1. Capacity Development 4.0 Andrea Pellandra
Field Information and Coordination Support Section
Division for Programme Support and Management

2. Challenges relative to refugee statistics
Lack of comparability between national figures produced by different countries and across displacement situations within countries.
Lack of consistency of terminology, concepts, definitions and classifications
Different methods of data collection, compilation and presentation at national and international level
Administrative data reflect country-specific legislation, policy and practices and not statistical purposes
Limited capacity of national statistical and administrative systems
Limited connection between national refugee statistics and official migration and population figures
Multiple technical, operational and political challenges impacting data collection and the reliability of data sources
Limited existence of principles and recommendations

3. Gaps in official statistics
Disaggregation
Demographic
Geographic (both asylum and origin)
Socioeconomic
Addressing double and triple (and more) counting
Trajectories
Especially movement between IDP and refugees, asylum-seekers and refugees, back and forth
Vulnerable groups – especially unaccompanied and separated children

4. Opportunities
Better evidence supports policy formulation, evaluation, and accountability, and enhances advocacy efforts
The New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants calls for enhanced international cooperation to improve data collection on refugees
It emphasizes capacity building for national authorities, financial support, technical assistance and inclusion in national plans
Data revolution – leveraging new sources, technologies

5. Achieving change Change Internal External Capacity Functional
Expert Group on Refugee and IDP Statistics
Internal
External
Capacity
Leveraging national statistical & administrative systems
Functional
Political
Need improvements in all 4 dimensions: Functional capacity, political capacity, internal change and external change
Internal/functional: inclusion within national statistics strategy, flow of data within the NSS (i.e. data not stuck at line ministriy)
External/functional: adequacy of resources (especially when limited and refugees not seen as part of national pop), accountability, reporting requireements (disaggregation by migratory status)
Political/internal: poltical push back and resistance to inclusion of refugees in national pop, senstiivtyi around data
Political/external: media attention (need to manage, increase understanding), donor/international interests against national interest
Strategic interlinkages
CRRF (RRP)
Grand Bargain
Transparency about our evidence base
Open Data
SDGs
Interagency work
Improving civil registration and vital statistical systems for populations of concerns (both for statistics and protection): working with regional and national partners – innovative techniques needed
Increasing resources for statistics by integration of populations of concern in national statistics systems
First time that common definitions and standards discussed.
Building national and regional capacity and engagement
Way forward for IDP statistics – particularly challenging, new ground
Challenges:
Lack of common definitions on refugee and IDP statisitcs
Poor coordination within national statistical systems with data often sitting just in line ministries
Refugees and stateless often not seen as part of national population so not included in strategies
Statistical capacity in IDP affected countries often very weak
Often no CRVS for refugees or stateless
Opportunities:
EGRIS bringing together 30 countries and 15 agencies to write IRRS and compilers’ handbook plus way forward for IDPs.
2020 census round underway
Build on interest in civil reg for protection and identity reasons
Ways to save money while meeting commitments:
Leverage national resources
Create better functioning systems

6. Expert Group on Refugee and IDP statistics (EGRIS)
Established by UNSC
Participants from NSOs, International statistics organizations, and other technical experts
First time agreement on definitions, sources, coordination
International Recommendations on Refugee Statistics (IRRS), a reference guide for statistics on refugees to be adopted by UNSC
Way forward for IDP statistics – more challenging
Implementation – compilers’ manual with operational instruction on how to collect statistics on refugees
Country-owned process will also facilitate capacity building of end users at country level.

7. Refugee statistics within the national statistical system

8. Leveraging national statistical and administrative systems
Building functional capacity of national systems to report on forced displacement.
Innovative training of national ministries and NSOs responsible for producing refugee statistics on concepts and definitions
Strengthen sound data collection techniques and methodologies
Improve data sharing environment, communication channels between agencies
Establishing mechanisms to exchange data
Building political capacity
Engaging ministers and senior politicians at international and regional level to elevate refugee statistics as a priority for political agenda
Increase statistical understanding at highest level