective Two: Improving the production Harmonization: Priority Areas Increasing reliance on administrative records available in the ministries and institutions as a substitute source to the data produced by the NSOs Amman Declaration, 2011 Efforts already made in the sectors covered by the MEDSTAT programmes need to be strengthened and extended to other sectors. Priority areas: Employment, energy, Migration, Business Register (Statistics). The priority topics will be regularly revised during the successive EU-MED Forums of Statisticians (Adaptability) New EU-MED political agenda (new topics, new approaches generated by the recent events) Ambition of partners / Resources to allocate Four thematic working groups (first Forum of the EU-MED statisticians planned for the end of 2012) Know-How/Practices/Technical assistance: EUROSTAT and from some EU/EFTA countries MED Country Led approach Output: Harmonized indicators/tools/methods ESCWA’s Strategic vision: Population estimates, Informal sector, employment There is a need for a technological ‘push’ to allow administrative records to be used for statistical purposes Each of the countries could take the lead for one theme. Helsinki Meeting, 6-7 May 2010

Objective Two: Improving the production Technology-4-Statistics Utilize IT tools into the production cycle of official statistics (data collection, processing, and dissemination). Technological tools could be utilized for employment survey, data visualization, sharing of management practices, NSI visibility , e-learning (training programs) and data documentation Keep pace with modern developments in employing technology in statistical work Amman Declaration, 2011

Specific Objectives: 1 & 2 Technical Content Specific Objectives: 1 & 2 The What Part