PARIS21-UNSD Conference: New Approaches to Capacity Development for Better Data

New Approaches to Capacity Development for Better Data: How to Scale Up Innovation?

13-14 January 2020

The Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21^st Century (PARIS21) and the United Nations Statistical Division (UNSD) organise the joint PARIS21-UNSD Conference “New approaches to capacity development for better data: How to scale up innovation?” which will take place on 13-14 January 2020 at the OECD La Muette Conference Center in Paris, France.

This conference introduces new approaches to capacity development in national statistical systems and highlights the need for both stronger institutions and better innovations for making the data ecosystem serve all citizens. It brings together representatives from national statistical offices, development cooperation agencies, governments, and the private sector to share their experiences of implementing new approaches towards statistical capacity development.

The key objectives of the meeting are to:

• Discuss new approaches to implementing statistical capacity development
• Launch the new “Capacity Development 4.0 Guidelines” (PARIS21) and explore their pertinence for existing pilots
• Present country experiences in implementing new approaches in statistical capacity development
• Discuss the challenges of coordinating and financing capacity development
• Raise awareness on measuring the impact of capacity development initiatives

The expected outcomes of the meeting are to:

• Identify priority areas of statistical capacity development
• Kick-start country pilots (south-south cooperation, peer reviews)
• Contribute to ongoing capacity development discussions at the global level and report back at the World Data Forum 2020 (18-21 October 2020)

Context

A roadmap to statistical capacity development

The need for statistical organizations to adapt and develop was stressed in the Cape Town Global Action Plan for Sustainable Development Data (CTGAP), launched during the first United Nations World Data Forum in January 2017. It identified the gaps in national statistics programmes and statistical coordination in response to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Action Plan thus serves as a road map for the capacity development efforts of the statistics divisions of international, regional and national agencies involved in the production of official statistics.

New approaches in capacity development emerge

In 2017, PARIS21 explored at UNSC the practice of deploying NSS assessment frameworks in developing countries to propose concrete actions to increase efficiency for measuring statistical capacity. Since then, a new initiative, Capacity Development 4.0, was launched with the ambition to revisit the notion of capacity in statistics and respond to the emerging challenges for NSSs. A Task Team gathering representatives from NSOs, international agencies, civil society, think tanks, academia and the private sector has worked since then towards the definition of a broader framework for capacity, the proposal of new metrics for assessing progress and the implementation of capacity development programmes.

Thinking about capacity development differently is not enough

Entering a post-2015 agenda, we do not yet know where we stand in implementing new approaches to statistical capacity development. So far, stakeholders have started thinking statistical development differently, but it remains unclear whether countries consider those approaches successful. Components of capacity development that may be most applicable to one country might be quite different for another country, depending on aspects such as available resources and the institutional environment within which it operates. To lead the way in transforming NSS, this conference aims at answering the following questions:

• Why do we need new approaches to capacity development in data and statistics and how do they contribute to transforming the NSSs
• What kind of country experience do we have with in implementing new approaches and how can the new PARIS21 Guidelines best support this process?
• How can the new approaches help to respond to better measuring and monitoringthe SDGs and contribute to the implementation of the CT-GAP?

To answer those questions it is important to exchange best practices taking into account the need for adaptation and flexibility in developing statistical capacities.

programme       CD4.0 Guidelines

 

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Day 2, Part 1

Day 2, Bern Network Lunch Event

Day 2, Part 2

 

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Featured Speakers & Presenters

Alan AtKisson Swedish International Development Coordination Agency (Sida) Assistant Director-General		Alan AtKisson serves as Assistant Director-General of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). He leads Sida's Department of Partnership and Innovation, which manages grant portfolios related to Sida’s work with civil society, research cooperation, capacity development, and multiple training and exchange programs. Prior to joining Sida, Alan worked principally as a senior advisor and consultant in the field of sustainability, sustainable development and transformative change. He has over 30 years of international leadership, advisory, research and communications experience and has served as consultant to governments, leading companies, global NGOs and the United Nations. Over the years, he has founded, directed and/or chaired a number of other organizations and initiatives, written numerous books and articles, and developed tools and methods now widely used in the field of sustainability. Alan has previously served as executive director of the international NGO Earth Charter International and as director of think-tank Redefining Progress. In recognition of his many contributions as a leader, innovator and communicator, AtKisson was elected into the International Sustainability Hall of Fame in 2013.
Shaida Badiee Open Data Watch Managing Director		Shaida directs the strategic planning, partnership and fund-raising work of Open Data Watch (ODW). She is a senior advisor to Data2X focused on gender data, co-chairs the SDSN TReNDS group, is part of Technical Advisory Group for GPSDD, and is a member of the PARIS21 board and a number of others. Before co-founding ODW in 2013, she worked at the World Bank for 36 years and was the director of the Development Data Group for many years. She holds an master's degree in engineering, specialising in information management.
Ralf Becker United Nations Statistics Division Head of Statistical Capacity Management Section		Ralf Becker is head of the Statistical Capacity Management Section of the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). Ralf has worked on the development of statistical standards in UNSD for more than 20 years, covering work on and coordination of statistical classifications, as well as standards for industrial statistics, energy statistics, trade in services statistics and others. His work includes capacity building activities in these areas, designing training courses in close cooperation with countries to assist them in the implementation of new standards and improving their data production methods. In the Statistical Capacity Management Section, he is now leading a team reviewing UNSD’s approaches to capacity development. Ralf holds a PhD in mathematics from the University of Leipzig, Germany.
Lisa Bersales Former National Statistician of the Philippine Statistics Authority		Dr. Lisa Grace S. Bersales is a professor of statistics at the University of the Philippines’ School of Statistics. She served as the first national statistician of the Philippines from April 2014 to April 2019 as head of the Philippine Statistics Authority. During this period, she was also the Philippines’ Civil Registrar General and started the implementation of the Philippines’ national identification system. She implemented the Philippine Statistical Act of 2013 with the creation of the Philippine Statistics Authority. She is currently a member of the board of Open Data Watch based in Washington D.C., member of the Thematic Research Network on Data and Statistics (TReNDS) of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network based in Los Angeles, Emphasis Editor on Official Statistics and Human Resources of the Statistical Journal of the International Association for Official Statistics and president of the Philippine Statistical Association, Inc. She holds a PhD in statistics from the University of the Philippines, where she also earned her bachelor's and master's degrees.
Joshua Blumenstock University of California, Berkeley School of Information Assistant Professor		Joshua Blumenstock is an assistant professor at the U.C. Berkeley School of Information, director of the Data-Intensive Development Lab and co-director of the Center for Effective Global Action. His research lies at the intersection of machine learning and development economics, focusing on using new data and methods to better understand the causes and consequences of global poverty. Joshua has a PhD in information science and a master's degree in economics from U.C. Berkeley, and bachelor’s degrees in computer science and physics from Wesleyan University. He is a recipient of the Intel Faculty Early Career Honor, a Gates Millennium Grand Challenge award, a Google Faculty Research Award, and the U.C. Berkeley Chancellor's Award for Public Service. His work has appeared in a variety of publications including Science, Nature, the American Economic Review, and the proceedings of KDD and AAAI.
Calogero Carletto World Bank Manager of Development Data Group's Data Production and Methods Unit		Calogero (Gero) Carletto is the manager of the Data Production and Methods Unit in the Development Data Group at the World Bank.  For more than a decade, he has led the Living Standards Measurement Survey (LSMS), a long-standing flagship survey program at the World Bank.  In 2015, he founded the Center for Development Data -- a hub dedicated to fostering methodological innovation and strengthening capacity in household surveys in low- and middle-income countries -- which he directed until mid-2019. Gero has more than 25 years of experience in the collection, analysis and dissemination of household survey data. He has published dozens of scholarly articles on various topics ranging from poverty, migration, agriculture and rural development, as well as data collection methods and measurement issues. Gero holds a PhD and a master's degree in agricultural and resource economics from the University of California at Berkeley, and a Laurea cum Laude in statistics from the University of Siena, Italy.
Franco Conzato Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development of the European Commission (DG DEVCO) Senior Expert		Franco Conzato is a Senior Expert working  in the Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development of the European Commission (DG DEVCO). He has served previously in the EU Delegations in Somalia, Ghana and Ethiopia. He was a country economist for several African countries, dealing with Budget Support Programmes. From 2004 to 2009, he served as Representative of the European Union in the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD-DAC. He is currently the Deputy Head of the Evaluation and Results Unit in DG DEVCO. An Italian national, Franco holds a degree in political science and a master's degree in finance for development from Padova University in Italy.
Carol Coy Statistical Institute of Jamaica Director General		Carol Coy is the Director General of the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) since April 2013. Ms. Coy is the chief statistician in Jamaica responsible for the strategic development of STATIN and the development of Jamaica’s national statistical system. She is tasked with safeguarding the production and publication of high quality official statistics on Jamaica which are responsive to the needs of policy makers and other stakeholders. Prior to assuming this role, Ms. Coy served as deputy director general of STATIN, providing leadership and oversight in the technical divisions of the institute. She is also an experienced national accountant, and for over three decades has been instrumental in the development and maintenance of the national accounts estimates for the Jamaican economy. Ms Coy contributed much to the field of national accounts locally, regionally and internationally for over 13 years as STATIN’s director of national accounts. She is currently a member of the United Nations Statistics Division’s Advisory Expert Group on National Accounts and the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) Advisory Group on Statistics. Ms. Coy holds a bachelor's degree in economics and geography from the University of the West Indies, as well as a master's degree in business administration with a minor in management information systems from Nova Southeastern University in Florida.
Pieter Everaers Statistical Journal of the International Association for Official Statistics Editor-in-Chief		Pieter Everaers retired in 2018 as director of Directorate A- Cooperation in the European Statistical System, International Cooperation and Resources at Eurostat. He is now working as senior consultant on official statistics as well as editor-in-chief of the Statistical Journal of the International Association for Official Statistics (SJIAOS). His expertise covers a wide range of official statistics, statistical analysis, statistical capacity development and governance in statistics. Since 2012, he was in a position managing the human and financial resources, legal affairs, programme planning and evaluation of governance in the European Statistical System. Mr. Everaers joined Eurostat in May 2004, closing a 20-year career at Statistics Netherlands (CBS). Before 2012, he was in Eurostat as the director responsible for international trade and population statistics, agricultural statistics, environment, energy, transport, and business statistics. He holds a PhD in spatial sciences from the University of Utrecht.
Marina Gandolfo Italian National Institute of Statistics Head of International Affairs		Marina Gandolfo holds a master's degree in economics, European studies and international relations. She is head of the International Affairs Division at the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT). She works in international relations among European institutions and international organizations, partnerships and technical cooperation for statistical capacity development and international research projects.
Rikke Munk Hansen United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) Economic and Environment Statistics Programme Manager		Rikke Munk Hansen manages the economic and environment statistics programme of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP). Rikke has worked on development issues in Asia and the Pacific for the past 20 years, focusing on sustainable energy, programme management, evaluation and statistics. Since 2010, Rikke has spent most of her time designing, fundraising, managing and implementing regional statistics capacity development programmes. Prior to this, Rikke worked in the Danish government: first with the army and later with the Environment and Energy Ministry. Rikke holds a master's degree in mathematics and computer science and a bachelor's degree in economics. She is also a certified teacher.
Ronald Jansen United Nations Statistics Division Assistant Director		Ronald Jansen is assistant director of the United Nations Statistics Division in New York. He is responsible for the Division’s work on data innovation and on capacity development strategies. This includes leading the intergovernmental processes for innovation of official statistics and implementing the capacity development pillar of the Cape Town Global Action Plan in support of the monitoring of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. He is specifically supporting the work of the UN Global Working Group on Big Data for Official Statistics and the related UN Global Platform, which is a collaborative environment for the global statistical community to jointly execute data innovation projects and share data, services, methods and expertise. His educational background is in statistics and psychology, and he obtained a PhD in mathematical modelling of human information processing in May 1990. Ronald joined the UN Statistics Division in June 1990.
Johannes Jütting PARIS21 Secretariat Executive Head		Johannes Jütting is Executive Head of the PARIS21 Secretariat, a global partnership promoting the better use and production of data in developing countries, hosted at the OECD. Before joining PARIS21 in 2012, he headed the Poverty and Social Cohesion Team at the OECD Development Centre for 10 years, where he spearheaded innovative work in the areas of employment, social cohesion, gender and global development. He was a member of the UN General Secretaries Expert Group on Data Revolution, has co-chaired the program committee of the first World Data Forum and publishes extensively in academic journals, as well as in his Huffington Post blog. Johannes Jütting was awarded a PhD from Humboldt University and is a visiting professor at Passau University, Germany.
Stephan Klingebiel United Nations Development Programme Policy Centre (Seoul) Director		Dr. Stephan Klingebiel is director of the UNDP Seoul Policy Centre since June 2019. Previously, he was chair of the “International and Transnational Cooperation” research programme of the German Development Institute (Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik / DIE). Before he joined DIE in 1993, he was a researcher at the University of Duisburg's Institute for Development and Peace. He was Founding Director (2007 – 2011) of KfW Development Bank office in Kigali, Rwanda  and dealt with issues in development cooperation. His research and university teaching focuses on innovations for transnational cooperation, political economy of aid, aid and development effectiveness, global public goods, rising powers and governance issues in sub-Saharan Africa. As a guest researcher, he developed close links with the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford University, and at the College of Humanities and Development Studies at the China Agricultural University (CAU) in Beijing.  Dr. Klingebiel is a senior lecturer at the University of Marburg and a regular visiting professor at Stanford University.
His Excellency Abdulla Lootah Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (United Arab Emirates) Director General		His Excellency Abdulla Nasser Lootah is the director general of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA), a UAE federal government entity mandated to strengthen and enhance UAE’s national data and competitiveness capacities. In 2017, Mr. Lootah and his team were directed by UAE Cabinet to lead and manage Sustainable Development Goals efforts for the UAE in collaboration with 17 ministries, authorities and councils. Prior to leading the FCSA, Mr. Lootah was the Secretary General of the Emirates Competitiveness Council (ECC) where he oversaw all aspects of the organization’s work relating to UAE’s globally competitive position and global rankings. This included extensive liaisons with federal and Emirate-level government entities and on competitiveness strategies in areas including health, education, business and ICT. Advocating for policies to enhance the nation’s productivity and well-being, Mr. Lootah also shaped ECC’s research and policy agenda as well as creating a central meeting point connecting public and private sectors and international organizations. Lootah holds a degree from Richmond, the American International University in London, as well as credentials from Columbia Business School, Wharton Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School for Government.
Rahul Malhotra OECD Head of Reviews, Results, Evaluation and Development Innovation (RREDI) Division		Rahul was appointed to his current position in March 2018, having joined the OECD in October 2013. The RREDI division seeks to improve the quality of development co-operation through improved evidence, accountability and learning, including in the area of data for development. Previously, he spent 11 years working with the UK Department for International Development (DFID) in Rwanda and China. Prior to joining DFID, he worked as a researcher at both the London School of Economics and the Institute of Development Studies in Sussex. He has also worked with various non-governmental organisations in Colombia, Sri Lanka and India. Rahul holds a master's degree in social policy and planning in developing countries from the London School of Economics.
Ida Mc Donnell OECD Development Co-operation Directorate Senior Policy Analyst		Ida Mc Donnell is a senior policy analyst at the OECD’s Development Co-operation Directorate. She is team lead for the annual Development Co-operation Report as well as a new Data for Development project with members of the OECD Development Assistance Committee. Previously, she worked on DAC Peer Reviews, leading 12 country reviews and took forward peer learning projects on support to civil society in development and public support and attitudes towards international development. Ida worked as a policy analyst at the OECD Development Centre for several years starting in 2000, and as a development policy attaché for the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade based in the Delegation to the OECD and UNESCO.
Hernán Muñoz National Institute of Statistics and Census of Argentina (INDEC) Former National Director of Planning, Institutional and International Relations		Hernán Muñoz is the former national director of Planning, Institutional and International Relations of the National Institute of Statistics and Census of Argentina (INDEC). He is an economist with postgraduate studies in finance and public policy. He has advised statistical offices on issues of strategic planning and institutional framework. On behalf of INDEC, he has participated in the High-level Group for Partnership, Coordination and Capacity-Building for Statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (HLG-PCCB) and in the Friends of the Chair Group on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics (FOC-FPOs).
Wladimir Nikoluk ImmerLearn CEO		Wladimir Nikoluk is CEO of ImmerLearn, a "mission-driven data analytics company supporting public agencies, nonprofits, UN agencies and impact investors to better understand and address the needs of people and communities through ethical data and machine learning systems." Wladimir holds a master's degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, where he was awarded the McCloy Fellowship of the German Government for academic and social achievements and the Adrian Cheng Fellowship for social innovation. Previously, he was a consultant at McKinsey & Company specialising in the public sector, technology and strategy projects. Prior to that role, he worked as a resilience intelligence officer for the United Nations in Jordan, where he represented UNDP in negotiations with governments, NGOs and other UN agencies on the response plan for the Syria sub-region. He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, politics and economics from the University of Oxford, and is a member of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers and the German National Academic Foundation selection committee.
Mathew Omondi Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Head of Macroeconomic Statistics Directorate		Mr. Mathew Collins Omondi is the head of Macroeconomic Statistics Directorate at the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Mr. Collins has an extensive background in statistics, economics and data management drawn from over 20 years of work experience with the institution. His work entails coordination and management of six sections under the directorate. Over the years, he has directed various surveys and censuses, including a population and household census just concluded in 2019. In recognition of his contributions as a leader in statistical activities, he was recently awarded honors by the president of Kenya. He has a master's degree in economics from the University of Nairobi.
Juan Daniel Oviedo National Statistics Office of Colombia - DANE Chief Statistician of Colombia		Juan Daniel Oviedo has been the chief statistician of Colombia since August 2018 by appointment of the President of Colombia. He has international professional experience in economic consulting for energy markets, and national experience in government and teaching. More particularly, he has performed as the director of Institutional Planning and Research (2016-2018) and director of the PhD School of Economics (2013-2016). Complementarily, he performed as associate founder and chief director of a leading consultancy company, LEICO Consultores (2011-2018), which acted as an expert opinion both for the private and public sector in regulated industries both in Colombia and Latin America. He holds a permanent academic position at Universidad del Rosario of Bogotá in Colombia since 2005.
Fathimath Riyaza Maldives National Bureau of Statistics Deputy Statistician, Head of Demography and Social Statistical Division		Ms. Fathimath Riyaza, deputy statistician, is currently the head of the Demography and Social Statistical Division at the National Bureau of Statistics in Maldives. She has  experience conducting censuses and is a member of many expert groups working in the area of social statistics. She has written various reports on population dynamics, poverty in Maldives and on other topics in demography. She is also the focal point at the National Bureau of Statistics for PARIS21's project on assessing gender statistics gaps in Maldives.
Muchammad Romzi Statistics Indonesia Director of Statistical Information Systems		Muchammad Romzi is the current director of Statistical Information Systems at Statistics Indonesia. Previously, he led Enterprise Architecture Development, the Data Lake Initiative and acted as Secretary of Bureaucratic Reform at Statistics Indonesia. Muchammad has also led the ICT Program for Statistical Capacity. He holds a PhD in computer science from Fukui University in Japan.
Julia Schmidt PARIS21 Secretariat Policy Analyst		Julia Schmidt is a policy analyst at PARIS21 focusing on capacity development of statistical systems in low- and middle-income countries, its strategic implementation and the measurement of these developed capacities. Prior to joining PARIS21, Julia worked at the Bertelsmann Foundation on the measurement of governance capacities in OECD countries, as well as on innovation policy in the European Union. Julia has also worked for the Centre Nationale de Recherche Scientifique in France, the Ashoka University in India, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Germany and the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Singapore. Julia holds both a bachelor's degree in social sciences and economics and a master's degree in international economic policy from Sciences Po, Paris.
Omar Seidu Data for SDGs - Ghana Head of Demographic Statistics and Coordinator of Data		Omar Seidu is a social statistician with over 18 years of experience in the statistics production process. He has extensive expertise in survey sampling, design of survey instruments and implementation of sample surveys, and he is a social and demographic statistics instructor. Omar is a Fellow of the Sampling Programme for Survey Statisticians and a member of the United Nations Inter Agency and Expert Group on the Sustainable Development Goals. Omar coordinates data for monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals in Ghana and currently champions data innovation, multi-stakeholder approaches to data production and the utilization and development of a robust administrative data system. He is credited with brokering strategic partnerships and mobilising resources for the statistical system in Ghana. Omar is not only passionate about strengthening the data ecosystem, but also the uptake of evidence in decision making.
Phetsamone Sone Lao Statistics Bureau Deputy Head		Ms. Sone is Deputy Head of the Lao Statistics Bureau Ministry of Planning and Investment, holding two master’s degrees in economics, specializing in statistics and public policy. She has more than 28 years of experiences in the production of official statistics. Starting her career in 1992, Ms. Sone has been involved in statistically sound methodologies and strategic planning for the bureau. From 2014-2017, she served as Director General of the Department of Administration. From 2017, she became a supervisor for economic statistics and national accounts, managing of censuses and surveys, and contributed to the country’s national statistical system. Currently, she is Deputy Head of the Secretariat to the National Steering Committee for the Implementation of SDGs in Lao PDR, a member of the National Human Resources Development Committee and a Task Team Member for PARIS21 on Capacity Development 4.0 and NSDS 2021-2025.
Ana Tabacaru J-PAL Europe Senior Policy Associate		Ana Tabacaru is a Senior Policy Associate at J-PAL Europe where she helps promote evidence-based policy in Europe and manages J-PAL's European Social Inclusion Initiative. Prior to joining J-PAL in 2018, she interned with the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI) in Paris, where she conducted research on the palm oil value chain. She has also worked as a trainee in the cooperation section of the Delegation of the European Union to India in New Delhi. Ana holds a master’s degree in international development from Sciences Po Paris and a bachelor’s degree in politics and international relations from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.
Victoria Tapia National Statistical Office of the Dominican Republic (ONE) Analyst		Victoria Tapia is an analyst in the International Relations Division of the National Statistical Office (ONE) of the Dominican Republic. She is currently in charge of the International Cooperation area where she coordinates ONE's projects and initiatives together with international cooperation agencies and other regional statistics offices and institutes to ensure the technical and financial cooperation necessary for its execution. Victoria holds a master's degree in project management.
Hege Hope Wade Norad Assistant Director of the Knowledge Bank		Hege Hope Wade is an assistant director in Norad’s Knowledge Bank, a department established in March 2018. As a demand-driven entity, the objective of the Knowledge Bank is to strengthen the competency and capacity of public administration in Norway’s partner countries. The primary target groups are government institutions in Norway’s partnering countries. The programmes currently included in the Knowledge Bank are Oil for Development, Fish for Development, Tax for Development, Cooperation on Statistics and Registers, The Norwegian Programme for Capacity Development in Higher Education and Research for Development, Innovation, Gender for Development and Institutional Cooperation within Clean Energy. Ms. Wade is responsible for Cooperation on Statistics and Registers and is working to develop a new knowledge program in select partner countries.  Prior to joining Norad, Ms. Wade was a senior operations officer in the World Bank, with responsibility for country portfolio management and development of country strategies. Ms. Wade holds a master's degree in economics and business from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business, and an MBA from the University of Maryland.
Khuslen Zorigt National Statistics Office of Mongolia Director