International Statistical
Fellowship Program
Eric Rancourt
Director, International Cooperation Division
Statistics Canada
Outline
 Background
 Objectives
 Program Structure
 Progress-to-date
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Background
Why this program?
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Need identified internationally
Consultations (UNECA, AFRISTAT, PARIS21)
Statistics Canada’s experience
Statcan – CIDA partnership
Statistics Canada • Statistique Canada
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Objectives of this presentation
 Describe the program
 Present initial accomplishments
 Provide an opportunity to react
 Inform about future plans
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Objectives of the program
Ultimate Objective:
Practical improvement of the statistical
management capacity, according to the
realities of each participating NSO, in order to
produce the most relevant and highest
possible quality statistics to support evidencebased policy development and decision
making.
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Objectives of the program
Intermediate Objectives:
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Improve statistical office management and
effectiveness of national statistical system
Contribute to improving the national statistical
development strategy
Promote knowledge-sharing
Support gender equity
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Objectives of the program
Immediate Objectives:
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Promote sound statistical office management practices
and use of tools that are adapted to each
organizational culture
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Provide a structured approach to building and
implementing a plan
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Increase regional and international cooperation
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Maximize ability to share knowledge and engage in
continuous learning within and among statistical
agencies
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Program structure
To reinforce the management capabilities of the NSO’s of
participating countries, the program has three phases:
1.Identification of priorities with respect to management practices by
selected countries.
2.A one and a half week seminar in Ottawa to foster knowledgesharing and mutual learning experience;
3.A follow-up phase where participants write a strategy paper.
Statistics Canada will monitor the implementation of specific action
plans over a two-year period.
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Phase I: selection criteria
The candidate National Statistical Office (NSO) must have:
 A basic infrastructure and statistical capacity to absorb, implement and
sustain the techniques and principles.
 A legal basis for official statistics in place (i.e. a Statistics Act or
equivalent).
 A National Statistical Development Strategy (NSDS), or equivalent,
completed or near completion with statistical capacity building identified
in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP).
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Phase I: Preparing for the seminar
 Identification of priorities
 Engagement
 Preparing a presentation of the country/NSO
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Phase II: The seminar
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Themes and tools
Presentations by participants
Workshops
Subject-matter discussions
Open discussions with questions/answers
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Governance and planning themes
• Statistics Canada’s Corporate Business Architecture
model
• Human Resource Management
• Recruitment, Development, Mobility
• Auditing and Finance
• Information Technology
• Cooperation with User Community
• Quality Assurance Management
• Data confidentiality – Policy and practices
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Governance and planning tools
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Planning and management
Relation with respondents
Acquiring and using Administrative Data
Statistics and Gender
• Communication and Dissemination
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ISFP seminar meetings
• The ISFP provides opportunities for participants to meet
key players from Statistics Canada.
• Meetings with the Chief Statistician of Canada
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Phase III: Follow-up
 Confirm management topic selected
 Prepare a strategy paper (6 months)
 Implement strategy (12-18 months)
 Monitoring by Statistics Canada
(Potential technical assistance support)
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Phase III: Symposium
To strengthen the relationships among participants.
Participants will
• organize and attend presentations
• review case studies
• share knowledge
• discuss the lessons learned during the development
of new tools.
Planned for Fall 2014
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Phase III: Symposium
Preliminary thoughts
A typical workshop would last a week and would have the following parts:
• An introductory session on issues of relevance to African NSOs.
• Sharing the Canadian experience:
• Sharing good practices from selected African countries:
• Sharing the experiences of significantly challenged countries:
Facilitators from Canada, selected experienced African Heads of NSOs in
relatively advanced systems, and selected experienced NSOs Heads in
struggling countries.
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ISFP knowledge sharing
 ISFP will seek participation from pass participants to
return as presenters for future seminars.
 To engage in knowledge-sharing with new participants to
maintain the relevance and continuity of the program.
 It will allow the creation of an ongoing learning network
among participants in the program and their respective
NSO.
 They will also have the opportunity to outline the
lessons and benefits they obtained from the program.
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Progress to-date
•Initial development
•First pilot cycle (Ethiopia, Malawi, Mauritius)
•Feedback from participants
•Improved program
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Lesson learned from ISFP 1
• Reduce duration of the seminar.
• More time have been dedicated bilateral meetings.
• Less formal presentations and more time for discussions.
• Emphasis on exposing participants to Canadian challenges and
how they were solved.
• Learn from the experiences of participants on the same issues.
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ISFP Event schedule
Over the next 5 years, countries in Africa, Latin America
and the Caribbean will be invited to partcipate in the ISFP
aiming not only at the acquisition of management
knowledge but also at continued local development and
ownership.
Sessions currently planned
Fall
Winter
Spring
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 (Symposium), 2015
2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
THANK YOU – MERCI
Éric Rancourt
Director, International Cooperation Division
Statistics Canada
Eric.rancourt@statcan.gc.ca
Marc Lemay
ISFP Manager, International Cooperation Division
Statistics Canada
Marc.lemay@statcan.gc.ca
Isfp-info-pigos@statcan.gc.ca
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