Engaging Producers and Users in Gender Statistics Dialogue

1. Producer – User Dialogue Inter-Regional Workshop on the Production of Gender Statistics New Delhi, India, 6-10 August 2007 By Grace Bediako Government Statistician Ghana Statistical service

2. A word from the Platform for Action – Beijing 1995 Governments are to: • Ensure that producers and users of statistics in each country regularly review the adequacy of official statistical system and its coverage of gender issues, and prepare a plan for needed improvements, where necessary. (Para. 210 (b))

3. Aims of the presentation • What are the principles for engaging producers and users in a dialogue? • How do statistical offices traditionally involve users in their data production? • What do we need to improve on and how? • What are the benefits … and to whom?

4. Statistics serve to: • Discern past trends • Assess current levels and differentials • Deduce future patterns • Understand past and current performances as a basis for planning for the future • Set realistic targets for programmes • Monitor changes • Evaluate achievements

5. Producer-user consultation not a new concept to statisticians They have served different purposes: • Statutory – Statistics advisory group or Statistics Council, as part of the legislative structure/organization of national statistics system • Ad hoc Advisory Committee for special tasks • Statistical inquiries/surveys • Review of statistical reports • Database/indicator dissemination • Etc.

6. Users of gender statistics constitute a major group to target The use of gender statistics brings new application to expensive data The analysis of data is extended from different user perspectives Use of the data for advocacy also publicizes the statistics Expect more from statistics when gender dimension added

7. Introducing gender to statistics would require new approaches • Need to go beyond the traditional-producer-user groups • Explore communication in both directions – • Producers Users • Engage users every step of the production process • Solicit feedback from users on continuous basis • Respond positively to feedback • Make use of feedback received • Provide responses • Inform users about outcome of feedback

8. Users have to be engaged in continuous dialogue throughout the production process to maximise gains. Effective engagement requires new orientation and appreciation for user inputs.

9. Consulting users • Know your users • Understand their needs and requirements • Appreciate their special skills and potentials • Determine how best to capitalize on these skills • Find a way of combining the different personalities • Minimize conflicts • Maximize contributions to the outputs

10. Who are the users of gender statistics? • Government officials, programme managers, policy-makers, etc. • Women’s and gender advocates • Researchers and academicians • International organizations, bilateral aid agencies, development partners • Civil society organizations, NGOs, • Media • Ordinary citizen

11. Just about every could use gender statistics • Applications are wide ranging and vary by individuals, institutions, etc. • The purposes are also different • For advocacy • Justify programme/policy direction and orientation • Assess the programme performance

12. What skills/capacities?

13. The challenge • Managing the wide range of users • Reconciling different interests and purposes • Responding to the varying levels of understanding in technical issues and gender awareness • Meeting the diversity of needs

14. Bringing gender issues into the production of statistics Reformulate development issues USERS Problems and questions on gender issues in society of statistics Cooperate Needs for improvement of the situations of women and men PRODUCERS of statistics Goals for equal opportunity

15. Enhancing visibility of women and men in statistical products Targeting different audiences PRODUCERS of statistics Analysis of data Feedback Cooperate Presentation USERS Dissemination of statistics

16. At the data compilation and analysis stage • Identify crucial gender issues • Ascertain areas for policy interventions and formulation of gender goals • Verify deductions and explanations of the statistics and indicators • Give context to the analysis • Assess the clarity and usefulness of presentation formats, style of publication, suitability of output for intended audience

17. Role of producer-user dialogue Final steps in data collection Beginning stages of data collection Consultations/feedback in-between Advice on questionnaires design Support analysis Define issues Users of statistics Producers of statistics Identify gaps Identify statistical needs Feedback on relevance of data/products Identify gaps Advice on concepts & methods

18. Channels of communication • Informal discussions • Individual consultations • Comments on/review of draft documents • Technical workshops • Data analysis workshops • Report drafting workshops • Meetings of consultative/advisory committee meetings • Dissemination workshops

19. Making communication two-way – What to offer to users • Understanding the needs of users • Learning to communicate in the language of users • Bringing statistics to the different technical levels of users • Generating useful products • Making the constraints of producers known • Responding to and appreciating feedback

20. Drawbacks to producer-user consultations • Can lengthen the time table • Can generate conflicting opinions • Can yield competing demands • Can raise unrealistic expectations • Can lead to disappointments when expectations are not met

21. Producers of statistics have their limitations too

22. Ultimately, producer-user dialogue benefits all • Increased utilization of the data produced (often generate at great cost) • Enhanced statistical literacy – better and more effective use of statistics • Users knowledge about constraints of the national statistical system increased • More advocates and greater support for the national statistical system • Expanded sources of technical inputs

23. A word from the Platform for Action – Beijing 1995 Governments are to: • Ensure that producers and users of statistics in each country regularly review the adequacy of official statistical system and its coverage of gender issues, and prepare a plan for needed improvements, where necessary. (Para. 210 (b))

24. Some reflection on current practices The Beijing Platform for Action assigns responsibility on Government (in this case the NSO or the Women’s Machinery) to ensure that producer-user dialogue is maintained: • To what extent is this being done? • How formal is such an arrangement? If a group is in place how regularly does it meet? • What are some of the benefits gained, to those that practice this? • Are there some elements of such an arrangement that guarantee successful outcomes?