United Nations World Data Forum webinar on "Monitoring the State of Statistical Operations"

National Statistical Offices (NSOs) around the world have been affected from disruptions of statistical operations caused by COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has highly hampered the ability of national statistical systems to produce crucial data, causing serious disruptions to censuses, household surveys, and other crucial data collection, processing and dissemination operations. At the same time, obtaining high-quality, timely and reliable data remains especially urgent now during the coronavirus pandemic, so that governments, firms, civil society organizations, and the general public can navigate, cope with, and respond to the unprecedented impacts caused by this global pandemic.

In May 2020, the World Bank and the United Nations Statistical Division (UNSD), in coordination with the five United Nations Regional Commissions, initiated a global online survey to assess the impact of the coronavirus crisis on statistical offices and identify needs for financial and technical support. The reports of the survey can be accessed here. The results provide useful information for the global statistical community, donors, development partners, and the general public to ensure that contingency plans and strategic decisions are based on evidence and the actual needs of countries. This information helps understand disruptions in national statistical activities, towards identifying priorities for allocating resources and establishing technical cooperation in the areas of greatest need.

This webinar will:

• Provide highlights of the survey results
• Present issues faced by national statistical offices and how they are overcoming them
• Showcase how partners have been utilizing survey results to support NSOs in COVID-19 response

Speakers

Moderator: Francesca Perucci, Assistant Director, UN Statistics Division (UNSD) and Gero Carletto Calogero (Gero), Manager, Data Production and Methods Unit in the Development Data Group, World Bank.

Panelist: Johannes Jutting, Executive Head, Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21)

Panelist: Carol Coy, Director General, Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN)

Panelist: Andrew A. Tellewoyan, Head of Industrial Statistics and SDGs Focal Point, Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS)

Panelist: Rachael Beaven , Data Revolution Lead, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, United Kingdom