The recent report released by the High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda marks a milestone on the way to a new development framework with great attention given to measurement, statistics and accountability. In fact, the Panel announces a “data revolution” whose objectives will be to “fully integrate statistics into decision making, promote open access to, and use of, data and ensure increased support for statistical systems”. These objectives are directly quoted from our own Busan Action Plan for Statistics (BAPS). Clearly, the work that PARIS21 has been doing over the last 14 years is paying off: development data, countries statistical capacity, and their link to policy making are now an essential pillar in the international debate. READ MORE

PARIS21 annual meetings

From 9–11 April 2013, PARIS21 held its Annual Meetings in Paris with some noteworthy outcomes:

· Positive feedback and adoption of our activities in 2012.

· Adoption of POW and Budget for 2013 under the new SAMS model.

· Mandate to establish a group on post-2015 engagement for the partnership.

· Mandate to pursue our work on innovation related to new institutional frameworks, public-private dialogue and partnerships – PPPs, and in IT related matters (big and open data, new tools for data collection).

· Lots of further expressed demand on country and regional activities. READ MORE

Statistics in the post-2015 development agenda

Over the past decade, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have been instrumental in raising the profile of statistics and in mobilising technical and financial resources for data collection. However, while there is evidence that MDG monitoring requirements and development co-operation have driven an increase in the number and type of surveys conducted at the country level, the data produced have not been sufficiently utilised, leading to misgivings on the reliability and relevance of MDG data. READ MORE

Bring me the statistics!

The OECD 2013 Global Forum on Development took place on 3-5 April 2013. PARIS21 and its work on statistical capacity was featured in a seminar entitled Statistical capacity development in an emerging post-2015 development agenda. Highlighting recent innovations in data production, dissemination and use, the session featured valuable interventions by Gay Tejada (Philippines), currently working in PARIS21. The need for better statistics was one of the key messages identified by former Nigerian President Obasanjo, urging the development community to “Bring me the statistics!” READ MORE