National Strategy For The Development of Statistics

An NSDS is a national strategy which enables developing countries to build a reliable statistical system that produces the data necessary to design, implement and monitor national development policies and programmes. They also help countries meet their regional and international commitment with respect to statistics.

The role of statistics in supporting result-based management, better governance, and greater aid effectiveness is well recognized among policy makers and the international community. The National Statistical System (NSS) of Belize must be able to respond in a precise and sustainable manner to the changes underway in the economy and to the new information requirements it induces. This response entails a coordinated national effort aimed at improving the mechanisms and processes needed to produce relevant statistics. The NSDS is a strategy planning process which embodies this effort.

Designing the NSDS is a process that takes 12 to 18 months, providing an opportunity to identify the reforms that have to be undertaken. Accordingly, this shows what changes need to be made in some key components of the NSS such as the Statistics Act, the status of the national statistical office, co-ordination mechanisms, human and financial resources, etc. Once the strategy, action plans, and funding schemes have been determined an institutional mechanism is set up to oversee their implementation. This body will be in charge of coordinating, monitoring, and reporting activities.

The implementation of an NSDS depends on the financing of its action plans. In many developing countries, national budgets are often insufficient. Support from the international community is therefore crucial. In this case, the government and technical and financial partners ought to set up a long-term dialogue and co-ordination body in charge of drawing up a consistent funding strategy and monitoring its implementation.

On May 16th, the Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB) teamed up with the Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21) to kick off a series of consultation sessions. These sessions involved data producers and users from different National Statistical System (NSS) agencies.

The aim was to lay the foundation for a National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS). This strategy is a five-year plan designed to enhance and expand statistical production in Belize. Its goal is to meet the growing demand for data necessary to monitor global, regional, and national development indicators.

The development of a National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) comprises a three-phase approach consisting of a preliminary phase, a design stage, and a deployment stage. During the preliminary stage, stakeholder engagements are conducted to enhance comprehension of the concepts, principles, methodologies, and advantages of the NSDS process. This stage also establishes the framework for developing and implementing the strategy. The initial phase of the statistical process involves evaluating the requisite data, statistical proficiency, outlining key objectives, and devising specific measures to tackle the requirements of the domestic statistical framework. The subsequent phase, deployment, entails executing the action plan’s activities. The efficacy of the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) is contingent upon the active engagement of partner agencies within the National Statistical System (NSS), in addition to the backing of the government and other development collaborators, to facilitate the mobilization of requisite resources for the execution of sector-specific action plans.