Step 6.2 Mobilise resources to implement the NSDS
The important role of statistics in development has seen improved appreciation in many countries. However, the need for increased and sustainable financing by governments and development partners has not necessarily improved. Mobilising resources and sustainable financing for statistics have remained a challenge across national statistical systems and in the international development community. While achieving an optimal financing mix, that between national and external resources, may be considered, with declining international resources for statistics, advocacy should be intensified towards increased and sustained funding for statistics by governments and international development agencies in order to respond to or catch up with increasing and diversifying data demand for governance and other societal and institutional purposes. Efforts may need to be initiated to exploring opportunities for co-financing of statistics with the private sector and other data-ecosystem stakeholders.
Given the varying country context, including but not limited to development status, policy focus, and internal financing system, mobilizing resources for the NSDS may be best informed by country-initiated solutions.
Concrete actions
- Prepare a financing strategy for NSDS in partnership with ministries/agencies, private sector, civil society, academic and research community, and development partners.
- Propose a multiyear financing strategy such as the medium-term expenditure framework approach to take into account and ensure funding of periodic big ticket statistical activities like censuses and surveys.
- Ensure the financing strategy is motivated by a strong link to demand for development data based on prevailing policy frameworks, including the SDGs, the current national development plan and sector strategies.
- Ensure approval and endorsement of the strategy by the highest statistical body and highest statistical authority .
- Engage directly with ministries/agencies on the funding of their respective statistical development plans, bilaterally or through development clusters.
- Prioritize funding of data production in support of key national development indicators, including the SDG indicators, and improvement of administrative data sources. This includes prioritization of disaggregation of indicators on a range of dimensions, including sex, age, migratory status, and geography.
- Engage in dialogue with the planning and finance/budget ministries/agencies toward a long-term policy and strategy for sustainable financing of statistics anchored on the national development plan.
- Institutionalize a coordination mechanism with domestic and international development partners on a reliable and sustainable financing framework for statistics, including public-private partnerships in specific improvement areas such as data development, capacity development, and innovation and technology application.
- Establish regular, at least annual, coordination or planning meetings to update, revise, or recalibrate cooperation arrangements based on NSDS/NSS updates and development partners’ operational changes.
