Roadmap for post-2015 indicators – Update 2

The 46th session of the UN Statistical Commission (UNSC), held from 3-6 March, addressed data in support of the post-2015 development agenda; considered proposals contained in the report from the Group of Friends of the Chair, (see: Indicators for sustainable development goals and targets – Update 1); and made suggestions for developing a SDG indicator framework.

During the opening of the Session John Pullinger, UK National Statistician and Chair, said the Commission must “step up" by showing leadership in thinking through the world's next priorities; “step forward” toward political colleagues to “make common cause” with them; and “step on the gas” in order to embrace the opportunities of the data revolution. 

In his statement to the Commission, Jan Eliasson, UN Deputy Secretary-General, said stepping on the gas was the right spirit for the week's work. While the world “is bursting with information,” he said, we lack data where we need it most, in the poorest and most marginalized communities. Eliasson said the overarching objective of the post-2015 development agenda will be to “leave no one behind,” and no target should be seen as met until it is met by all. Data, moreover, will be the “lifeblood of decision-making and the raw material for accountability” in the new agenda, and he called on the Commission to provide a monitoring, statistical and data framework that meets the hopes for the new agenda.

Stefan Schweinfest, Director of the UN Statistics Division (UNSD), referred to a survey on a preliminary proposed set of indicators for the SDGs, the results of which will be shared at the March session of the intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda.

Concerns raised by UNSC members included the presentation of the survey results at the March negotiation session, the list of which should be considered only as a preliminary proposal. It should not, moreover, preclude further refinement based on subsequent technical discussions. The development of a high-quality indicator framework is a technical process that requires time and needs to be conducted in stages, including the possibility of future refinements as knowledge evolves. 

Commission members endorsed the FOC's proposed road map for developing and implementing an indicator framework. The indicator framework, through the road map, will be endorsed at the next session of the Commission, in 2016. The framework should contain a limited number of indicators; build on the experiences of the MDGs; and take into account conceptual indicator frameworks that have already been developed.

The Commission endorsed the formation of an Inter-agency and expert group on SDG Indicators (IEAG-SDGs). National statistical offices (NSOs) should play the leading role in developing an indicator framework, while existing regional and international mechanisms should be used to ensure equitable regional representation and technical expertise. It also supported the formation of a new high-level group (HLG) to foster capacity building, partnership and coordination for post-2015 monitoring.

Emphasis was placed during the negotiations on the need for investments to enhance national statistical capacity, especially in developing and the least developed countries (LDCs). During the meeting the Commission also considered the Data revolution; Big data; Transformative agenda for official statistics; and Population and housing censuses among other agenda items. 

(This posting is based on sources including the IIED posting of 6 March)