Indicators brief for next weeks meeting

The agenda for next weeks Post 2015 process starts with two days on indicators. It will have presented a report from the Statistical Commission. Overall the tone of the Statistical Commission's report is good. they recognize the role they have in providing 'technical support' to the political process. They were asked by G77 to ensure they came forward with suggested indicators for ALL the targets, They nearly managed this based on a survey of countries national statistical offices there are of the 169 targets only 7 to date without suggested indicators. These are:

Target 1.b.  sound policy frameworks at the national, regional and international levels, based on pro-poor and gender sensitive development strategies, to support accelerated investment in poverty eradication actions.

Target 3.a Strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries, as appropriate.

Target 3.b Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non-communicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right of developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding flexibilities to protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to medicines for all.

Target 3.c Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing states.

Target 3.d Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks.

Target 6.a By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies

Target 6.b Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management.

They have also produced from the results of a survey of countries who were asked to rate the indicators A to C the feasibility, suitability and relevance of the proposed provisional indicators for each target the following results. 

On Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere: 

Only one indicator falls into the CBB range  (low feasibility,  medium suitability and relevance)

On Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. 

There are four indicators that fall in the CBB range

On Goal 3:Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

Only one indicator that fall in the range.

On Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Only one indicator that fall in the range.

Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

There are three indicators that fall into this range.

Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

There are two indicators  that fall into this range. 

Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

There are no indicators that fall into this range though 1 falls into CBA

Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

There are seven indicators that fall in this range

Goal 9:Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
There are three indicators that fall into this range

Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
There are nine indicators that fall into this range
Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
There  are seven indicators that fall into this range.
Goal 12:Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
There are nine indicators that fall into this range.
Goal 13: Take  urgent action to combat climate change and its impact.impact.
There are five indicators in this range.
Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans,seas and marine resources for sustainable development. 

There are 12 indicators that fall into this range.
Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity lose.
There are six indicators that fall into this range.
Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
There are eight indicators that fall into this range and one into CBA.
Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development. There are  17 targets that fall into this range.

All together 95 indicators have low feasibility,  medium suitability and relevance.  according to the countries national statistical offices. and if we add the 7 that had no data that brings it to 102 indicators that there seems to be have a problem with.

What happens now?

Those stakeholders that are engaged in particular goals should look at the report and see what they think. Can they suggest some indicators? The problem we all face is that not enough effort has been put into data collection over the last twenty years, There was an attempt in 1998 to put the roots down at a CSD but the process failed and to some extent we are reaping the results of that. An attempt to restrict the number of core indicators did not go well. the approach is much more enlighten today and the work of the UN Statistical Division is to be commended but we do have problems as clearly has been shown by the results of their survey.

It is not that for some of the indicators that there isnt work being undertaken for example Gross National Happiness would be one that was classified as a CBB. There is an index on GNH - it isnt one indicator but 33 indicators and there has been a problem with index's as far as some in the statistical world is concerned.

My main measure for this discussion is we are on a journey and as we go forward some of our data will be imperfect, non existent as yet and that shouldn't be  a reason not to take that journey. We may at the beginning in some areas be reporting more descriptively but this evolve as we move through the 15 years the High Level Political Forum meets at Heads of State level every 4 years so readjustment can be made.

Governments have politically said what they would like to be measured and some of those that have imperfect indicators will turn out to be very important as we move forward. An example of that in particular are the ones in Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries.

To help the process move forward the outcome of the Expert Group Meeting on the indicator framework for the post-2015 development agenda, 25-26 February 2015 reached a consensus on the following main points:

• It is necessary to define an architecture for an integrated monitoring framework that would include global indicators and different levels of regional, national and thematic monitoring;
• The global level monitoring framework should be limited to a small number of indicators;
• Such indicators should be selected on the basis of an agreed set of criteria;
• The initial proposal for indicators to be put forth by the Statistical Commission is expected to be further refined and reviewed by the Commission at its forty-seventh session, to take place in 2016;
• A mechanism such as an Inter-agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Indicators (IAEG-SDGs) should be established.
• It is necessary to ensure national ownership of indicators (including of the estimation process);
• It is necessary to ensure disaggregation of indicators and to include a human rights dimension to the indicator framework (following the “no one left behind” principle);
• It is necessary to further strengthen national statistical capacity, including by mobilizing the necessary resources;
• It is important to draw from existing integrated statistical frameworks;
• It is important to build on the Millennium Development Goals’ experience and lessons. 

The IAEG-SDGs has now been established and the main work will be undertaken here. 

I am looking forward to Monday and Tuesday's discussion on indicators very much.