3 November 2016: The High Level Group on Partnership, Coordination and Capacity-Building for statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (HLG-PCCB) has issued a draft of the Global Action Plan for Sustainable Development Data, and is soliciting comments on the draft. The Plan seeks to provide a global framework for discussion, planning, implementation, and evaluation of statistical capacity-building needs.

The 46th session of the UN Statistical Commission in March 2015 decided to establish the HLG-PCCB to promote national ownership of the 2030 Agenda monitoring system and to foster statistical capacity building, partnerships and coordination. The HLG is composed of UN Member States and includes regional and international agencies as observers. During its third meeting in January 2016, the HLG-PCCB agreed to develop a proposal for a Global Action Plan for Sustainable Development Data to outline the necessary actions to generate quality and timely data on a routine basis to inform sustainable development.

From 3-16 November 2016, the HLG-PCCB is conducting an online consultation to collect comments on the plan. The Action Plan is expected to be presented at the UN World Data Forum, convening from 15-18 January 2017, in Cape Town, South Africa, and should be submitted for endorsement by the 48th session of the UN Statistical Commission in March 2017.

The draft Global Action Plan, dated 21 October 2016, calls on policy leaders to achieve a global pact or alliance that recognizes that “the funding of National Statistics Offices modernization efforts” is essential to achieve the 2030 Agenda. It describes six strategic areas to address key statistical capacity building needs: i) coordination and strategic leadership on data for sustainable development; ii) innovation and modernization of national statistical systems; iii) 
the strengthening of basic statistical activities and programmes, with a particular focus on addressing the monitoring needs of the 2030 Agenda; iv) dissemination and use of sustainable development data; v) multi-stakeholder partnerships for sustainable development data; and vi) resources mobilization and coordination of efforts for statistical capacity building. For each area, the plan indicates objectives and key actions.

The draft plan is based on guiding principles, including: completeness of scope (such as addressing all aspects of coordination, production and use of data for sustainable development); accountability; and cooperation among countries, regional organizations, other international organizations, and stakeholders in supporting countries’ plans and efforts in capacity building. It calls on the HLG-PCCB to: review and, if necessary, update the Plan to maintain its effectiveness; develop an annual implementation programme featuring milestones as a means to measure the Plan’s progress; and report progress regularly to the UN Statistical Commission, and, as appropriate, to other relevant bodies, such as the UN High-level Political Forum for Sustainable Development (HLPF) and the UN World Data Forum. [Consultation Webpage] [Draft Global Action Plan for Sustainable Development Data] [HLG-PCCB Website]