UNSD – DFID project:
Post-2015 discussion, Building better
dissemination systems
Improving the collation, availability and dissemination of development
indicators (including the MDGs)
Post-2015: HLP Key messages
• Debate quickly moved from scene setting
(i.e. “Future we want for all”) into target detail.
• Broad range of stakeholders are interested in
data and see it as a big part of the agenda.
• But see a greater role for non-traditional
collection methods and collection agents
• Likely to develop a similar structure and
approach as adopted by MDGs.
Post-2015: Illustrative Goals
Source: Report of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda
Post-2015: Data Revolution
“We also call for a data revolution for sustainable
development, with a new international initiative to
improve the quality of statistics and information
available to citizens. We should actively take
advantage of new technology, crowd sourcing,
and improved connectivity to empower people with
information on the progress towards the targets.”
Source: Report of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda
Post-2015: Local reporting
“The most pressing issue is not urban versus rural, but how
to foster a local, geographic approach to the post-2015
agenda. The Panel believes this can be done by
disaggregating data by place, and giving local authorities a
bigger role in setting priorities, executing plans, monitoring
results and engaging with local firms and communities.”
“The Panel reiterates the vital importance of building data
systems to provide timely, disaggregated indicators to
measure progress, in all countries, and at all levels (local,
sub-national, and national).”
Source: Report of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda
The state of statistics
• Four dimensions of sustainable development
• The targets in the HLP and SDSN reports can be
mapped to each dimension statistically:
– Economic statistics – GOLD
– Social statistics – SILVER
– Environment statistics – BRONZE
– Governance statistics – TIN
• Significant work would be required to provide the fullrange of statistics in the HLP and SDSN reports, even
for countries with well-developed statistical systems
From ABS slide from OWG 17 Dec 2013
A quick assessment of the HLP
report from Australia
• 54 ‘illustrative’ targets
– Category A – Doable – 11 targets (eg decrease the maternal
mortality ratio)
– Category B – Doable with a bit of effort – 18 targets (eg improve
soil quality, reduce soil erosion and combat desertification)
– Category C – A fair way off – 25 targets (eg increase
sustainability in government procurements)
The illustrative targets proposed by the HLP report are
extremely ambitious from a statistical perspective
The SDSN report is similarly ambitious
From ABS slide from OWG 17 Dec 2013
Global and National Monitoring
• Differences in objectives
– Globally
• Comparable across countries; set incentives for national action;
used for regional and global aggregates
– Nationally
• Advocacy and national ownership; policy design; challenges in
country context; empowerment at UN debates and negotiations
• Differences in mechanisms
– Inter-Agency Expert Group
• Annual reports
– UNDP - scorekeeper of the MDGs at national level
• Over 400 national MDG reports – government owned
• Guidance for countries (2001, 2003, 2009, 2013, 2015)
• Available information/data for emerging priorities, estimates for
2015 as baselines for next agenda
From UNDP slide from OWG 17 Dec 2013
Reporting varies by indicator
Trends in reporting for goal 5
140
Total Countries Reporting
120
100
80
Target 5.A - MMR
Target 5.B - Reproductive health
60
Total number of countries
40
20
0
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006 2007
Year
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Source: Own calculations based on developing countries’ national MDG reports at http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/mdg/mdg-reports/
From UNDP slide from OWG 17 Dec 2013
National Adaptation Considerable
Source: Own calculations based on countries’ national MDG reports at http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/mdg/mdg-reports/
From UNDP slide from OWG 17 Dec 2013
Changing targets, adding goals and indicators






MDG 2

‘Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to
complete a full course of preschool and high school’ (Morocco)
MDG 3

‘Ensure that, by 2015, at least 50% women in economically active workforce’
(Tajikistan)
MDG 4

‘Reduce by half, between 2005 and 2015, the under-5 mortality rate in highland
areas and selected northern and three southernmost provinces’ (Thailand)
MDG 6

‘Achieve by 2015, universal access to treatment and prevention of NCDs and
control of major risk factors - smoking, alcohol use, obesity, physical activity, kava,
by gender’ (Vanuatu)
MDG 7

‘Increase waste recycling ratio to 75%’ (Saudi Arabia)
‘MDG 9’

‘Zero impact of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) by 2012’ (Cambodia)
From UNDP slide from OWG 17 Dec 2013
Disaggregating to sub-national levels
• Initially – rural/urban, but increasingly by territory
– 2001-2005: 23%
– 2006-2010: 33%
– 30 countries more than once – including CAR, Congo, Djibouti as
well as a number of MICs
• Most frequent
– Poverty, Hunger, Education, Child Mortality, Maternal Mortality,
Water and Sanitation
• Least frequent
– Reproductive health, environment
• Philippines, Indonesia, Colombia and some others also
disaggregated goals and targets by region
From UNDP slide from OWG 17 Dec 2013
Guiding policy through admin data
Source – ‘Accelerating progress, sustaining results: the MDGs to 2015 and beyond’, UNDP, 2013.
From UNDP slide from OWG 17 Dec 2013
Is the project an appropriate vehicle
to report data on SDGs/Post-2015?
What are the challenges
Line Ministries
National Statistical Office
Line
Ministry
Database
National
Repository DB
United Nations
Post
DevInfo
notification
Upload
Mapping
tool
Scripts
Publish
SDMX-ML
XLS
Register
files
National
Indicator
Registry
Download
Key issues in adapting our approach
• DSD will need to be extensively remodeled codelists and
perhaps even concepts
• Need to choose disaggregations to model (i.e. subnational, ethnicity, disability etc.)
• The mapping tool (in DevInfo) will similarly have to be
redeveloped based on remodelling
• Expand national repository database contents
From UNDP slide from OWG 17 Dec 2013
Thank you for your attention
Sources of further reference:
http://www.un.org/en/develop
ment/desa/developmentbeyond-2015.html
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/
broaderprogress/
http://unstats.un.org