EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The statistics and data information systems for some countries of the Economic Cooperation Organization
(ECO) member countries in the agriculture sector are archaic and fail to capture vital statistical
information with regard to vulnerability, food security and livelihood-related elements. In most countries
several national bodies are involved to varying degrees in the collection and dissemination of statistical
data on the rural sector. Thus, the lack of an integrated and efficient system for the collection and
dissemination of statistical information from the rural sector, as well as data from various sources, upon
which many decisions on agricultural policy are based, sometimes proved divergent and even
contradictory. This situation is disadvantageous to decision-making across the agricultural sector.
In recent years, Afghanistan has seen significant changes in its Central Statistical Organization. This
includes the expansion of its staff and improved statistical skills as a result of collaborations with ILO,
UNECE and OECD. There is however a need to ensure that the resulting strengthened statistics are
accessible. This requires improving the delivery and access to statistics related to food and agriculture to
inform national planning policies related to the country’s agricultural development. It is to address these
problems that the high-level authorities of ECO headquarters requested support for the establishment and
development of a system for the harmonization, integration and dissemination of agricultural statistics of
a good quality in ECO member countries.
The project will focus on the three following areas:
 strengthening of the technical capacity of national staff of ECO headquarters and in member
countries on the principles of using CountrySTAT;
 implementation and development of the CountrySTAT system in Afghanistan which will serve as the
pilot country and resource basis for expansion to other countries;
 preparation of a fully-fledged project proposal for implementation and development of CountrySTAT
in all remaining countries over a period of three to five years.
The third stage will be used as the basis for mobilization of donor funds to expand assistance and
implement CountrySTAT in other countries. ECO will also deploy every effort to secure donor
commitment for funding of follow-up projects and activities.
The project will cover the services of international experts on the three pillars of CountrySTAT (statistics,
IT and communications) and national consultants. It will also cover the costs of technical support services
(TSS) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) including through field
missions, temporary secretarial support, national and regional training, contracts, materials and
equipment.
The project is expected to contribute to assisting governments of the participating countries to strengthen
their statistics and information systems, for better decision-making and to participate in sharing
information and data on agriculture at regional as well as global level.
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1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 General Context
ECO is an intergovernmental regional organization established in 1985. Its purpose is to promote
economic, technical and cultural cooperation among the Member States which include the Islamic
Republic of Afghanistan, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of
Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Tajikistan, the
Republic of Turkey, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan. ECO's prececessorwas the Regional
Cooperation for Development which was founded in 1964 and ceased to exist in 1979. All the ECO states
are also Member States of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), while ECO itself has
observer status in the OIC since 1995.
ECO is an organization that is thriving and growing. The Member States have been collaborating over the
past 12 years in order to accelerate the pace of regional development through their common endeavours.
ECO has embarked on several projects in priority sectors of its cooperation including energy, trade,
transportation and agriculture. Over the past decade the member countries have been working to
harmonize measurements, classifications and methodologies in an effort to ensure consistency regionally.
This presents an excellent opportunity for staff to gain capacity on using and implementing a harmonized
regional platform for the dissemination of agricultural statistics. The concept project proposal has been
considered in detail at a series of high-level expert meetings of ECO National Statistical Offices (NSO),
in 2009-2010. The draft project proposal was considered and approved on behalf of ECO by the Third
Meeting of Heads of NSO of ECO in 2011 and approved and recommended for implementation by the
21st RPC of ECO.
1.2 Sectoral Context
1.2.1. Development priorities and the MDGs
The project is in line with the ECO Framework of Cooperation in Statistics, which was adopted during
the first meeting of the ECO Heads of NSO in January 2008, which aims at reinforcing regional
cooperation in statistics in order to facilitate planning, policy-making and regional initiatives through the
provision of comparable and timely statistics; to harmonize classifications, concepts, definitions; to adopt
international best practices; and to promote improvements in the official statistics. Based on this
framework, regional cooperation in statistics will be intensified and guided by principles of practical
utility, quality, transparency and accessibility, in conformance with international standards. 1
The specific objectives of the Framework are the following:
a. to enhance and intensify statistical cooperation among ECO NSO;
b. to harmonize the definitions, classifications and measurements of statistics in ECO region;
c. to promote the production of comparable statistics and the development of regional statistical
indicators;
d. to promote adherence to the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics adopted by the United
Nations Statistical Commission;
e. to support ECO policy-making bodies (e.g COM, RPC, CPR) through the provision of comparable,
updated and timely statistics and to coordinate and promote ECO Secretariat positions on statistical
issues in relevant international fora;
f. to enhance the technical and management capabilities of ECO NSO;
g. to promote statistical professionalism;
h. to advocate greater governmental support and commitment to the priority statistical programmes,
projects and activities of ECO member countries;
i. to promote improvements in the official statistics generated by the member countries.
The project is linked to the Strategic Objective H – Improved Food Security and Better Nutrition of
FAO’s Strategic Framework. More specifically, the assistance to be provided will directly contribute to
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ECO Plan of Action for Statistics.
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FAO’s Organizational Result H4 – Strengthened capacity of member countries and other stakeholders to
generate, manage, analyse and access data and statistics for improved food security and better nutrition.
1.2.2 NMTPF/CPF and UNDAF
There is no regional FAO medium-term priority framework covering all ECO countries. Some countries
have developed national medium-term priority frameworks which include improved agricultural statistics
and information as an area of priority.
Namely, Afghanistan’s NMTPF was formulated for the period 2009-2013. Although it is currently being
updated, the proposed project would directly contribute to the implementation of Output 4.3: Enhanced
government capacity to collect, analyse and disseminate information on agriculture production, markets,
price, inputs and household access to food.
Similarly, for Azerbaijan the proposed assistance would contribute to the NMTPF 2010-2012 and in
particular to activity 3.4.6. Capacity building in data collection/analysis in the areas of agriculture and
food security.
2.
RATIONALE
2.1 Problems/Issues to be Addressed
Considering the importance of the agriculture sector, which is important to the gross domestic product in
many of the ECO Member States (32 percent for Afghanistan), a system for dissemination is lacking
which would provide a comprehensive and current view of statistics on food and agriculture for the
region. Knowledge and information sharing on agriculture data and information in the ECO region has
been low during the past decade due to technological gaps and lack of funding. An agricultural statistical
database could have helped highlight specificities of agricultural commodity markets in the region.
Currently, the role of statistical information is crucial for assessing achievements and the institution of
choice can inform better decision-making for the allocation of resources. A deeper understanding of the
agricultural sector is needed to meet the information needs which are constantly growing and urgent, in
quantity and quality, of individual economic actors to base their intervention strategies on reliable and
current statistical data.
Moreover, it could enable regional farmers to easily access a wide range of data. Sharing such knowledge
and disseminating accurate and reliable statistical data and information to remote farmers would help
them to effectively market their produce, make good use of a modern supply chain system, and would
bring more dynamics to rural farming, whilst creating more jobs and reducing the poverty level in the
agricultural sector.
Furthermore, it should be noted that new types of data needs have emerged in recent years, particularly
those related to issues including poverty, food security and vulnerability, the MDGs of mainstreaming
gender, etc. Regionally and internationally, ECO member countries have made commitments related to
food security and the fight against poverty. These include:
 the World Food Summit (WFS) and the WFS after five years;
 MDGs.
The various institutions in ECO countries collect and carry out primary data processing, analysis and
dissemination of data for the parameters within their respective areas. However, the various departments
work in isolation, the information is scattered and no comprehensive synthesis is carried out at national
level. Thus policy-makers receive only fragmentary data, difficult to use for rational and quick decisionmaking. This situation is unsatisfactory both for the governments and for the various stakeholders.
The entities that are directly affected by the problem are the NSO and regional end-users of statistical
data and information on agriculture, including on food security, livelihoods and pricing of agricultural
commodities. The end-users are farmers, institutional entities working in the field of agriculture and
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entities whose activities are linked to agriculture. Indirectly, the problem affects donors, international
partners and UN agencies whose activities are involved in the agricultural sector of the ECO region.
In the specific case of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, after almost two decades of war and conflict
and the ensuing devastation, the Government in collaboration with its development partners is attempting
to rebuild and rehabilitate the nation and its institutions. Economic dynamics are gradually changing and
economic growth for 2010/2011 stands at an impressive 8.2 percent of the GDP. To pursue an evidence
based approach to making far reaching decisions covering the entire span of economic and social
dimensions, the Government needs reliable, comprehensive and timely data.
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) is the central agency responsible for the collection and dissemination
of data in Aghanistan. The CSO was established in 1973. At the time of its establishment the CSO was
assigned the responsibility for the collection, analysis and publication of secondary data - largely
administrative data provided by sectoral ministries. At a later date it took on the task of compiling key
statistical series such as National Accounts, Consumer Prices Indices and Population and demographic
data. It took on the role of coordinating statistical activities across all agencies of government. CSO
benefitted from donor support, advice and training. Following the Soviet take over in 1979, the emphasis
shifted to the collection of data on agriculture, transport and communications and statistics on the internal
movement of food and non-food items throughout the country. The organization of the CSO was largely
patterned on the Soviet statistical structures, emphasizing a compartmentalized and top-down system
where concepts and methods focused on complete reporting. As with most government agencies and
institutions in Afghanistan, the CSO has suffered and is attempting to rebuild itself under difficult
circumstances. This has included the expansion of its staff and improved statistical skills as a result of
collaborations with ILO, UNECE and OECD. To keep this momentum it is important for the country to
continue to move forward and work towards having a well-coordinated system for the dissemination of
agricultural statistics to ensure the continued harmonization of concepts and methods on agricultural data
within the country, and for the ECO region as a whole.
The main issues and constraints to be addressed are building capacity for the management of agricultural
statistics using international standards and methods that would allow for improvements in the quality of
data disseminated and directly impact comparability of data and the level of analysis that can be
performed related to food security in the member countries.
CountrySTAT is a Web-based information technology system for food and agriculture statistics at the
national and subnational levels. It provides decision-makers with access to statistics across thematic areas
such as production, prices, trade and consumption. This supports analysis, informed policy-making and
monitoring with the goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger.
Each CountrySTAT system is nationally owned and managed. The focal institution in each national
government leads data coordination, technical working group meetings,and trainings to ensure that the
system has reliable data.
The project will thus support training in the use of CountrySTAT for ECO countries at regional level. The
national and regional staff will be trained on the effective control of tools, concepts, methods and
classifications developed by FAO. The project will also establish a functional system in Afghanistan
which can lead the way by demonstrating success in the area of dissemination of agricultural statistics
that respects regional objectives. Further improvements to statistical capacity on agriculture in
Afghanistan will allow the country with its recent positive economic developments to be truly engaged in
regional statistics due to improved access to data that is comparable, accessible and supports the
objectives of the ECO Framework for Cooperation in Statistics.
With the ECO region’s unutilized potential of USD 320 billion capital inflows in the regional agriculture
sector, the importance of the implementation of this project is considered critical.
It is expected that the project will be able to catalyze the mobilization from governments and donors of
follow-up funds and investments for the implementation and development of the CountrySTAT system in
other ECO Member States with the final objective of:
 helping create a database at the regional level which will combine statistical data from member states;
 facilitating collaboration, sharing and exchange of data;
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ensuring the archiving and dissemination of statistical data;
responding to requests for complex data from different areas;
enabling data exchange among Member States, between Member States and the Secretariat of ECO,
FAO and the Member States.
2.2 Stakeholders and Target Beneficiaries
The direct beneficiaries of the project are:
 ECO and the national statistical institutions, which will benefit from the increased technical capacity
of their staff to run CountrySTAT;
 the Central Statistical Organization and CountrySTAT team in Afghanistan, which will benefit from
advanced training in FAOSTAT and be supported in the establishment and running of the system in a
way that is cost effective and timely and uses reliable methods and technologies for producing and
disseminating better quality food and agriculture statistics.
The indirect beneficiaries will be:
 ECO regional networking partners with which ECO may effectively share the agricultural data and
knowledge to be obtained from the present project;
 the policy-makers, researchers, private sector and other users who will be able to easily access
available country data;
 the governments in ECO countries will be better positioned to attract development investment with
improvements in access to a wide range of data of good quality directly related to the countries’
agriculture sector;
 the private sector, donors and NGOs can make evidence-based and improved investments decisions;
 the farmers of ECO countries will benefit from improved policies and investments in agriculture for
increased productivity;
 the people of ECO countries who will have increased food security due to increased food availability
from increased productivity.
The project will promote a broad partnership/alliance with both technical and financial partners of
CountrySTAT (African Union, AfDB, AOAD, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-BMGF, Cooperazione
Italiana, DevInfo, EAC, European Union, IFPRI, OECD/PARIS21, Statistics Denmark, Statistics Finland,
Statistics Iceland, Statistics Sweden, World Bank, WFP, UEMOA, UNECE, UNSD, etc.).
3.
PROJECT FRAMEWORK
3.1 Impact
Impact: improved food and nutritional security in the ECO region.
3.2 Outcome and Outputs
Outcome: more effective and efficient policy decisions based on regionally harmonized food and
agriculture data dissemination and access to good quality data by policy-makers, research scientists and
interested stakeholders.
The main expected outputs and corresponding activities are as follows:
Output 1: Technical capacity of ECO and national CountrySTAT System in ECO Member
Countries strengthened
 Activity 1.1: Basic regional training for administrators of the CountrySTAT System (2 CountrySTAT
Administrators from each ECO country and 2 ECO Staff trained for 5 days). (Venue: ECO
headquarters in Tehran);
 Activity 1.2: Advanced training for 2 CountrySTAT Administrators of the CountrySTAT System
Afghanistan (5 days) (venue: FAO headquarters in Rome);
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Activity 1.3: Organization of one study tour in two countries successfully developed the
CountrySTAT system (for 2 national staff of the National Secretariat of CountrySTAT Afghanistan
during 2 weeks);
Activity 1.4: Organization of 8 National Training Workshops in Afghanistan on the collection,
assessment, validation and harmonization of data and metadata of the CountrySTAT system by the
National CountrySTAT Technical Working Group (3 days each workshop for an average of
25 national staff);
Activity 1.5: Organization of 8 permanent seminars in Afghanistan for uploading and updating of
data and metadata into the CountrySTAT system by National CountrySTAT Secretariat (2 days each
seminar for 5 national staff);
Activity 1.6: National Training of focal points on the CountrySTAT system Afghanistan (average
25 national staff in 5 days);
Activity 1.7: National Refresher Training of focal points on the CountrySTAT system Afghanistan
(average 25 national staff in 3 days);
Activity 1.8: Make available and show to country representatives the use of distance learning material
developed by ESS for training of national staff;
Activity 1.9: Show to country representatives the use of online forum.
Output 2: National CountrySTAT System implemented in Afghanistan
 Activity 2.1: Preparation, approval and signing of legal texts of the three Country-Level Entities of
CountrySTAT (National CountrySTAT Secretariat, National CountrySTAT Technical Working
Group, National CountrySTAT Executive Board).
 Activity 2.2: Monitoring and strengthening the Institutional framework of CountrySTAT through:
o Monitoring and strengthening the National CountrySTAT Secretariat: with at least 5 staff (IT,
Statistician and Communication Officers) from National Statistics Office and Ministry of
Agriculture.
o Monitoring and strengthening the collaboration between key institutions of the National
CountrySTAT through regular meetings of Technical Working Groups.
o Promoting and supporting regular meetings of the National CountrySTAT Executive Board.
 Activity 2.3: Purchase of laptops, computers and other equipment for the development of
CountrySTAT system. Set up of SDMX Registry and SDMX subscriptions.
 Activity 2.4: Delivery of hardware and software (PC-Axis License, etc.) in the country.
 Activity 2.5: Installation of Web application for National Statistics Agency.
 Activity 2.6: Preparation of detailed work plan and budget for the implementation of the system
CountrySTAT.
 Activity 2.7: Identification, assessment and recruitment of a national consultant in information
systems and agricultural statistics for the preparation of country panorama reports I and II.
 Activity 2.8: Identification, assessment and recruitment of a national consultant on communication.
 Activity 2.9: Monitoring of national consultants.
 Activity 2.10: Preparation, validation and publication of panorama reports I and II (description of the
agricultural statistical system, legal framework, identification and description of data sources,
assessment of reliability and comparability of data in space and time, concepts and definitions used ,
canvas collection of data by a format compatible with the system CountrySTAT, etc.).
 Activity 2.11: Preparation, validation and implementation of a communication strategy/plan.
 Activity 2.12: Mainstreaming CountrySTAT within the National Strategy for Development of
Statistics (NSDS) and other relevant national statistical frameworks.
 Activity 2.13: Strengthening the communication on CountrySTAT for better visibility and use
(media, public reports, CountrySTAT-branded USB sticks, etc.).
 Activity 2.14: Preparation and finalization of the terminal report.
 Activity 2.15: Update Web-site of CountrySTAT.
 Activity 2.16: Adaptation and harmonization of National CountrySTAT Statistical Framework with
international (FAOSTAT) standards.
 Activity 2.17: Establishment of Internet connections and hosting CountrySTAT.
 Activity 2.18: Revision of data structure, definitions of food and agriculture domain (i.e. SDMX-ML
Version 2.0), ready to be put into practice.
 Activity 2.19: Development of web-based graphical user and administrator interfaces.
 Activity 2.20: Development of Exchange system based on SDMX.
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Activity 2.21: Transmission of comments and suggestions to the FAO (feedbacks to improve and
evaluate the user graphics interface and administration CountrySTAT).
Activity 2.22: Feedbacks on the administrative division (files ESRI Shape-based files GAUL
provided by FAO).
Activity 2.23: Comparison of data between FAOSTAT and CountrySTAT for increased consistency
by using CompSTAT for external uses.
Activity 2.24: Establishing a relationship and complementarities with other tools for dissemination
and archiving of surveys and censuses data, (IHSN Toolkit, DevInfo, etc.).
Activity 2.25: Perform circular missions to country.
Activity 2.26: Regular and timely collection, assessment, harmonization, validation of data/ metadata
and uploading into CountrySTAT system.
Activity 2.27: Improving data quality with revision of existing tables using FAO data quality
framework.
Activity 2.28: Regularly update tables in core module and subnational modules in accordance with
the use of FAOSTAT standards.
Activity 2.29: Organization of monthly telephone conference meetings between FAO headquarters
and the countries for monitoring progress and providing technical support and advice.
Activity 2.30: Assistance in organizing the Official Launch of CountrySTAT with a wide coverage of
media.
Activity 2.31: Preparation of a consolidated report on the implementation of CountrySTAT at the end
of the project.
Output 3: Project documents prepared for implementation and development of CountrySTAT in
all remaining countries
 Activity 3.1: Preparation and finalization of the project document for CountrySTAT in all ECO
remaining countries for a period of 3 to 5 years for donor funding.
 Activity 3.2: Submission of the project document to the Secretariat of ECO.
3.3 Sustainability
Sustainability of Pilot CountrySTAT implemented in Afghanistan:
The strengthening of technical and operational capacity will support the know-how and local expertise to
ensure the sustainability of long-term results. The technical support will be in the form of short FAO
expert missions, the mobilization of national expertise and sub-regional support for the development of
CountrySTAT. In addition to in-country training by FAO experts and consultants, there will be training at
FAO headquarters, study tours and regional workshops.
The establishment of the CountrySTAT Reference Group Network will enable stakeholders in the longterm to adapt and maintain regional and international standards as a basis for making self-appraisals,
comparisons and choices regarding their needs and the use of information on food and agriculture. This
will help policy-makers, research scientists and interested stakeholders at national, regional and
international levels to have quality data in an efficient and convenient way.
The CountrySTAT system will be owned and maintained by the country and will facilitate the statistical
framework and associated data and metadata at national and subnational levels. All project activities aim
at enabling the country to have its nationally owned framework and system. For this the project aims at
providing administrative/institutional collaboration (catalytic collaboration triggering synergies among
national agencies), technical collaboration (basic and advanced training courses coupled with the
necessary IT equipment) and a network of collaborative support (virtual forums and physical meetings at
national and regional levels). To ensure the sustainability of the system, CountrySTAT will have to be
included in the regular statistical programme of work and budget for sustained functioning, including
regular operations and maintenance.
Para XIX of the 11th Summit Meeting of the ECO states, which was held on 23 December 2010 in
Istanbul, called for an increase of Member States’ contributions to the ECO Special Fund for
Reconstruction of Afghanistan with the aim of speeding up the process of reconstruction in the country.
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The present TCP proposal is deemed as part of the reconstruction process and to this effect, it is the
priority for the organization, in terms of monitoring project activities with the aim of sustaining a longerterm impact for the region. The above-mentioned institutional arrangements vis-à-vis this pilot country
are expected to contribute to the sustainability of the Afghanistan CountrySTAT.
Sustainability at regional and at national levels for non-pilot countries
ECO is fully committed to strengthening statistical systems regionally and the implementation of this
project supports the objectives of ECO’s Framework of Cooperation in Statistics. Data sharing on
agriculture development has in fact been prioritized in ECO Vision 2020.
The project will support the preparation and finalization of project documents for CountrySTAT in all
ECO remaining countries to be implemented over a period of 3 to 5 years. These detailed project
proposals will be used as the basis for mobilization of donor funds.
The project was discussed and endorsed by high representatives of ECO Member States during the ECO
Regional Planning Council Meeting on 17-19 May 2011. In August 2011, the project proposal was
included in the ECO overall project framework. In addition, on 18 August 2011, the proposal was
discussed at the Third Meeting of the ECO Project Monitoring Group (ECOPMG), which consists of the
senior management of the organization. The proposal has been enlisted for regular project reporting to the
Council of Permanent Representatives, Council of Ministers’ Meeting at Foreign Ministers’ level and the
Summit.
The inputs of the ECOPMG into the organization’s broader development programme are key to ensuring
funding upon the successful completion of this project. The organization would support the continued
development and expansion of the system throughout the region with the resources available. The ECO
Secretariat confirmed that prospects for funding of follow-up project proposals through different non-TCP
resources (Development Bank, ECO Trade, IDB, etc.) to implement CountrySTAT in other countries are
positive.
ECO also confirmed that it will provide its high-level decision-making platform to sustain project results
and follow-up. Multiple level expertise, including cross-sector expert involvement, wherever necessary,
as well as IT hardware, if required, including existing facilities of ECOSTAT, as may be needed to
sustain long-term project effects, will be provided by ECO. Additional follow-up resources may be
allocated from the ECO General Purpose and Feasibility Fund for an amount up to USD 50 000. As per
status quo, the basic documents of the ECO prescribe that up to five percent of Member States’
contributions may be used for project implementation. The materialization of this provision is currently
being considered by the Eminent Persons Group of ECO, which is being vested with authority to provide
revisions of guideline policies in the organization. If the provision is approved, the TCP project will be
able to obtain one other additional source for post-project maintenance.
CountrySTAT does not address the issue of the generation of primary data (surveys and other data
collection methods). However, the CountrySTAT programme is part of a more general initiative of FAO
and key development partners to substantially enhance the capacity of countries to produce primary data in
the framework of the Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics, a UN-sponsored
blueprint for capacity building in agricultural statistics. Funding may also become available as part of the
Global Strategy implementation process. The project will promote a broad partnership/alliance with both
technical and financial partners of CountrySTAT.
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The main actions required and responsibilities to ensure the sustainability of the project outputs and the
achievement of the project outcome are summarized in the table below.
Outcome:
Regionally
harmonized food
and
agriculture
data dissemination
and access to good
quality data by
policy-makers,
research scientists
and
interested
stakeholders
in
Afghanistan
for
effective
and
efficient
policy
decisions.
Follow-up action to
ensure
sustainability of
each Output
Institution
responsible for
this follow-up
action and the
resources it will
provide (human,
physical and
financial)
Contribution of each Output to the
impact and the catalytic effects
expected to be generated
Output 1: Technical
capacity of ECO and
national
CountrySTAT
System in ECO
Member Countries
strengthened
All institutions
whose staff will
benefit from the
training will have to
put in place the
necessary conditions
for these staff to
continue applying
the knowledge
acquired.
All institutions
whose staff will
benefit from the
training in the
countries and in
ECO.
High. If the staff trained are not in a
position to apply their skills for
continuous technical support after the
end of the project, the project capacity
building component will not result in a
change in quality of statistics and
information which is the outcome
expected from the project.
Output 2: National
CountrySTAT
System implemented
in Afghanistan
CountrySTAT
included in the
regular statistical
programme of work
and budget
Government
High. If the CountrySTAT pilot is not
fully funded after the project to ensure its
sustainability the outcome of the project
will be jeopardized. In addition the
CountrySTAT pilot should serve as an
example and thus if not successfully
established and maintained, the project
will not have the expected catalytic
effect.
Output 3: Project
documents prepared
for implementation
and development of
CountrySTAT in all
remaining countries
Allocate resources
for project funding
for implementation
and development of
CountrySTAT in all
remaining countries
Resources will
either come from
governments’
regular budget or
donors. Awareness
raising activities
will be done during
the project
facilitated by FAO.
ECO will provide
support to the
countries to
identify and
mobilize follow-up
funds.
High. If the follow-up projects are
funded by donors or governments, the
outcome of the project will not be
achieved. In addition the project will not
have the expected catalytic effect in
terms of mobilizing additional resources
and expanding FAOSTAT
implementation.
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3.4 Risks and Assumptions
To ensure the smooth progress of project activities, a number of mitigation measures will be taken to
avoid any risk, as illustrated in the table below.
Risk
Effect
Probability of
Occurrence
Mitigation Measures
1. Slow
appointment of
national staff and
response of
concerned national
institutions
Delay in project
implementation
Medium
Close follow-up with national
authorities for response to
operational needs for adequate
implementation with clear work
plans.
2. Internet
connectivity can
slow down access
to data
CountrySTAT is
slow, which does
not encourage
practical use
Low
Equipment and information
systems in participating
organizations will be checked
for compliance with high quality
standards.
3. CountrySTAT
related activities are
not included in the
institutional budget
to ensure
sustainability of the
system
4. Low institutional
predisposition to
transfer, or provide
access to,
information
CountrySTAT is
operational only
during project
execution
Medium
Capacities of national
institutions will be developed to
ensure correct estimation of
operational and maintenance
costs for inclusion in the
institutional budgets.
CountrySTAT
includes basic
information but
incomplete
Low
Highest institutional authorities
will be included during the
definition of agreements for
implementation of
CountrySTAT seeking a strong
leadership and national
ownership
As stated above, the main focus of the project is to minimize these risks by:
1. Strengthening national capacity and institutional framework and increasing the relevance and use of
the system by key stakeholders.
2. Training a critical mass of experts at national and regional levels for continuous technical support
after the end of the project.
3. Building a network and reference group for mutual consultation of members of CountrySTAT for
other countries.
4.
IMPLEMENTATION AND MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS
4.1 Institutional Framework and Coordination
The counterpart institution of the project will be the Secretariat of ECO. The ECO Secretariat will
nominate/designate a project coordinator who will work closely with the FAO team as well as other
partners involved in the project on the overall coordination and the smooth implementation of the planned
activities. ECO and FAO will establish a project steering committee for project implementation. The ECO
Project Monitoring Group (ECOPMG), which consists of top management in the organization, will
closely follow the implementation of the project in order to achieve tangible results.
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The main national stakeholders involved in the development of CountrySTAT are NSOs in the ten ECO
member countries. Structurally, NSOs answer directly to the Head of State of any ECO country. The
central coordinating role of NSOs vests in collecting data from all government bodies and processing,
analysing and disseminating official statistical data and information. Such a central coordinating role
enables NSOs to help streamline all data and information flow through one window in order to effectively
disseminate it across any given ECO country or the entire region. In this context, the NSOs may serve as
effective tools to provide the required consolidated data and information for processes of decision-making
on agriculture, including on food security, livelihood and pricing on agricultural commodities, at both
national and regional levels.
The project steering committee will thus consist of ten Member States’ Focal Points on statistics, Focal
Points from Statistics Divisions of Agriculture Ministries of ECO Member States, FAO project staff and
responsible staff from the ECO Secretariat.
In Afghanistan, to ensure the proper coordination and support throughout the life of the project and to
enable the long-term sustainability of CountrySTAT, three national bodies for the management and
monitoring of CountrySTAT must be implemented, namely:
 National CountrySTAT Secretariat with at least 5 staff from the National Statistics Office and
Ministry of Agriculture. The Secretariat will oversee, guide and implement CountrySTAT activities
at national and sub-national levels. It will benefit from advice from FAO staff and specialized
consultants to facilitate the implementation of the activities. It will prepare the report of each meeting
of the Technical Working Group. It will also discuss, elaborate and agree upon the overall
implementation strategy for the CountrySTAT system and review/revisit the same as needed;
 National CountrySTAT Technical Working Group: the TWG will be composed of working level
professionals from Partner Institutions who are producers of food and agriculture statistics. It will
discuss and decide on issues of statistical quality control (data and metadata, completeness and
correctness), CountrySTAT contents, methodology and standards, cross-domain collaboration;
 National CountrySTAT Executive Board may be composed of Senior Staff from key National
Institutions for Food and Agricultural Statistics and other stakeholders (Permanent Secretaries,
Directors General, etc.). It will review and advise on key decisions and issues for the national
CountrySTAT system, in particular for the sustainability of the system CountrySTAT.
The creation of new bodies may not be necessary. The functions of the recommended CountrySTAT
entities may be done by the existing bodies with due amendment of their terms of reference.
The project will be operated by the FAO Statistics Division (ESS) who will also serve as the FAO Lead
Technical Unit for the project. In Afghanistan the project will be implemented in close collaboration with
the FAO Representative.
4.2 Strategy/Methodology
In order to achieve the stated objectives, the global strategy of this project involves the implementation of
two components, namely:
Interregional component:
 adaptation and harmonization of Regional and National CountrySTAT Statistical Frameworks with
international standards (FAOSTAT);
 building common understanding and harmonizing capacities among ECO and country Focal Points in
the use of CountrySTAT;
 strengthening the partnership between the Secretariat of ECO and ECO countries in order to ensure
the long-term sustainability of the system CountrySTAT.
Pilot national-level component in Afghanistan:
 preparation of panorama reports with the status of all the data sets available on agriculture, livestock,
fisheries, prices and food security;
 collection, compilation, harmonization, validation and uploading of data and metadata on the
Web site;
12



training of national staff, training of CountrySTAT Administrators at FAO or ECO headquarters,
study tours, workshops, seminars, formal training sessions, acquisition of computers, laptops, servers,
software, Internet connections and hosting, etc.);
development and implementation of the communication multimedia strategy;
planning, monitoring and evaluation of CountrySTAT.
The statistical methodological approach of CountrySTAT will be sustained by the FAO Statistics
Division as part of its mandate and will be shared with CountrySTAT. It is driven by international
standards such as HS, ISIC, and CPC for commodities and activities. Geographical information standards
used in CountrySTAT include GAUL and SALB for standardizing territories and ESRI file format for
creating maps, geographical analysis in a GIS module and SDMX-ML for data and metadata exchange.
Data coverage will be on national and subnational levels.
CountrySTAT can operate in many popular formats: HTML, XML, MS Excel, CSV, SDMX-ML files
and others. It is Internet and CD-ROM based so it is instantly available to everyone. The CountrySTAT
system is based on decades of FAO experience in the field of agricultural statistics including the
development and implementation of the global database on agriculture, FAOSTAT. It uses the PC-AXIS
platform developed by Nordic countries and is used by developed and developing countries. The project
relies on the willingness of authorities in each country to develop a modern system for archiving and the
dissemination of statistical data on food and agriculture, which will support rural development policies.
The business model of the CountrySTAT Project is based on existing data and metadata collections in the
countries. In each CountrySTAT a core set of data and metadata is commonly shared, thus statistics can
be compared across these countries directly. Each country will be in the position to maintain sets of
detailed food and agriculture statistics and to add new thematic tables of interest for the society at the
national and/or disaggregated levels. The project team will ensure that, whenever possible, the
agricultural statistics data presented, analysed and disseminated are disaggregated by gender.
CountrySTAT is primarily for national statistical work and is compatible with FAOSTAT, the world’s
largest food and agriculture database covering more than 200 countries and territories. CountrySTAT will
also be compatible with RegionSTAT (ECOSTAT), an intermediate version of the system typically
owned by regional organizations, which are mandated to check quality and coordinate national statistics.
With the project directly supporting the implementation of CountrySTAT in the country, Afghanistan will
see the quality of its data and analyses improve. Dialogue between national stakeholders will be fostered
through subnational collaboration and facilitated institutional capacity building.
The basic features of CountrySTAT include country ownership, partnership among stakeholders (both
users and suppliers), integration of different subject domains, integration of agricultural statistics with the
rest of the statistical system in the countries and integration of the national statistics to the international
statistical system. In summary a good information infrastructure is a prerequisite for effective and
efficient policy decisions. Efficient subject-related information systems are those which can be easily
integrated with other information systems over space, domain and time.
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4.3 Project Budget
4.3.1 FAO Contribution
CountrySTAT is well aligned with the principles of the Global Strategy for Agricultural Development,
and in particular the integration of agriculture into the National Statistical System (NSS). This will link
statistical information across the economic, social and environmental domains and meet the expectations
of policy-makers and other data users with reliable and comparable statistics. The UNSC has
recommended that the implementation Plan of the Global Strategy to Improve Agriculture and Rural
Statistics should comprise technical assistance, training and methodological research and development,
with the aim of supporting agricultural sector planning, management and monitoring by supporting
sustained availability of comprehensive, reliable and consistent statistical data in a timely manner.
CountrySTAT supports analysis, informed policy-making and monitoring with the goal of eradicating
extreme poverty and hunger.
4.3 Government Inputs
The ECO Secretariat will nominate/designate a Project Coordinator for the entire duration of the project
and at no cost for the project. The ECO Secretariat will also have to:
 provide suitable office space for project consultants visiting ECO headquarters and nominating the
staff needed by the project;
 make available all documents and literature for project purposes;
 provide support for the implementation of project activities which will be based at ECO headquarters;
 complement the provision made by the project to cover the costs for participation of staff, in
particular from Afghanistan, to attend regional training events.
At country level, the government of each country will have to ensure the participation of the focal points
on statistics.
In Afghanistan, which has been selected as the pilot country, the counterpart institution of the project will
be the Central Statistical Organization. The Government of Afghanistan will appoint a National
Coordinator, who will serve as the Focal Point of the CountrySTAT project for the entire duration of the
project and at no cost for the project. The Government will have to ensure that the necessary staff and
means are made available to establish the National CountrySTAT Secretariat, the National CountrySTAT
Technical Working Group and the National CountrySTAT Executive Board, which are three national
14
bodies required for the management and monitoring of CountrySTAT. The government will also have to:
 provide suitable office space and nominating the staff needed by the project;
 make available all documents and literature for project purposes;
 provide transportation means to the project, especially for field visits by the consultants, and other
project staff;
 fully support the implementation of CountrySTAT;
 contribute to the cost of national/regional meetings and workshops, as required.
4.4 FAO Contribution
Consultants (USD 59 400)
International Consultants (USD 41 400)

One CountrySTAT specialist statistics: 2 months of which 35 days in 5 missions;

one CountrySTAT specialist IT/NET developer: 2 months of which 22 days in 4 missions;

one CountrySTAT specialist in communication: 2 months of which 7 days in 1 mission.
National Consultants (USD 18 000)
 National consultant in information systems and agricultural statistics: 3 months in Afghanistan;
 national consultant in communication and media: 3 months in Afghanistan.
The terms of reference of national and international consultants are attached in Annex.
Contracts (USD 20 000)
Specialized service contracts will be established for producing the following products:
 production and dissemination of communication products and material;
 reproduction and dissemination of reports, results, etc.;
 connectivity, hosting and internet access;
 publishing, translation of technical material.
Locally contracted casual labour (USD 10 000)
Some limited temporary secretarial and driver support for meetings and field activities.
Travel (ticket and DSA) (USD 100 916)
a) Travels TSS for ESS technical support missions (USD 19 800):
 ESS lead technical officer missions for technical support and backstopping to ECO Secretariat in
Tehran (Iran) and Afghanistan (28 days in 4 missions);
 ESS lead technical officer mission to deliver basic training for administrators of the CountrySTAT
System at ECO headquarters in Tehran (Iran) (7 days in 1 mission);
 ESS lead technical officer mission to participate in the Official Launch Ceremony of CountrySTAT
in Afghanistan (4 days in 1 mission).
b) Travels for international consultants’ technical field missions (USD 21 776):

1 CountrySTAT specialist in statistics (35 days in 5 missions);

1 CountrySTAT specialist IT/NET developer (22 days in 4 missions);

1 CountrySTAT specialist in communication (7 days in 1 mission).
c) Travels for participants from countries covered by the project to attend external trainings
(USD 59 340):
 regional basic training for administrators of the CountrySTAT system (2 CountrySTAT
administrators for Afghanistan, 2 CountrySTAT administrators from each ECO country and 2 ECO
Staff) (venue: ECO headquarters in Tehran): 22 participants for 5 days (international travel for
18 participants considering that 2 participants from Iran and 2 from ECO are already in the country)
(USD 42 530);
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

advanced training for 2 CountrySTAT administrators of the CountrySTAT system Afghanistan
(venue: FAO headquarters in Rome): 2 participants for 5 days (USD 7 810);
organization of one study tour in two countries that have successfully developed the CountrySTAT
system (for 2 national staff of the National Secretariat of CountrySTAT): 2 participants for 2 weeks
(USD 9 000).
The above costs under c) are related to travels and allowances for international travels and as such are
charged to the travel training budget line (BL5694). To the extent possible additional resources will be
sought through the ECO Secretariat to enable two additional staff from Afghanistan to attend the regional
training events, as the TCP can only cover 2 participants per country.
Training (USD 54 000)
In-Country Training (Afghanistan) (USD 44 000)



Technical working group workshops: 8 workshops for an average of 25 participants for 3 days
(USD 32 000);
permanent seminars: uploading and updating of data and metadata into the CountrySTAT system by
National CountrySTAT Secretariat: 8 seminars/5 national staff for 2 days (USD 4 000);
training workshops for focal points on the CountrySTAT system: 2 workshops for an average of
25 participants for 3 days (USD 8 000).
The above-mentioned costs are related to training costs incurred at national level and as such are charged
to the training budget line (BL5023).
External Training (USD 10 000)



Regional basic training for administrators of the CountrySTAT System (2 CountrySTAT
administrators for Afghanistan, 2 CountrySTAT administrators from each ECO country and 2 ECO
staff) (venue: ECO headquarters in Tehran): 22 participants for 5 days (international travel for
18 participants (considering that 2 participants from Iran and 2 from ECO are already in the country).
The above-mentioned costs are related to training material and supplies as well as interpretation costs
associated with the regional basic training and thus charged under BL5023. The travels associated
with the regional basic training are budgeted under “travel training” (BL5694);
advanced training for 2 CountrySTAT administrators of the CountrySTAT System Afghanistan
(venue: FAO headquarters in Rome);
organization of one study tour in two countries that have successfully developed the CountrySTAT
system (for 2 national staff of the National Secretariat of CountrySTAT).
The expenses associated with the advanced training and the study tours are limited to travels and
allowances and are thus budgeted under “travel training “(BL5694).
Expendable equipment (USD 5 000)
 50 USB keys for CSO-Afghanistan and FAO CountrySTAT Team (USD 2 500);
 computer paper and printer toners (USD 2 500).
Non-expendable equipment (USD 32 250)
 4 Laptops for CSO-Afghanistan (USD 6 000);
 1 PC for CSO-Afghanistan (USD 1 500);
 4 UPSs (USD 2 000);
 PC-AXIS license (USD 12 000);
 license for server for Web hosting (USD 2 000 per year) (USD 4 000);
 1 intervention laptop for training (USD 3 000);
 2 training server kits (USD 3 750).
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FAO Technical Support Services (USD 34 113)
 Standard report costs for processing of the terminal statement as per FAO standard practices
(USD 2 250);
 ESS (8 standard days);
 ESS lead technical officer (39 days in 6 missions plus 10 days desk work).
General operating expenses (USD 10 489)
This covers miscellaneous expenses required in the field for the operation of the project such as telephone
communications, photocopy paper, postal and pouch services, DHL, facsimile charges, video
conferences.
Direct operating costs (USD 22 832)
To cover FAO’s administrative and operational costs related to the implementation of the project.
5.
OVERSIGHT, MONITORING, MANAGING INFORMATION AND REPORTING
5.1 Monitoring and Knowledge Sharing
Regular monitoring will be done by the ECO Project Monitoring Group which will be deployed for the
implementation of the project. The group consists of 6 permanent members and senior management of
ECO. The project will also be closely monitored through high-level expert meetings of ECO NSO.
The project strategy, results and benefits will be disseminated across the region at government level, at
the level of ECO Permanent Representatives of Member States, ambassadors, at Regional Planning
Council level (Ministries of Budget and Planning of Member States), at wide regional user level through
ECOSTAT and publications.
During the post-project period, the planned events will include seminars on sharing best project
governance experiences of FAO. The event will be for ECO Member States’ official representatives. The
ECO publications, such as ECO Economic Journal, ECO Times, ECO Chronicle and ECO Annual
Economic Report, will display and disseminate papers, analytical reviews, abstracts on the outcomes of
the TCP across the ECO region.
5.2 Reporting Schedule
Each international or national consultant, including FAO personnel providing technical support services,
has to prepare a mission report containing the main results, conclusions and recommendations of his/her
missions.
The final project reporting requirement is a terminal statement, presenting the main results and
conclusions of the project in addition to FAO’s recommendations to the government. The terminal
statement will be prepared by the ESS Lead Technical Officer and finalized as per established procedures.
17
ANNEX 1
PROJECT BUDGET
(FAO Contribution in USD)
Countries:
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Republic of Azerbaijan, Islamic Republic of
Iran, Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Islamic Republic of Pakistan,
Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Turkey, Turkmenistan and Republic of
Uzbekistan
Project title:
Support for the Implementation and Development of the CountrySTAT
Framework in the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) countries
Project symbol:
TCP/INT/3401 (D)
Comp.
Component Description
5013 Consultants
5542 Consultants - International
5543 Consultants - National
5014
5650
5020
5652
5021
5684
5694
5692
5023
5920
5024
6000
5025
6100
5027
6111
6120
5028
6300
5029
6118
Sub Comps.
41 400
18 000
Contracts
Contracts Budget
Overtime
Casual Labour - Temporary Assistance
Travel
Consultants - International
Travel - Training
Travel TSS
Training
Training Budget
Expendable Equipment
Expendable Equipment
Non Expendable Equipment
Non Expendable Equipment Budget
Technical Support Services
Report Costs
Honorarium TSS
General Operating Expenses
General Operating Expenses Budget
Support Cost
Direct Operating Costs
20 000
20 000
10 000
10 000
100 916
21 776
59 340
19 800
54 000
54 000
5 000
5 000
32 250
32 250
34 113
2 250
31 863
10 489
10 489
22 832
22 832
Grand Total
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Main Comp.
59 400
349 000
ANNEX 2
TERMS OF REFERENCE
FAO Technical Support Services (TSS)
ESS Lead Technical Officer
Under the overall operational and technical supervision of the Director of the Statistics Division at FAO’s
headquarters and in collaboration with the CountrySTAT project team, the ESS Officer will:
Missions 1 to 4 [28 days circular missions to Tehran (Iran) and Afghanistan]:
 supervise the preparation and implementation of project work plan;
 provide technical support in the establishment of CountrySTAT, preparation of the work plan,
implementation and monitoring of the CountrySTAT system in close consultation with the national
focal points, including the work of the technical group for the collection, assessment, validation and
harmonization and loading of data into the system;
 contribute to the completion and validation of the panorama reports;
 organize teleconferences with countries on the progress of project activities;
 contribute to the preparation of training and other capacity building activities for CountrySTAT;
 meet with high-level government and partner officials including donors and follow up on the
implementation of CountrySTAT on behalf of FAO;
 provide advocacy and technical clarifications on CountrySTAT to various audiences on behalf of
FAO;
 identify and evaluate candidates for consultant posts;
 provide technical supervision and guidance of the project staff and the international and national
consultants, including review and clearance of reports;
 track weekly progress against project milestones and activities, using individual country work plans;
 promote visibility of FAO’s work on statistics; further develop partnerships for collaborative work
with CountrySTAT;
 ensure integration of gender in CountrySTAT;
 prepare mission reports.
Mission 5 (7 days):
 deliver basic training for administrators of the CountrySTAT System at ECO headquarters in Tehran
(Iran);
 prepare a mission report.
Mission 6 (5 days):
 participate in the Official Launch Ceremony of CountrySTAT in Afghanistan;
 prepare a mission report;
 prepare the terminal statement of the project with inputs from the project team and in accordance with
the FAO format for final clearance by ESS and finalization according to established procedures.
Duration: 8 days for standard tasks, plus 10 days’ desk work and 39 days in 6 missions.
Location: Rome, with travel within the project countries.
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TERMS OF REFERENCE
International Consultant
Statistics Specialist
Under the overall operational and technical supervision of the Director of the Statistics Division at FAO’s
headquarters, the direct technical supervision of the ESS project lead technical officer and in close
collaboration with CountrySTAT project team members, the incumbent will provide support in the
development and implementation of the project’s statistical activities and interface with the IT activities.
In particular, the incumbent will:
 contribute to the preparation of the structure, content and metadata of the CountrySTAT framework
and its coherence with the framework of FAOSTAT;
 assist in updating and maintaining documentation of the CountrySTAT Statistical Framework;
 regularly check the CountrySTAT data structure with the international standards;
 regularly check cross-domain consistency and coherence of data sets in national CountrySTAT
systems;
 participate in cross-checking data (CountrySTAT and FAOSTAT);
 participate in the adaptation of definitions, concepts and classifications from FAOSTAT to
CountrySTAT Framework;
 assist in finding, adapting and publishing content related to country institutions and standards, i.e.
ascertain institutional links and documentation and propose links to CountrySTAT systems on the
Web;
 assist in the elaboration and maintenance of CountrySTAT documentation on trainings, manuals and
reference to support countries in efficient information utilization;
 contribute to maintaining the CountrySTAT data input system and data quality control application;
 participate in the conduct of technical meetings, seminars, workshops and in-country training as
required;
 contribute to the preparation of the draft technical documentation on methodologies used by
CountrySTAT;
 prepare an end-of-assignment report indicating the main findings, conclusions and recommendations.
Duration: 2 months of which 35 days in 5 field missions.
Location: Rome, with travel within the project countries.
Qualifications:
 university degree in statistics or economics;
 three years of relevant experience in statistical analysis of data relating to food and agriculture.
Experience in maintenance of large computerized databases and application of statistical software
packages;
 excellent oral and written communication skill and a capacity to work in a team;
 working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two.
20
TERMS OF REFERENCE
International Consultant
IT .NET Developer
Under the overall operational and technical supervision of the Director of the Statistics Division at FAO’s
headquarters and the direct technical supervision of the ESS Project Lead Technical Officer, the
consultant will design, implement, configure, test and document new software components to extend and
improve the current functionalities of CountrySTAT software. This may also include debugging,
extension and improvement of existing components. Specifically to:
 implement, test, deploy and document PXWEB2008 and PXMAP2 into the existing CountrySTAT
system;
 design, implement, test, deploy and document an upload component in .NET for files permitting
authorized users to upload into their CountrySTAT Web sites through a simple Web interface. This
component shall:

leverage an existing upload component;

upload path shall be configurable per user;

pre-determined for publishers and selectable for admin;

for admin shall display a tree of folders consisting of the current structure and allow selecting
desired folder for upload;

only admin can validate files, rendering them publicly visible;

only admin can delete validated files;

shall also transparently handle SVN integration tasks such that the SVN repository is updated
when files are added, deleted and updated;
 design, implement, test, deploy and document a user management system providing at least two
levels of authorization with differing rights; e.g. an admin role and an “uploader” role;
 other issues contained in the JIRA issue tracking system.
Duration: 2 months of which 22 days in 4 field missions.
Location: Rome, with travel within the project countries.
Qualifications:
 university degree in computer sciences/information systems or economics or related disciplines;
 three years of relevant experience in maintenance of large computerized databases and application of
statistical software packages;
 excellent oral and written communication skill and a capacity to work in a team;
 working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two.
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TERMS OF REFERENCE
International Consultant
Communications Specialist
Under the overall operational and technical supervision of the Director of the Statistics Division at FAO’s
headquarters, the direct technical supervision of the ESS Project Lead Technical Officer and in close
collaboration with CountrySTAT project team members, the incumbent will be responsible for the
reporting and dissemination of information on the development and implementation of the CountrySTAT
system. In particular, the incumbent will:

design and implement an appropriate project reporting and documentation workflow and
classification for easy tracking and monitoring of technical and operational activities;

consult regularly with the core CountrySTAT team, consultants and experts for timely preparation
and delivery of reports and documents;

assist in the development and implementation of the project communication strategy including
templates, communication scheduling, organized knowledge and information repositories, etc.;

develop and maintain communication networking both within and outside the Organization to
encourage and assist with project visibility, collaboration and best practices and knowledge
exchange;

in collaboration with the country project officer and relevant focal points (at country implementing
partner level) and other identified partners, participate in the implementation of the communication
strategy for the project;

provide guidance in the communication for divulging information on CountrySTAT activities;

assist in the identification, assessment and recruitment of the national consultant on
communications;

supervise the national communications consultant;

ensure the development and implementation of a communication strategy/plan;

prepare and finalize the communication Strategy Report;

preparation of a consolidated Communication Report on the implementation of CountrySTAT;

contribute to the preparation of the terminal report of the project in accordance with the FAO format;

prepare an end-of-assignment report indicating the main findings, conclusions and
recommendations.
Duration: 2 months of which 7 days in 1 field missions.
Location: Rome, with travel within the project countries.
Qualifications:
 advanced university degree in communications or journalism or a field relevant to the work of the
Organization;
 a minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in journalism and communications
work, focusing on writing and disseminating information and related materials, is required,
particularly in the area of cooperation for development;
 working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two;
 hands-on journalistic experience in a news environment with a wire service, newspaper or similar
media outlet is desirable.
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TERMS OF REFERENCE
National consultant on information systems and agricultural statistics
Under the overall operational and technical supervision of the Director of the Statistics Division at FAO’s
headquarters, the direct technical supervision of the ESS project lead technical officer and in
collaboration with the CountrySTAT team and the other national partners involved in the project, the
consultant will carry out the following tasks:
 evaluation of information systems and agricultural statistics set-up;
 evaluation of available agricultural and food information in the country: coverage, data types, quality,
standardization, management, distribution;
 results and products of the information system and agricultural statistics;
 evaluation of results and products of the information system and agricultural statistics;
 assessment of needs on agricultural statistical data;
 prepare a country report on data requirements and data availability as well as on required assistance
for standardization, integration, management and dissemination of existing data, evaluation of
technical and institutional capacities in the country (including a summary of the various national
structures involved in the collection and production of food and agricultural statistics: the names of
structures, data type, frequency, publications, nomenclatures, national classifications, where available
methodologies and trial of data production, metadata on the agricultural census, surveys and
administrative files);
 review comments and finalize relevant sections of the report, based on feedback from the
CountrySTAT team;
 participation in the organization and preparation of the final seminar for the validation of the report;
 prepare an end-of-assignment report with conclusions and recommendations following the format and
structure defined by the CountrySTAT team.
Duration: 3 months.
Location: the capital of the country, with any movement within the country.
Qualifications: the candidate must have an advanced university degree in statistics, economics or
agricultural economics, with five years of experience in country agricultural statistics in developing
countries, particularly in the areas of agricultural information systems, and in the implementation of
censuses and surveys. Furthermore, the candidate should possess good teamwork skills and an excellent
knowledge of written and spoken English.
23
TERMS OF REFERENCE
National consultants on communication and media
Under the overall operational and technical supervision of the Director of the Statistics Division at FAO’s
headquarters, the direct technical supervision of the ESS project lead technical officer and in direct liaison
with relevant staff within the project CountrySTAT, the consultant will be responsible for the preparation
of communication materials and coordination of communication and media-related activities in the
country. The incumbent will be responsible for the following tasks:
 assist national focal points in various media-related activities;
 draft and disseminate three articles per month to be published on national newspapers/news
agencies/magazines and relevant publications of My Country and undertake radio or TV interviews;
 prepare a monthly newsletter informing partners and donors about CountrySTAT My Country’s
news, events and achievements;
 provide feedbacks on templates for communication activities to relevant CountrySTAT staff;
 prepare an end-of-assignment report.
Duration: 3 months.
Location: capital of the country.
Qualifications:
 advanced degree in communications or a related field or substantial experience with a leading
newspaper, journal or broadcast media. Thorough knowledge of the local media;
 ability to write clearly and persuasively;
 excellent drafting and communication skills in English;
 strong analytical, writing and advocacy skills;
 strong interpersonal and communication skills; commitment to team work;
 cultural, gender, religion, national and age sensitivity and adaptability;
 previous work with FAO and/or another international organization is an asset.
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