Main Conclusions of the Expert Group Meeting

1
Main Conclusions of the Expert Group Meeting

• Expert Group Meeting on MDG Indicators in Central
  Asia
• Astana, Kazakhstan, 5-8 October 2009
• Petteri Baer, Regional Adviser, UNECE

2
Organizations represented in this Expert Group
Meeting

• All six CA / SPECA member countries were
  represented in the EGM
• Azerbaijan (2), Kazakhstan(12), Kyrgyz Republic
  (1), Tajikistan (2), Turkmenistan (2) and
  Uzbekistan (1)
• National Statistical Institutes AND Line
  Ministries from the countries with 2 or more
  participants
• Additionally National Commission of Womens
  Affairs
• A good set of International Organizations
  represented
• UNECE, UNICEF, UNDP, WHO, ILO(UNFPA, UNSD)
• Support from UNDP,UNFPA, UNSD in organizing the
  EGM

3
Outcome of the Expert Group Meeting (1)

• We have all learnt a great lot about
• the situation concerning MDG production,
  reporting and dissemination in the six
  participating countries
• We now know more about the coordination
  mechanisms and how important they are and
• agreed that NSIs will sort out the contact
  information to the national coordinating agency
  (chairperson and secretary) for MDG reporting and
  the main international organization in the
  country supporting MDG reporting, including the
  responsible person for this in that organization

4
Outcome of the Expert Group Meeting (2)

• We have discussed the idea of improving the
  Regional Database on MDG Indicators and
• agreed on a number of supportive activities from
  the participating countries on that
• We learned that the UN has in 2008 decided on a
  new set of MDG indicators
• and that the participating countries WERE NOT
  made AWARE of this!! Quite a communication
  problem -(
• We have notified the importance of disaggregating
  MDG indicators for having improved focus on
  vulnerable population groups and
• agreed that the NSIs will by the end of November
  (?) will respond to a questionnaire UNECE will
  send you on which ones of the new (2008) set of
  60 MDG indicators can be disaggregated and by
  which groups

5
Outcome of the Expert Group Meeting (3)

• We have learned from each other new things about
  the production process of MDG Indicators
• Need for methodological guidance and technical
  assistance
• Send you the contact details of all the
  international organizations responsible for each
  MDG indicator

6
Outcome of the Expert Group Meeting (4)

• We have discussed a lot about the need to have
  reconciliation between national data and data
  produced and published by specialized
  international organizations on MDG indicators and
• agreed on a quick tripartite process to sort out
  as an example the reasons of differences of the
  data of sanitation information in Azerbaijan,
  where information from the Line Ministry, the
  State Statistical Committee and the WHO differ
  from each other greatly. Report of the proposed
  way forward to the UNECE and possibly to the IAEG
  Meeting in Geneva in the end of October

7
Outcome of the Expert Group Meeting (5)

• We have discussed the importance and the
  difficulties of the validation process of
  produced indicators
• We have learned a lot on the necessity to
  proactively disseminate the MDG indicators
• Only used statistics is useful statistics

8
Outcome of the Expert Group Meeting (6)

• Conclusions from three Working Groups
• Internet and national MDG Databases as well as a
  Regional and Global MDG Database are important
  dissemination forums for MDG Indicators
• Thematic pages or MDG portals can be recommended
  on web sites of NSIs
• A separate chapter on MDGs could be included in
  the Statistical Yearbooks

9
Outcome of the Expert Group Meeting (7)

• Conclusions from three Working Groups
• Education of main users of MDGs into using
  indicators and statistical information
• Different content for different user groups
• Decision makers
• Media
• Specialists in relevant important fields
• NGOs
• Seminars sharing best practices

10
Outcome of the Expert Group Meeting (8)

• Conclusions from three Working Groups
• Good quality of the presented indicators
• Presented with good graphics and visuality
• With metadata
• Good and easy accessibility
• Proactive dissemination
• All the three factors are important at the same
  time!

11
Production of MDG Indicators has a strong link to
Statistical Capacity Building

• MDG indicators are a part of normal reporting of
  a comprehensive set of official statistics
• The production possibilities are in direct
  relation to the statistical capacity of the NSI
  and other producers of official statistics
• The support of the international organizations is
  of great value to the national production of MDG
  indicators
• Today the importance of the support given on
  proactive dissemination issues and building
  relations to different user categories is today
  appreciated more than earlier

12
The facilities of this Expert Group Meeting

• The venue of the meeting
• In the building of the Regional Office of the
  ARKS in Astana has been excellent
• Beauty and style of the Meeting room
• 4 cabinets for working groups
• Excellent coffee/tea break service
• The cultural program exceeded all expectations!
• Thank you, dear Kazakh organizers, and all
  involved staff members of the ARKS for all
  arrangements youve done!
• A great thank to the interpreters for good
  interpretation and flexibility

13
Thank you all -)

• A great thank to presenters and all
  participants for active participation in the
  discussions
• And remember
• You cannot learn to swim if you dont go into the
  water!