Mapping the international data system Professor Denise Lievesley Head of School of Social Science and Public Policy, King’s College London and Chair, European Statistical Advisory Committee 1

UN New York  UN statistics division  UN population division  Reporting to Economic and Social Research Council of the UN 2

 UN Statistics Division  Co-ordination of statistical activities  Publication of compendia  Censuses  Secretariat of the UN Statistical Commission  UN Population Division  Population estimates and projections 3

UN New York UN Specialist Agencies ”sister” UN Specialist Agencies ”daughter” UN Regional Bodies

Example daughter agencies  UNDP  UNFPA  UNICEF  Users of data rather than data agencies 5

Example sister agencies  UNESCO  FAO  WHO  UNIDO 6

Regional bodies of the UN  Economic Commission for Europe (ECE)  Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)  Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)  Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)  Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) 7

The international statistician Tracking international aid Monitoring the effectiveness of aid Guardianship of cross-national databases Analysis and interpretation of cross- national data Methodological and technical projects International classifications Technical capacity building Promoting good practice in statistics Advocacy for evidence-based policies

Example : Activities of UIS  Collection and dissemination of cross-nationally comparable data on education, science, technology, culture and communications  Providing a forum for sharing of statistical information  Technical capacity building within countries for users and producers of data  Analysis and interpretation of international data (often in partnership with others)  Special methodological and technical projects; conceptual development; establishment and maintenance of international classifications; setting norms 9

UN Statistical Commission  Annual meeting in New York  Heads of National Statistical Institutes (permanent, rotational and observer)  Observer heads of statistics for UN bodies and other bodies ( eg Bretton Woods establishments) and NGOs  Programme of work  Friends of the Chair  City groups  REGIONAL COMMISSIONS TOO 10

Co-ordination committee of statistical activities  Specialist and regional agencies of the UN  Other relevant bodies (IMF, WORLD BANK, OECD, EUROSTAT)  Share experiences  Debate differences  Co-ordinate activities  Work together 11

Policies on data  Data collection – voluntary or compulsory?  Who collects what? (concept of a lead agencies)  Data formats  Pricing  Involvement with users 12

Statistical capacity building  Regional bodies such as SIAP in Tokyo  Initiatives of bilateral as well as multi-lateral and regional bodies  PARIS 21  Established in 1999  Sets policies and co-ordinates activities  Represents the ‘users’ 13