27 November 2013
UN System Statistical Notes Address OWG 5 Topics
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Three draft statistical notes have been issued for the Fifth Session of the UN General Assembly's (UNGA) Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The notes, prepared by the UN system in coordination with the UN Statistical Commission (UNSC) Friends of the Chair (FOC) Group on Broader Measures and relevant UN agencies, address the topics under consideration at OWG 5.

UNGA22 November 2013: Three draft statistical notes have been issued for the Fifth Session of the UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The notes, prepared by the UN system in coordination with the UN Statistical Commission (UNSC) Friends of the Chair (FOC) Group on Broader Measures and relevant UN agencies, address the topics under consideration at OWG 5.

Each statistical note includes sections on: the main policy issues; potential goals and targets; conceptual and methodological tools; existing and new indicators; data requirements, challenges and limitations; and conclusions.

The ‘Energy’ note of 21 November 2013 highlights the Sustainable Energy for All initiative’s (SE4ALL) Global Tracking Framework as a basis for tracking progress but cautions it could be “vastly improved,” and recommends incremental investments in energy data systems at global and national levels. On energy access, the note: says global databases only support binary tracking of energy access; identifies growing consensus that measurements should reflect a continuum of improvement; and proposes a multi-tier metric. On energy efficiency, the note recommends improving the availability of energy input and output metrics across economic sectors to support meaningful energy efficiency measures. On renewable energy, “significant international efforts” are necessary to improve data collection methodologies and bridge data gaps, particularly on biomass. The note recommends developing metrics to assess the degree to which technology deployment meets sustainability standards.

The note on ‘Sustained and inclusive economic growth and infrastructure development and industrialization’ of 22 November reports that the Task Force for Measuring Sustainable Development (TFSD) found that official statistics, including the System of National Accounts (SNA) and the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA), can inform anticipated post-2015 goals, targets and indicators, and represent “a good starting point” for monitoring sustained and inclusive growth. It recommends, inter alia: strengthening statistical environments, infrastructure, and operations; provision of technical assistance and coordination by international and regional organizations, including multi-lateral developments banks (MDBs); and scaling up implementation of the SNA and SEEA.

The note on ‘Macro policy questions’ of 13 November recommends a shift toward integrated statistics based on internationally agreed macroeconomic and macroeconomic-environmental accounting frameworks that measure countries’ economic activity and their environmental impact. It states that the environmental-economic accounting framework will support indicators that link poverty reduction and natural resources management as well as indicators on sustainable development and green growth.

The statistical notes follow on the three OWG 5 issue briefs previously provided by the UN Technical Support Team (TST).

OWG 5 convenes from 25-27 November 2013, at UN Headquarters in New York, US. [OWG Website] [Publication: Statistical note for the issue brief on energy] [Publication: Statistical note for the issue brief on Sustained and inclusive economic growth and infrastructure development and industrialization] [Publication: Statistical note for the issue brief on Macro policy questions] [IISD RS Coverage of OWG 5]


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