The project focuses on improving and strengthening the national geospatial information management capacities of developing countries in two beneficiary regions, namely, Africa and Asia and the Pacific, towards implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and evidence-based policy and decision-making. The 2030 Agenda recognizes that timely and accessible geospatial information and statistics, and their combined analyses, are a prerequisite for good policy-making and supporting and tracking development progress. However, there is still a lack of awareness, understanding and uptake of the vital and integrative role of geospatial information within national circumstances, particularly in developing countries. The project supports identified countries in the beneficiary regions to develop and strengthen their national technical capacities and mechanisms through the provision of frameworks and guides that recognize national circumstances through regional or sub-regional activities for: (a) the application of geospatial information to augment national statistical systems and inform the global indicator framework; (b) improving the integration of statistical and geospatial information through implementing the principles of the Global Statistical Geospatial Framework; and (c) improving data sharing and dissemination through appropriate consideration of legal and policy frameworks and guidelines. The project contributes towards improving the timeliness, availability and accessibility of geospatial information at all levels by national geospatial information authorities, thus improving and strengthening national geospatial information management and systems.

The Evidence and Data for Gender Equality (EDGE) Initiative is a new partnership that seeks to accelerate existing efforts to generate comparable gender indicators on health, education, employment, entrepreneurship and asset ownership. This initiative was launched in May 2011 by the United States at the OECD Ministerial Session on Gender and Development and builds on the work of the United Nations Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Gender Statistics. 2. In 1995, the UN Beijing Platform for Action identified 12 critical areas of concern, and urged Governments to regularly collect statistics related to each of these areas, to serve as a basis for monitoring progress and evaluating the impact of policies. Despite this and other commitments in intergovernmental processes, there remain major gaps in the availability, quality and comparability of gender statistics. The EDGE initiative aims to fill some of these gaps.3. Initially, this initiative will cover the period from July 2012 to December 2015. Activities during this first phase will include three elements: (1) the development of a platform for international data and metadata compilation covering basic health, education and employment indicators; (2) the development of standards and guidelines for measuring entrepreneurship and assets indicators; and (3) piloting data collection on entrepreneurship and assets in several countries.4. This initiative contributes to implementing UN Women’s management results framework, as outlined in UN Women’s Strategic Plan 2011-2013, specifically to institutionalize a strong culture of results-based management, reporting, knowledge management and evaluation and to enhance organizational effectiveness. It also contributes to the UN Statistics Division’s global gender statistics programme, including its components of international data compilation and development of metadata, as requested by the UN Statistical Commission. 5. Consistent with these results, and the clear imperative for evidence-based policy-making, the longer-term aim of this initiative is to gradually build a cost-effective and sustainable model to integrate gender issues into regular statistical production and to build countries’ capacity to produce gender data in all policy areas. For example, while this first phase focuses initially on the aforementioned areas, the same model could be used to collect data on important yet often neglected areas such as violence against women. 6. To achieve these goals, the proposed initiative will establish a participatory mechanism that will be guided by a steering committee, composed of members of the UN Statistical Commission mandated Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Gender Statistics, regional commissions, regional development banks and key agencies that coordinate statistical work including the World Bank and the OECD. In particular, the World Bank will play a key role in helping developing countries mainstream gender statistics into national statistical systems, including strengthening data collection necessary to inform critical gender policy issues. The OECD, on the basis of their extensive work on indicators on gender equality in education, employment and entrepreneurship, will contribute to data compilation by sharing statistics and metadata, and will contribute to the methodological work related to the development of new indicators, particularly in the area of women’s entrepreneurship. The project will also benefit from strong guidance from the UN Statistical Commission (UNSC) and the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). To create further leverage, this initiative will also foster a culture of dynamic knowledge sharing, by promoting networking and facilitating technical collaboration between project countries. 7. The estimated cost of the programme over three years is approximately US$ 6,000,000 which will include costs related to methodological development of international standards for measuring entrepreneurship and asset ownership, with related capacity building and pilot data collection in five countries. Once these standards are developed, we anticipate that data collection in each additional country not included during the first phase will cost on average approximately US$ 150,000 to cover training, data processing, data analysis and publication and dissemination of results. 8. Given that available funds currently consist of US$ 3.66 million, the initial budget covers five pilot countries and a reduced scope for some planned activities. However, resource mobilisation efforts are underway to generate additional funds, which will enable the full EDGE programme, including 10 pilot countries, to be implemented.

The objective of this project is to strengthen the statistical capacity in China and other developing countries especially in the area of basic statistics. Within this overall objective, special attention will be given to the fields such as the organization of the national statistical system, application of modern technologies in statistical work and service to statistical users. Knowledge transfer will include sharing of experiences in South-South collaboration.
The proposed expected accomplishments are (1) strengthened and optimized organization of national statistical systems and improved dissemination of data to policy makers and other users, and (2) increased capacity of the national statistical systems to produce better quality and more relevant statistical data for policy makers and other users especially in the areas of economic, environment and social statistics, thus improving data quality and credibility in a comprehensive manner.
In consideration of the statistical demand from China and other developing countries, priority will be given to a wide range of subject matter areas, including: big data, use of administrative records in statistics, application of modern technologies in statistical work, spatial analytics and information, research on innovation of statistical survey methods, statistics for services sector, environmental economic accounting, energy statistics, household surveys, enterprise innovation statistics, social statistics, gross fixed capital formation accounts, evaluation of resource utilization, well-being statistics, service to statistical users, and development and use of statistics, etc.
The implementation strategy to achieve the above expected accomplishments include: (i) international workshops; (ii) provision of materials on practices in implementation of latest international standards; (iii) technical advisory missions; (iv) exchange of staff among statistical offices; (v) sponsorship of short-term work or study in international organizations or other institutions; and (vi) study visits for officials to international seminars and conferences. The Statistics Division is currently implementing the second phase of this project. The first phase run from 2009 to 2014.

When good-quality administrative systems are in place and their information is regularly updated, they can reliably provide a full picture of key aspects of a country’s population or economy on a continuous basis. Data collected for administrative purposes can be a rich and cost-efficient source for the production of timely and high-quality official statistics, especially to address the urgent need for disaggregated data on SDG indicators to ensure no one is left behind in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. However, many countries still lack the infrastructure and technical and institutional arrangements needed for the efficient exchange and processing of administrative data and metadata for the production of official statistics. Moving in a direction of increased use of administrative data for statistics production will also make the statistical system more agile and resilient in times of crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic. The project supports 9 countries in addressing legal and technical challenges to administrative data sharing and processing administrative data. For each country one or two thematic areas are chosen. The results of the work will provide practical level experiences that also others can benefit from and will lead to a number of examples along the overall process of using administrative data for statistical purposes; from accessing data to processing them and publishing statistics based on them. Key stakeholders of this work will be the National Statistical Offices and the owners of the administrative data, along with the wider statistical system. Policy and decision makers will benefit from the results of the work.

he adoption of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals in September 2015 brought increased attention to the international community on the need to strengthen the statistical capacity of developing countries to measure, monitor and report on the sustainable development goals, targets and indicators.  Goal 17 specifically addresses strengthening the means of implementation, with target 17.18 calling for enhanced capacity building support to developing  countries to increase, by 2020, the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic locations and other characteristics relevant in national contexts. The global indicator framework for the monitoring of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, with currently over 230 indicators, represents a tremendous challenge for producers of official statistics in all countries, developing and developed alike.  Countries must absorb the new data demands which have been placed upon them if they are to meet the 2030 Agenda, including quickly defining national targets and indicators. They will need to update their National Strategies for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) to respond to these demands, and to put into place streamlined processes to ensure the timely production of official statistics. They will need exposure to methodologies and tools being developed at global level to measure the sustainable development goals and targets, particularly in new statistical areas.  As such,  the development and strengthening of institutional and technical capacities in developing countries for the production of high-quality, timely, reliable and disaggregated data which responds to the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, and which can assist policy-makers in shaping evidence-based policies which fully integrate economic, social and environmental considerations, has become critical. The 2030 Agenda, which is centered on the achievement of the sustainable development goals, calls for enhanced efforts by the international community working together  to augment its capacity development efforts,  particularly in the domain of statistics and data,  so that developing member States will be able to accurately measure progress against the SDG targets and determine where gaps remain.  The repeated emphasis by member States on the importance of developing robust national statistical systems should not be overlooked.  Given this call for increased support, the Development Account Programme on Statistics and Data, hereinafter referred to as  “the Programme”,  strives to maximize its resources by working jointly with all 10 implementing entities which receive funding under the Account (DESA, UNCTAD, UNEP, UN-Habitat, UN-ODC and the 5 Regional Commissions – ECA, ECE, ECLAC, ESCAP and ESCWA).  The Programme will also seek partnerships with agencies within and outside the UN system, with the donor community, academia, civil society and the private sector.  The emphasis of the Programme will be to refine existing methodologies, tools and approaches for Tier I and Tier II indicators and commence analysis which will inform the development of new statistical methodologies for Tier III indicators within the environmental, social and economic domains. It will also orchestrate the roll-out of a vigorous capacity development programme to support countries in improving statistical capacities to monitor indicators and targets in all data areas.  The Programme will work across all regions, and at the national and local levels, raising awareness within developing countries on the statistical data requirements to meet the 2030 Agenda; on strengthening of institutional environments to respond to the data demands; on streamlining of statistical production processes and exposing countries to the use of new and innovative data sources, including new tools and techniques.   The Programme will also, through its capacity development efforts, promote resource mobilization and new partnerships so that developing States have the right tools, mechanisms and technology to drive their production of official statistics.  

The aim of this project is to strengthen national capacity in the three project countries to formulate, implement, monitor and evaluate effective and evidence-based national policies and programmes aimed at social and economic integration and inclusion of young people with disabilities. As set out in the Programme of Action of the Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development, the aim of social integration is to create “’a society for all’, in which every individual, each with rights and responsibilities, has an active role to play.” In the case of the present project, inclusion of youth with disabilities means that they are to be actively engaged, as both agents and beneficiaries, in the two focus areas of the project: 1) the design and implementation of national policies for social inclusion of youth with disabilities, and; 2) the design of national programmes and strategies for creating employment opportunities and including youth with disabilities in national labour markets.
Project activities will consist of a combination of analytical and operational capacity building work engaging national and international experts in conjunction with UNDESA and ECLAC/UNDP staff. The main beneficiaries/participants in the project will be policymakers, members of parliaments, and Government officials with mandates related to youth, employment and persons with disabilities. Representatives of youth organizations and disabled persons organizations will participate as both beneficiaries and resource persons for the project.
Activities will further include delivery, in project countries, of comprehensive training on formulating and monitoring participatory evidence-based youth policies and programmes aimed at achieving social inclusion and employment opportunities for youth with disabilities. This will support policymakers to work with and create the space for the participation of young people and relevant civil society organizations. It will also contribute to effective policy-making, and a greater awareness of the needs of young people with disabilities in national planning initiatives.
Upon the completion of the project, national programs for training and employment of young people with disabilities will be incorporated into the existing national development plans and programmes in the project countries.

The Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM) was launched as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with the objective to support the SDGs. It includes three major components – an Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) of over 30 UN-system agencies; an annual multi-stakeholder Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Forum; and an on-line platform that is expected to serve as a gateway for information on existing science, technology and innovation (STI) initiatives, mechanisms and programs, within and beyond the United Nations. These are advised by a 10 –Member Group of academics, policy makers, entrepreneurs and others, appointed by the Secretary-General. This project aims to strengthen the capacity of key constituents in developing countries to access, operationalize and benefit from STI for the SDGs. It will strengthen the learning and adoption of relevant innovations by developing countries across both the South and the North; improve the capacity of governments and entrepreneurs to access relevant STI solutions through on-line mechanisms (including through improving their design); and strengthen the off-line partnerships, policy supports and institutional structures needed to make these self-sustaining. Throughout, the natural synergies across the different components of the TFM will be fully utilised. The direct beneficiaries of the project are STI and SDG communities in the target countries, including government officials, academics, scientists, technologists, practitioners, business persons and community leaders. The project will enhance their capacity to develop, disseminate and adapt STI solution in key strategic SDG areas, including a better understanding of relevant policy instruments and the sustainable development implications of new technology trends. The ultimate key beneficiaries of the project are all stakeholders around the world that will use the Online Platform to increase their capacity to use STI for SDGs. 

All governments from developing countries confront the challenge of designing coherent policies that can simultaneously accelerate growth, reduce poverty and inequality, preserve and improve the environment, and help adapt/mitigate to climate change. To successfully achieve these objectives, countries need both i) sound institutional arrangements for policy integration; and ii) quantitative analytical capacities to assess policy options. The ultimate aim is to foster a cohesive policy formulation process that incorporates development objectives across the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.
In response to the Government requests from Cameroon, Ethiopia and Senegal, this project aims to support policy coherence through stronger inter-agency collaboration and coordination, while building integrated assessment methodologies and capacities to address the interlinkages and tradeoffs among policies, goals and the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. A climate, land-use, energy and water systems integrated assessment (CLEWS), including socio-economic aspects, will be developed in each country within the framework of improved cooperation among institutions and public administration and integrated whole-of-government approaches. Capacity building activities will be provided to government officials, in order to address the challenges and particular policy scenarios discussed with official government counterparts, to inform evidence-based policy discussions.
The Project will result in enhanced institutional capacity and inter-agency cooperation within target countries for developing integrated approaches and tools to support evidence-based policy-making to address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This project supports and assists selected countries in developing a comprehensive and efficient system for monitoring progress towards SFM. This is be achieved through a step- by-step approach, which includes conducting inventories of existing forest-related data, mapping data gaps, addressing these gaps and selecting appropriate indicators. Particular attention is be paid to socio-economic aspects (e.g. livelihoods, food security, poverty reduction) of forests and financial flows for SFM. The socio-economic benefits of forests are particularly important to societies in the selected developing countries, yet these are the areas where methodology is missing and data is either very weak or not existing. The project takes into account the outcomes of the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Indicators (IAEG), particularly indicators on SDG15 and target 15.2, which specifically address SFM. It is expected that the monitoring framework developed within this project will serve domestic needs as well as help to report on forest related international commitments including the SDGs, the UN Forest Instrument and its Global Objectives on Forests. To a large extent the analytical work will be done by national consultants and results of their work will be presented and discussed at series of national workshops. These workshops will gather not only forest authorities but also focal points of the Rio Conventions (CBD, UNCCC, UNCCD), FAO/FRA and stakeholders from other sectors (employment, demographics, energy), which gather data relevant to and whose decisions have effect on forests and forestry. The lessons learned and experiences gained within this project will be shared at a global workshop, which could agree on a common approach to reporting among broader group of countries and possibly serve as starting point for an updated reporting mechanism to UNFF.

The objective of this project is to strengthen the statistical capacity in China and other developing countries especially in the area of basic statistics. Within this overall objective, special attention will be given to the fields such as the organization of the national statistical system, application of modern technologies in statistical work and service to statistical users. Knowledge transfer will include sharing of experiences in South-South collaboration.The proposed expected accomplishments are (1) strengthened and optimized organization of national statistical systems and improved dissemination of data to policy makers and other users, and (2) increased capacity of the national statistical systems to produce better quality and more relevant statistical data for policy makers and other users especially in the areas of economic, environment and social statistics, thus improving data quality and credibility in a comprehensive manner.  In consideration of the statistical demand from China and other developing countries, priority will be given to a wide range of subject matter areas, including: big data, use of administrative records in statistics, application of modern technologies in statistical work, spatial analytics and information, research on innovation of statistical survey methods, statistics for services sector, environmental economic accounting, energy statistics, household surveys, enterprise innovation statistics, social statistics, gross fixed capital formation accounts, evaluation of resource utilization, well-being statistics, service to statistical users, and development and use of statistics, etc. 
 The implementation strategy to achieve the above expected accomplishments include: (i) international workshops; (ii) provision of materials on practices in implementation of latest international standards; (iii) technical advisory missions; (iv) exchange of staff among statistical offices; (v) sponsorship of short-term work or study in international organizations or other institutions; and (vi) study visits for officials to international seminars and conferences. The Statistics Division is currently implementing the second phase of this project. The first phase run from 2009 to 2014.