Towards 2015 and Beyond – SPARC Support to Poverty and MDG Monitoring

1. Towards 2015 and Beyond – SPARC Support to Poverty and MDG Monitoring Presented by Leisa Perch (Programme Manager, Poverty Reduction), United Nations Development Programme, Sub-regional Office for Barbados and the OECS October 28th, 2008 Accra Beach Hotel, Barbados

2. Why Support to Poverty Assessment and Reduction? • Arose out of a concern about: • State of policy for poverty reduction (disjointed) • Increased rural poverty due to economic downturns in bananas etc • Increasing poverty despite high levels of human development • The lack of quality data on social development or socio-economic links in development • Inadequate analysis of poverty and no clear definition of poverty in the Caribbean context • Achievement of the MDGs or sustainable development - could not occur in the absence of sound, reliable data which identified progress, challenges, who should be targeted and point to required shifts • Limited spatial analysis • Effectively support to the CARICOM Regional Statistical Work-Plan • Absence of linkages among data collectors, analysis and policy makers

3. Efforts in Assessing Poverty (1992-2003)

4. SPARC as enabler of MDG Achievement • Developed in the context of: • Customization of MDG Indicators by CARICOM and CDB; • Continuing support to coordination at the national level through SIMDG committees through CARICOM (UNDP, UNFPA); • Localization and Regionalization at the OECS level through the OECS Secretariat (supported by the UNDP); • Fuller/Expanded PRSP development (UNDP) • New round of CPAs 2005-2011 (CDB) • Limited Progress Reports on the MDGs between 2005 – 2008 Saint Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda (UNDP) * A result of efforts of the multi-donor Poverty and Social Sector Development Donor Group (PSSDDG)

5. SPARC: • Overarching Goal: To assist governments to design and implement a planning framework that speaks to the specific needs of the vulnerable and the disadvantaged in reducing poverty and enhancing social development. … is designed to facilitate multi-donor programming to deliver a comprehensive package of assistance to Caribbean countries to strengthen national and regional capacities to systematically collect, analyze and disseminate social data for poverty assessment as well as critically inform social policy formulation.

6. Proposed MDG and Poverty Monitoring Framework • Tools for measuring the depth and determinants of poverty (Understanding) • HBS, LSMS etc., Participative Poverty Monitoring (listening to the poor) • Tools for comparing differences over space (Targeting) • Local admin. records • Pop. Census + Hhold survey = Poverty maps • Tools for monitoring changes over time (Tracking) • service delivery monitoring • Administrative data/MIS; Institution-based surveys; household surveys, CWIQ Information Pyramid

7. Risk Reduction at the centre of Development • We currently have what experts are calling a “perfect storm” of events: • Rapid climate change and intense climate variability [evidenced by intense storm activity, repetitive storms (September 2008), persistent rain (October 2008)] • Global financial crisis – resulting in home losses, tightening of credit, downturn in markets, lack of confidence • Food crisis – global food security under threat by high commodity prices, drought, competition for land for other development uses including biofuels Source: ECLAC (2005 Presentation on Social Vulnerability and the PRSPs

8. Looking forward to 2015 and the MDGS and Beyond – what is ongoing? What is needed?

9. Where are we with Poverty?

10. Other Data Collection towards 2015

11. Update on MDGs – Some key challenges • While indigence has decline significantly, poverty has increased in some countries • Impacts of climate change and disaster risk not well integrated into data systems, our decision-making and our planning – linking social/environmental statistics (climate forecasts and scenarios) • Concerns in a few MS with child mortality and maternal mortality in some countries • HIV Statistics and reporting ,while improved, still limited requires urgent attention (2008 CRIS Reports) • Ability to facilitate multi-sectoral and development decisions still difficult [the lives of people are not divided into economics, social and the environment]

12. Some key questions looking forward • How do we improve resilience at economic, social and environmental levels? – we can only adapt so far and mitigation requires global efforts • How do we protect the vulnerable from anticipated negative impacts – the role of effective Social Protection? • How can we achieve poverty reduction in tandem with economic growth [there are no guarantees? • How can we better anticipate the impacts of policy shifts [tax reform, social reform, other changes]

13. SPARC/ADP – Addressing Access to Data and Dissemination • Newly formed partnership between SPARC and the Accelerated Data Programme (ADP) http://www.internationalsurveynetwork.org/adp/  . • Aim: strengthening data dissemination and access to data in the Caribbean, set in the framework of the Marrakech Action Plan for Statistics and the 2002 Memorandum of Understanding between the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme, which both emphasized the need for collaboration on the issues of poverty reduction and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. • *ADP an effort of Paris 21 Secretariat, World Bank and other partners

14. SPARC ADP cont’d • ADP will: • allocate up to US$300,000 to the implementation of the SPARC/ADP Project – and include consultants and required technology and equipment for project implementation. • have responsibility for all training in the use of equipment and toolkits and the arrangement of post-training support for the countries. • provide technical expertise and tools for training in micro-data management. Pilot countries: Dominica, Saint Lucia with full scope for expansion

15. Building Sustained Capacity • Training for the new Poverty and MDG Toolkit • Support to new MSc in Development Statistics launched by SALISES Trinidad – also country scholarships could be possible from country UNDP funds • Support to survey design, sampling and other efforts with CDB and others • Specific capacity building efforts in SVG, DMI, STL and GRN (country-based funds)

16. Expanded concepts and methods • Missing dimensions of poverty including agency (ABILITY to ACT) • Decision-making – if we wish to impact on this we need to better (http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/natlinfo/indicators/idsd/methodologies/criteria.htmstand the process) • Improving Qualitative Research (http://manual.recoup.educ.cam.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/Main_Page)

17. Enhancing MDG monitoring – other key inputs • Toolkit on Poverty and MDG Monitoring • Toolkit to be finalized by early 2009 and focuses on methods, minimum requirements, assistance with gender statistics and governance of data management • Involvement in UNECLAC MDG project and collaboration with other HHS strengthening activities • CWIQs in STL and Antigua • Enhanced data capture on welfare and enhancing available data • HDRs e.g. current 2nd OECS HDR on Youth – Social and Economic Justice (Addressing issues of access to health and education, agency, participation/engagements) • MDG Report 2009 – Updating 2004 & 2005 assessments

18. Some Key issues for next 5-10 years • Quality of Life Issues – how can statistics assist? - http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/natlinfo/indicators/idsd/pdf/power_of_indicators.pdf • Role of Statistics in making a case for Middle Income Countries (MICs) - Reduced ODA and perception that we are the least in need. • Climate change and DRR; and • Strong advocacy for SIDS based on ata and analysis.

19. For More Information Contact: Leisa Perch, Programme Mgr, Poverty Reduction UN House, Marine Gardens Hastings, Ch. Ch Barbados, West Indies Tel: 246 467-6005 Fax: 246 429-2448 Email: leisa.perch@undp.org Website: www.bb.undp.org/poverty/html

20. THANK YOU!!!