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Strengthening Statistical Capacity in support of progress towards the internationally agreed development goals in the SADC region: ECA’s Potential Contribution. United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. First Steering Committee Meeting of the SADC Development Account Project
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Strengthening Statistical Capacity in support of progress towards the internationally agreed development goals in the SADC region: ECA’s Potential Contribution United Nations Economic Commission for Africa First Steering Committee Meeting of the SADC Development Account Project 14-16 July 2006, Durban, South Africa
Outline • ECA Repositioning • Elements of Programme • Potential Areas of Contribution • The Way Forward
Background • The project is aimed at strengthening statistical capacity-building in support of the MDGs in the region of the SADC • Period: 4 years (2006-2009) • Executing agency: UNSD/DESA • Co-operating Agencies: • SADC Secretariat • Division of Sustainable Development/DESA • UNECA • This development account is timely in terms of the revamping of statistical activities at ECA
ECA Repositioning • The new Executive Secretary has launched the process of repositioning ECA to better serve Africa • The proposed repositioned ECA structure: • Recognizes the importance of statistics as a cross-cutting issue • Includes a new entity with financial and administrative autonomy: STATISTICS AND STATISTICAL CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT • The new entity will be provided with adequate financial and human resources staff
Potential Areas of Contribution • In the framework of the SADC development account project, the ECA should undertake the following activities
Elements of Programme of the CSSC • Promotion, coordination of, and advocacy for statistical activities in Africa and monitoring progress of statistical capacity building • Building a data hub at ECA for the provision of development data on Africa • Implementing the 1993 System of National Accounts (SNA) • Supporting statistical training programmes • Establishing a regional programme for population and housing censuses • Providing technical assistance to African countries
Potential Areas of Contribution (1) • Promotion, coordination of, and advocacy for statistical activities in Africa and monitoring progress of statistical capacity building • Activities: • To promote the RRSF among SADC countries • To support countries in the design and implementation of their NSDS (organization, legislative framework) • To prepare specific advocacy material for SADC countries for the celebration of the African Statistics Day • Potential partnership: • PARIS21 on advocacy • ADB
Potential Areas of Contribution (2) • Building a data hub at ECA for the provision of development data on Africa • Activities: • facilitate storage and dissemination of statistical information • Design and establish Websites for SADSC NSOs that do not have one to facilitate dissemination of data and increase visibility • Establishing a SADC database on household surveys data to feed the ECA regional household surveys database • Potential partnership: • AFRISTAT for the Websites (best practice) • World Bank (Household Surveys database) • ECE (macro time series database) • IMF (GDDS, Metadata)
Potential Areas of Contribution (3) • Implementing the 1993 System of National Accounts (SNA) • Activities: • To prepare a substantive assessment of the implementation status of the 1993 SNA in SADC countries • To identify impeding factors • To organise a workshop for experts to potentially address impeding factors • To produce a manual on best practices in this region based on experts’ workshop • Potential partnership: • ADB (ICP project) • IMF-EAST AFRITAC (Manuel SNA for SADC countries) • Afristat
Potential Areas of Contribution (4) • Establishing a regional programme for population and housing censuses • Activities: • During the Census workshop, to organize workgroups on: • Effective use of IT and GIS for census operations • Using the census for measuring new and emerging priority issues • Planning and financing the next censuses • Analysis, dissemination and utilization of census data • Identify resources and expertise to be shared, e.g. IT expertise, exchange of professionals, training materials • Potential partnership: • UNFPA, UNFPA-CST • ICP, US Bureau of Census
Potential Areas of Contribution (5) • Providing technical assistance to African countries • Activities: • Advisory services in the field of collection and dissemination of statistics and databases • Advisory services in organization and management of NSOS (ECA has a regional adviser in the area) • Advisory services in household surveys • Potential partnership: • ECA should also contribute in terms of substance and organizational matters in other workshops and activities under this project
Other initiatives • Development Account on Gender disaggregated data