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National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS)

Overview

Bureau of Statistics (BoS) launches National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS)

“Strengthening of data for better developmental planning”

The Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21) promotes the better use and production of statistics throughout the developing world.

Since its establishment in 1999, PARIS21 has successfully developed a worldwide network of statisticians, policy makers, analysts, and development practitioners committed to evidence-based decision making.

With the main objective to achieve national and international development goals and reduce poverty in low and middle income countries, PARIS21 facilitates statistical capacity development, advocates for the integration of reliable data in decision making, and co-ordinates donor support to statistics.

PARIS21 focuses its efforts on encouraging and assisting all low-income and lower middle-income countries to design, implement, and monitor National Strategies for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) and to have nationally owned and produced data for all SDG indicators.

Countries need to have an overall vision of the development of their national statistical system which will include the national, regional, and international needs; be part of the country development and poverty reduction policy; serve as a framework for international and bilateral assistance; include all parts of the data production units and address the issues related to the analysis and use of data; follow the international standards including quality; and build on all past and existing activities and experiences.

The Launch

The Bureau of Statistics, in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the OECD-Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21), on 16th April 2018, launched the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS).

As a result of the launch, it is expected that availability, accuracy and timeliness of information for decision making across the public agencies in Guyana will be further strengthened.

The NSDS is expected to provide Guyana with a strategy for developing statistical capacity across the entire national statistical system (NSS).

The NSDS is expected to:

  • provide a vision for where the NSS should be in five to ten years and will set milestones for getting there;
  • present a comprehensive and unified framework for continual assessment of evolving user needs and priorities for statistics and for building the capacity needed to meet these needs in a more coordinated, synergistic and efficient manner;
  • provide a framework for mobilising, harnessing, and leveraging resources (both national and international) and a basis for effective and results-oriented strategic management of the NSS.

The launch of the NSDS was followed by a four (4) day NSDS strategic planning workshop which ran from 17th to 20th April 2018, and was attended by representatives from the public and private sectors.
The launch wraps up a series of institutional assessment activities that are aimed at enhancing the availability of current statistics and information in general across Guyana.

Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan delivered the main address and emphasised the importance of ‘an efficient and effective National Statistical System.’ He also thanked the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for their contribution towards the realization of the Strategy.’

Minister Jordan also said that the ‘project, which will end in March 2019, will set out the government’s vision for a National Statistics System and specify the mission of the System as a whole. It will also identify short, medium and long term goals, set out strategies that will need to be adopted and executed, and spell out actions that will need to be taken.’

He pointed out that the objectives of the project play a tremendously important role in Guyana’s plans for development in the medium to long term and reiterated its importance as it ‘ensures that Guyana’s National Strategy for the Development of Statistics is not only comparable with the rest of the world but is of a very high standard and fulfils all scientific statistical standards in the creation of this medium term strategic plan.’

Guyana is the fifth CARICOM member country to develop this strategy and as a member of the United Nations, has signed onto and committed to 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The indicators that are used to track these goals require information that is supplied by public sector organizations. Therefore all public sector heads have a responsibility in ensuring the various organisations are committed to the successful implementation of this national strategic plan. The institutional assessment activities are part of a three year project funded by a US$442,092 grant from the Inter-American Development Bank.

A vision statement, mission statement, core values and strategic objectives were developed as part of the creation of the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics. It is expected that a strategic plan will be submitted for approval in the first quarter of 2020.