African Centre for Statistics United Nations Economic Commission for Africa African Experiences on Capacity Building for the Production and Use of Gender Statistics Global Forum on Gender Statistics January 2009 Accra, Ghana Dimitri Sanga, Ph.D. Senior Statistician

Content l The Need for Gender Statistics l Selected individual Organizations Efforts l Coordinated Efforts at the Regional Level l Recommendations at the Regional Level l Where are We? l What Remains to be Done? l The Way Forward l Conclusions 2

The Need for Gender Statistics l Increasing recognition that : better statistics are important for evidence-based policy formulation and decision-making Women, men face different socioeconomic realities l Partially reflected in development frameworks and initiatives: MDGs, PRSPs, NEPAD... l But....declarations, commitments: Beijing Platform of Action, CEDAW, Gender component of NEPAD, AU Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality etc. l Need to provide users with relevant statistics to address gender issues 3

Individual Organizations Efforts l Engendering Population and Housing Censuses l Gender Statistics Network l Time Use Surveys l Civil and Vital Registration Systems l The African Gender and Development Index l Engendering the MDGs l African Womens Rights Observatory 4

Coordinated Efforts at the Regional Level l Building on the momentum offered by: Global Forum and IAEG on gender statistics l Creation of the StatCom-Africa WG on gender statistics l High Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD) on Gender Statistics for Socio-economic Development Development (Kampala, June 2008): ECA, AfDB, InWent, UBOS l Regional Workshop on Gender Statistics (Addis Ababa, December 2008): ECA, AfDB, InWent, UBOS, PARIS21 5

Recommendations at the Regional Level l Setting up a StatCom-Africa WG on gender statistics l Setting up a GESNET l Setting up a City Group on gender statistics l Develop and implement an African Gender Statistics Programme (AGSPRO) Training Awareness creation Networking: GESNET Engendering statistics in NSOs Engendering censuses, surveys and administrative record system Research 6

Recommendations at the Regional Level (Contd) l Development of country gender statistics strategies drawn from the AGSPRO l Develop and implement an African Gender Statistics System (AGSYS) Conceptual framework Methodological framework Reference gender classifications Gender indicators Gender units in NSOs l Develop an African Gender Handbook for Censuses and Surveys: expanding the work on the P&R on PHC 7

Where are We? l StatCom-Africa WG set up l GESNET set up l African Gender Handbook for Censuses and Surveys: ongoing l Kampala Group: set up 8

What Remains to be Done? l Develop and implement the AGSPRO l Develop the AGSYS l Operationalize the Kampala Group l Operationalize the GESNET l Finalize the African Gender Handbook for Censuses and Surveys 9

The Way Forward l Operationalize the GESNET: January 2009 Discussion to feed the preparations of the AGSYS, the AGSPRO, and the national strategies l Operationalize the Kampala Group: June 2009 l African Gender Handbook for Censuses and Surveys: Ongoing work Expert group meeting: third quarter 2009 l Develop the AGSYS: December 2009 l Develop and implement the AGSPRO: 2010 StatCom-Africa 10

Conclusions l Gender: not only a moral issue but also a development one l Ongoing efforts to support African NSSs build their capacity in gender statistics: Momentum at the global level Commitments, conventions by countries 3rd ASSD, first StatCom-Africa HLPD on gender statistics Regional Workshop on Gender Statistics l Concerted efforts: AfDB, ECA, InWent, PARIS21, Countries l ACS to recruit a gender statistics specialist l Join ongoing fora to move the agenda forward 11

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