PRESENTATION OUTLINE

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(No Transcript)
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE

• Introduction
• Important Preliminaries
• Envisaged Design structures
• Terms of Reference for Design Teams
• Estimated Design Cost and Time table
• The initiating launch at a Press conference
• Current State of Affairs in Suriname

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INTRODUCTION

• After being preached to since October 2001 by
  several colleagues, most notably our colleagues
  from Jamaica and Bermuda and after a retreat in
  2004, during which several executing agencies,
  involved with the IADB met, we were more or less
  convinced that Strategic Planning could be a
  useful tool to a statistical office. The November
  2004 SCCS in Bermuda, provided the turning point.

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INTRODUCTION (continued)

• In December 2004 we conducted our very first
  Customer Satisfaction Survey. Even after an
  extension of the deadline for responding to
  February 2005, the results (in terms of response
  rate) were so abysmal that they put off the WOP
  division completely. The Customer Satisfaction
  survey prepared for the last Quarter of 2006 was
  never conducted. (We were supposed to have them
  every two years).
• As of July 2005, the Director, the Deputy
  Directors and most Managers of the GBS took part
  in several Management training courses (e.g.
  Seven Habits of highly effective people the
  Eight Habit Dealing with Conflicts within an
  organization, etc.).

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INTRODUCTION (concluded)

• In April 2007 the first SWOT was produced for the
  GBS. Further lessons learned from our colleagues
  made it clear to us that the first approach (only
  involving Senior Management and Management
  staff), however useful was insufficient. The
  exercise was repeated with all of the GBS staff
  in January 2009 during a one-day workshop Team
  building and Forward Looking for the GBS

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IMPORTANT PRELIMINARIES-1

• -The previous (July 2000- August 2005) and
  present (September 2005- to date) Minister of
  Planning and Development Cooperation (with
  Statistics in his portfolio) have always been
  very supportive to the GBS and pushed for
  capacity building and improved status. Under the
  previous minister the GBS became semi-autonomous
  and under the present minister it was decided
  that the Director of Statistics cannot have a
  status less than a Permanent Secretary. (Please
  note, that not everything is portable as Guyana
  had its worst time under Planning and Suriname
  prospered most under Planning)
• -Since July 2006 the proposed RSWP is integrated
  into the Annual work plans (effectively
  overlapping 18 months plans) of the GBS and it
  helped tremendously to focus on critical
  statistical issues and also served as a stepping
  stone towards long-term statistical planning.

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IMPORTANT PRELIMINARIES-2

• -While the previous Minister rightfully
  concentrated on the GBS (after all, it makes
  sense that one needs to strengthen the
  Coordinator of the System first), since 2007 the
  present Minister made it clear that indeed the
  Coordinator may deserve most of the attention,
  but more attention should be devoted to other
  parts of the System.
• -In July 2008 the GBS submitted a long-term plan
  of activities 2010-2021 to the Commission for
  Statistics, which was approved with minor
  amendments.

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IMPORTANT PRELIMINARIES-3

• -In the first Quarter of 2009, we had several
  NSDS discussions with the Minister of PLOS and
  after we returned from participating in the 40th
  session of the UN Statistical Commission, the
  Minister of PLOS requested a proposal towards
  achieving an NSDS in the last Quarter of 2009
  (preferably by Mid October, but no later than Mid
  November 2009)
• -On 4th of May the Minister repeated his request
  and on 22 May we submitted a first draft, which
  was extensively discussed on 28th May and a
  revised proposal was submitted on 18 June 2009.

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ENVISAGED DESIGN STRUCTURES critical issues
influencing our proposal

• High level political support
• Broad based support
• Representation from the main producers and users
• Contribution towards the MDG

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ENVISAGED DESIGN STRUCTURESNSDS core Design Team
and Alternates/assistants.-1

• The Core Design Team comprises
• The Minister of PLOS (Chair)
• The Director of the GBS (Deputy Chair)
• Director Monetary and Economic Affairs of Central
  Bank (Secretary)
• Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Ministry of
  Internal Affairs (MOIA)
• PS of the Ministry of Health (MOH)
• PS of the Ministry of Labour (MOL)
• PS of the Ministry of Education (MOE)
• PS of the Ministry of Transportation,
  Communication and Tourism (MOTCT)
• PS of the Ministry of Finance (MOF)
• PS of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing
  (SOZAVO)

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ENVISAGED DESIGN STRUCTURESNSDS core Design Team
and Alternates/assistants.-2

• The Alternate (or Assistant) team comprises
• The GBS Deputy Director for Statistics (Co-Chair)
• Head of the Research Department of Central Bank
  (Co-Chair)
• Director Bureau for Public Health
• Coordinator National Health Information System
• Head of the Department of Research and Planning,
  MOE
• Head of the Department of Labour Statistics, MOL
• Head of the Department of Research and Planning
  SOZAVO
• Head Agricultural Statistics
• Head Traffic Instruction, Education and
  Statistics of the Police Force

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Monitoring of activities

• The activities of both teams during the design
  phase will be monitored by the Commission for
  Statistics, the governing board for the NSS in
  general and the GBS in particular. The Commission
  for Statistics will also be responsible for
  monitoring the actual implementation of NSDS
  2010-2014.

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TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR DESIGN TEAMSCORE TEAM
TOR-1

• Assess and if necessary adapt the proposed time
  table , to ensure that all proposed activities
  are included and can be achieved, reckoning with
  a Presentation date somewhere between 16 and 27
  November 2009
• Submit a plan with indispensable elements of a
  Media Campaign to guide both the Design and the
  Execution Phase of the NSDS
• Design the instruments to be used for the
  diagnosis and assessment of Surinames National
  Statistical System (SSS)

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TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR DESIGN TEAMSCORE TEAM
TOR-2

• Make an inventory and assess all legal
  instruments of relevance to the SSS
• Design the questionnaire(s) for the Customer
  Satisfaction Survey(s)
• Design the NSDS Road map 2010-2014, reckoning
  with The Existing National Multi-Annual
  Development Plan, Capacity building for all
  parts of the SSS, proper balance between demand
  for and supply of Statistics, Optimum Mix
  between Administrative data, Surveys and
  Censuses, Respondent and Interviewer burden,
  Optimum Coordination of the SSS

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TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR DESIGN TEAMSCORE TEAM
TOR-3

• Based on the Road Map, Cost the NSDS 2010-2014
• Conduct all activities following naturally from
  the above-mentioned, which are in line with Core
  team membership.

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TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR DESIGN TEAMSAlternates/Ass
istants TOR-1

• Collecting, processing and organizing data and
  documentation for the benefit of the NSDS Core
  Design Team, as well as archiving data and
  documentation
• Conduct visits and all other activities in
  connection with the diagnosis and assessment of
  the SSS
• Conduct the Customer Satisfaction Survey(s)

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TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR DESIGN TEAMSAlternates/Ass
istants TOR-2

• Assist with budgeting the NSDS 2010-2014
• Stand in for a relevant Core Design Team member
  when absent
• Conduct all activities following naturally from
  the above-mentioned, which are in line with
  Alternate/Assistant team membership

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Estimated Design Cost(To be paid by Ministry of
Planning)

• In the estimated design cost we reckoned mainly
  with
• Office materials and accessories, cost of
  advertisements, cost of Customer Satisfaction
  surveys (pick-up / drop-off), assessment work
  visits, a small compensation for the design teams
  and a Presentation Workshop, all amounting to
  circa
• 52,000 USD.

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Estimated Design CostImportant note

• It was made clear to everybody that this is a
  minimum budget, applying only to the design phase
  as participating institutions will certainly have
  to bear some of the actual design cost. It was
  also emphasized that the actual NSDS cost will be
  a multitude of the Design Cost, as for instance
  for the GBS only we would have to reckon at least
  with cost for strengthening capacity, 2011 Census
  and the 2012/2013 Household Budget Survey.(p.s.
  we shall include LAMP)

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Estimated Design CostImportant notes

• Reliable Statistics are important we need them
  for Developing and Monitoring Policy, for
  adequate Planning purposes and for Research. The
  importance of Statistics is often acknowledged in
  wide circles but still, when times come for
  budgetary cuts, Statistical Offices are among the
  first to suffer!
• When the reasoning may point in the direction of
  budgetary cuts in statistics that is precisely
  the time when we need the figures to guide us out
  of our economic and social problems that
  challenge the level of living of our countries
  (Busby, 1996)

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TIME TABLE
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THE INITIATING LAUNCH AT A PRESS CONFERENCE

• On 25 June 2009, there was a Press conference
  with invitees from
• Parliament (Standing Committee for Planning and
  Development Cooperation), Private Sector,
  Government institutions, Autonomous and
  semi-autonomous bodies, NGOs, Trade Unions,
  International Organizations, the Press.

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THE INITIATING LAUNCH AT A PRESS
CONFERENCE(continued)

• Registration took place between 8.30 and 9.00 and
  at 9.05 the MC issued her welcome remarks.
• From 9.10 to 9.30 the Director of Statistics had
  a short presentation entitled Enige Opmerkingen
  over Strategic Statistical Planning met nadruk op
  CARICOM en SIDS.
• Translation (Some remarks concerning Strategic
  Statistical Planning with an emphasis on CARICOM
  and SIDS).

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THE INITIATING LAUNCH AT A PRESS
CONFERENCE(concluded)

• From 9.30 to 9.45 the Minister of PLOS made his
  remarks regarding the importance of Statistics
  (for Policy, for Planning, for efficient and
  effective allocation of means, for Research),
  Sources for Statistics, and the importance of a
  proper mix between sources as well as the
  indispensable role an NSDS has to play in this
  process. The minister also referred to why the
  launch was taking place in that particular
  period, called upon the press to guide the
  process critically but constructively so that
  within 15 year (Hopefully, Surinames 3rd NSDS
  round), the SSS may proudly rank among the top in
  the world. He finally stated that he had
  officially initiated the process towards the
  development of Surinames NSDS 2010-2014

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CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS IN SURINAME-1

• Although the Minister of PLOS sensitized his
  colleagues and other Stakeholders on this matter,
  after the letter inviting the organizations to
  formalize their nominations were sent out between
  29 June and 3 July 2009, stipulating Wednesday 15
  July 2009 as the deadline for nominations, by
  Friday 17 July 2009 the Ministry of PLOS had only
  received a small subset of the nominations.

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CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS IN SURINAME-2

• It seems, as happens ever so often, that we are
  again confronted with lip service, resistance to
  change and extremely slow movement.
• We shall prevail!!!!!

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TH??? !!!

• THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND PARTICIPATION.