7 November 2013: The UN Statistical Commission’s (UNSC) Friends of the Chair (FOC) Group on Broader Measures of Progress has released two documents: a summary of comments on the report of the UN High-level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda (HLP); and an update on the Group’s activities.

The UNSC established the FOC in 2013 following a request by the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) to launch a work programme to develop broader measures of progress to complement Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The FOC is tasked with monitoring debates on development frameworks and ensuring a robust statistical measurement approach in preparation for the post-2015 development agenda.

In response to the HLP’s proposals on statistics and measurement capacity for targets, the FOC recommends convergence of different frameworks before discussing targets and indicators. The FOC also proposes a two-level approach combining global goals with universal outcomes and targets and indicators reflecting countries’ capacity, context, development level and responsibility. The FOC strongly supports a data revolution and a Global Partnership on Development Data under the UNSC to identify and address statistical gaps, expand data accessibility and galvanize efforts to ensure baseline post-2015 targets by January 2016. The FOC also recommends, inter alia: adding a target on a statistical system to a good governance goal; consulting statisticians before agreeing on targets to assess indicator feasibility; and taking into account existing experience and frameworks. Some FOC members suggest: adding a target on housing conditions; adding a target on waste management and recycling; and addressing demographic changes and international migration flows.

According to the update on the FOC’s work, it has made progress in four areas, including: preparing statistical notes to accompany the UN Technical Support Team’s (TST) issues briefs to the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); preparing to report to the OWG in an informal meeting on measuring progress on 17 December 2013; and preparing a review on broader measures of progress that will address measuring and monitoring of post-2015 goals, and make proposals for the FOC’s continued work on the post-2015 agenda and broader measures of progress.

The FOC will present the report to the 45th Session of the UNSC in March 2014. [FOC Website] [Publication: Summary of FOC members’ comments on the HLP Report] [Publication: Update on current activities of the Friends of the Chair group on broader measures of progress (FOC)]