Sequenced Information Strategy

1. Sequenced Information Strategy • incorporating short-term programme proposal • Paris21 Consortium meeting : • 22-23 June 2000 • Tony Williams • UK Department for International Development

2. What is a Sequenced Information Strategy? • Well planned and targeted approach to statistical capacity building • Takes overview of information needs and supply • Demand led, prioritised, resourced, firm politicalbacking • Focused on information process from identifying needs through to data use • Broader than traditional official statistics • Ordered development of data collection, sources, uses

3. Sequenced • Prioritised • What do stakeholders need? Led by country Policy Makers • Resourced • What can be resourced and when? • Timetabled • When do they need it? When can it be produced? • Incremental development built up from existing systems

4. Information (1) • Statistics are the ‘eyes and ears’ of Government and civil society • Needed for policy, planning, management, monitoring, transparency, accountability • Need to be : • Relevant and timely • Accessible • Analysed and used • Broad scope : includes MIS, qualitative and quantitative

5. Strategy • takes holistic approach to information needs and supply • linked to wider national development strategies and policy frameworks • realistic, sustainable, address constraints • clear processes for involving stakeholders • costed/resourced • builds capacity to analyse and use statistics as well as to supply them

6. Development of Sequenced Information Strategy Assess Information Needs (policy, management, monitoring, accountability) Prioritisation Timetabling of Demand/Supply Gaps

7. Strategic Statistical Development Plan • Defines Outputs, Activities, Inputs • Strategies for delivery • human resources, information systems • analysis, dissemination and use by Government and civil society • organisation, institutional development • Work plan and resource needs • costed, prioritised, timetabled National resources International resources

8. Short-term programme proposal • SCOPE : countries compiling : • Poverty Reduction Strategies/ CDF/UNDAF • HIPC2 countries are immediate priority • provides political imperative to improve information to plan and monitor development progress, particularly poverty reduction • Review progress, learn lessons • Extend to other participating countries

9. Focus of short-term programme • Making best use of existing information in PRS, (including data mining and analysis) • Laying foundations for sustainable longer-term information strategy • Policy-relevant statistics for development • Build political support for country ownership/funding and development partnerships

10. Objectives • Strengthen national capacity to prepare and implement PRSs and produce and use statistics • Identify information needs • Build on existing systems • Achieve ‘quick wins’ • Ensure that National and donor resources are co-ordinated and used effectively

11. One possible approach (1) • Start with workshops : regional, in-country • Involve statisticians, policy makers, analysts • official/and civil society • Stakeholder analysis/stock-take of information, gaps and capacity issues • Look at linkages between PRS, CDF, UNDAF and IDGs • Build partnerships: national/international

12. One possible approach (2) • Identify short and long-term information needs • Identify scope for quick improvements, further analysis • Assess alternative strategies • Tackle priority data gaps • Lay foundation of costed and sequenced information strategy • Share good practice between countries • (para 11-13 of proposal) • SCOPE

13. Programme Funding (1) • Regional workshops • OECD voluntary funding • Country-based activities • build on existing activities • set up special fund • contributions also in kind (consultancy resources)

14. Programme Funding (2) • For long-term capacity building, integrate into : • global development effort • national budgets, donor interventions • sector wide approaches and budgetary support