Regional Strategy for the Development of Statistics (RSDS)
Introduction
Regional integration or regional cooperation helps countries maintain peace and security and achieve shared social and economic goals. It works by facilitating flow of economic and financial goods, services, and capital as well as movement of people. It may involve establishment of free trade area/s and cooperation frameworks, policies, and programs on common social, economic, environmental, and political concerns. It also provides a strategic means to respond to and manage globalization and its impact (e.g., achieving the sustainable development goals or addressing economic and financial crises, environmental disasters, or health emergencies) through collective decisions on policies and sharing of costs of common public goods.
Integration and cooperation are anchored on an agreed vision for the region, which may include globally-agreed development frameworks such as the SDGs, that is translated into a policy framework and various implementing instruments. As with national development frameworks, regional frameworks are better designed, planned, and monitored by analyzing key performance measures which require timely and quality data and statistical indicators.
Regional statistical indicators are either derived from country data or produced from purposely-designed regional level data collection activities, both based on collective or coordinated agreements. An effective medium or long term results framework of regional integration and cooperation is essential and must be supported by a reliable and well-coordinated regional statistical system (RSS). In order to provide good quality statistics, the RSS needs to be guided by a Regional Strategy for the Development of Statistics (RSDS).
The RSDS serves as an integration or cooperation framework for developing the capacity of the RSS in the production and use of good quality statistics for planning and monitoring of the regional agenda as well as the SDGs. It should highlight regional statistical priorities but should also contribute to narrowing statistical development among participating countries. It is imperative that the RSDS is designed and agreed to without prejudice to or infringing on any country’s sovereignty. It should adopt the guiding principles of the NSDS and parallel steps of the NSDS Lifecycle as may be relevant at the regional level.
The RSDS must be spearheaded and approved by a regional statistical committee, existing or ad hoc, and prepared by a statistical unit, existing or ad hoc, that supports the regional integration/cooperation. Where applicable, it is ideal to have the RSDS endorsed for implementation by the highest political authority of the regional integration/cooperation. The RSDS should be endorsed also by all member countries and/or include the member countries in its design process so that the RSDS can be effectively mainstreamed in the NSDSs for committed implementation.
Concrete actions
- Assess the users of regional statistics. Step 3.1
- Identify key stakeholders of regional statistics and analyze their data needs.
- Key stakeholders include regional integration/cooperation institutions, international public and private institutions, including the business sector and academics community, and national governments.
- Identify key stakeholders of regional statistics and analyze their data needs.
- Assess current regional statistics in relation to user needs. Step 3.2
- Identify/define the regional integration/cooperation policy framework (e.g., results or logical framework).
- Identify key statistical indicators for planning and monitoring regional goals.
- Assess current data in relation to data needed to compile the key statistical indicators.
- Assess regional and national data in priority integration/cooperation areas (e.g., trade, investment, finance, macroeconomy, education, health, agriculture, environment, infrastructure, security, human rights, etc.).
- Review assessment of relevant sectors/subject-matter areas in the NSDS of participating countries, if any.
- Explore and assess yet untapped data sources (e.g., big data, sensor and scientific data, citizen-generated data).
- Assess regional and national data in priority integration/cooperation areas (e.g., trade, investment, finance, macroeconomy, education, health, agriculture, environment, infrastructure, security, human rights, etc.).
- Assess the regional statistical system, officially established or de facto. Step 3.3
- Assess regional and national resources and capacities in priority integration/cooperation areas (e.g., trade, investment, finance, macroeconomy, education, health, agriculture, environment, infrastructure, security, human rights, etc.).
- Review assessment of relevant sectors/subject-matter areas in the NSDS of participating countries, if any.
- Assess regional and national resources and capacities in priority integration/cooperation areas (e.g., trade, investment, finance, macroeconomy, education, health, agriculture, environment, infrastructure, security, human rights, etc.).
- Define the strategic philosophy (i.e., vision, mission, and core values) of the RSS for the plan period. Step 4.1
- Ensure that the strategic philosophy directly addresses the regional integration/cooperation goals as defined in the regional policy framework.
- Identify strategic goals and key outputs toward improvement of the regional statistical system. Step 4.2
- Prioritize strategies and key outputs that will develop statistical capacities, increase availability and comparability of national statistics, and those that will help narrow statistical development gaps among countries.
- Consider ‘pooling’ and sharing of resources (e.g., data collection, management, and analytical technology, information materials, data sources, and technical expertise).
- Prioritize strategies and key outputs that will develop statistical capacities, increase availability and comparability of national statistics, and those that will help narrow statistical development gaps among countries.
- Validate the RSDS strategic philosophy (i.e., vision, mission, and core values) and results framework. Step 4.3
- Secure adoption and endorsement of the RSDS framework by the regional integration/cooperation institution (e.g., secretary/director general/head of the secretariat), regional statistical committee, and relevant regional policy/program committees.
- Coordinate integration of relevant RSDS goals and outputs in the NSDS of participating countries.
- Secure adoption and endorsement of the RSDS framework by the regional integration/cooperation institution (e.g., secretary/director general/head of the secretariat), regional statistical committee, and relevant regional policy/program committees.
- Identify specific actions and corresponding costs, as well as key risk factors and mitigating measures. Step 5.1 | Step 5.2 | Step 5.3
- Coordinate integration of relevant RSDS goals and outputs in the NSDS implementation plan of participating countries.
- Mobilize resources and implement actions. Step 6.2 | Step 6.3
- Integrate the budget of regional activities in the budget of the regional integration/cooperation institution (e.g., regional statistical committee/unit and regional policy committees
- Coordinate the provision of budget for contributing national activities by the regional integration/cooperation institution or national governments.
- Establish partnerships between the regional integration/cooperation institution or regional statistical committee and international development agencies in relevant sectors or subject-matter areas.
- Consider partnerships with big data sources such as data science firms, telecommunication and technology companies, and others for data and technology sharing.
- Study and consider existing systems of civil societies (many are location-specific) including citizen-generated data to produce statistics on specific issues.
- Monitor results of strategic goals and actions. Step 6.4
- Identify key results and milestones (e.g., systems/partnerships established/improved, priority sectors and/or subject-matter areas addressed, etc.)
- Update strategic goals and action plans based on the mid-term review. Step 6.5 | Step 6.6 | Step 6.7
- Evaluate key outputs and outcomes. Step 7.1 | Step 7.2 | Step 7.3
