18 September 2014
Statistics Division Preparing for Post-2015 Indicator Framework
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The UN Statistics Division (UNSD) has issued a note on ‘Work on the indicator framework for the post-2015 development agenda,' in the context of the 24th Session of the Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities,which took place in Rome, Italy, on 11-12 September 2014.

According to the note, the goals and targets of the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN General Assembly (UNGA) outcome on the post-2015 development agenda will serve as the basis for the framework, which will provide indicators to monitor and report progress on the agenda.

friendsofthe chair8 September 2014: The UN Statistics Division (UNSD) has issued a note on ‘Work on the indicator framework for the post-2015 development agenda,’ in the context of the 24th Session of the Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities, which took place in Rome, Italy, on 11-12 September 2014. According to the note, the goals and targets of the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN General Assembly (UNGA) outcome on the post-2015 development agenda will serve as the basis for the framework, which will provide indicators to monitor and report progress on the agenda.

The note discusses the: purpose and basis of the indicator framework; arrangements for the development of the indicator framework; principles for the design of the indicator framework; and principles for the selection of individual indicators.

The UN Statistical Commission (UNSC) will agree on modalities for the development of the framework at its 46th Session, which will take place in March 2015, and will agree on the indicator framework and set of indicators at its 47th Session, in February/March 2016. UNSC’s Friends of the Chair Group on broader measures of progress (FOC) will prepare and guide discussions on the development and implementation of the framework, including through the preparation of a report and the organization of an expert group meeting in early 2015.

On principles for the design of the framework, the note suggests considering existing and agreed indicator sets on a priority basis. It recommends considering the concepts of: universality; inclusiveness; scope; inter-linkages and cross-cutting issues; and means versus ends and focus on meaningful outcomes. As a first step, UNSD suggests mapping the OWG targets against each other and analyzing them with respect to the three dimensions of sustainable development to identify inter-linkages, gaps and overlap.

The note recommends that UNSD’s statistical notes to the OWG provide the starting point for discussion of indicators. It also recommends selecting ‘SMART’ indicators, and considering reports that contain criteria for indicator selection, including ‘Lessons Learned from MDG Monitoring from a Statistical Perspective;’ Conference of European Statisticians recommendations on measuring sustainable development; and ‘Indicators and a monitoring framework for SDGs: Launching a data revolution for the SDGs.’ [Work on the indicator framework for the post-2015 development agenda] [FOC Website]

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