Who needs MDGs based information management?
Contribution by G. Tadonki, Senior Adviser
The humanitarian and chronic development issues facing southern Africa constitute an exceptional challenge to the United Nations and its partners. In the context of the “triple threat” of food insecurity, HIV/AIDS and weakened capacity for governance, the UN has recognized the needs to reassess its approach to helping governments and their people. It translates into an attempt to scale up integrated humanitarian and development interventions. However, it calls for a renewed and more integrated vision of the type of support the UN system as a whole provides to these countries for sustainable development, disaster preparedness and response. The post-Monterrey partnership for development has identified the main components for improving on this record: the need for good country-specific and country-owned policies and institutions as well as a continuing commitment to provide effective development assistance. There is broad consensus that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) identify the desired outcomes as well as the means for measuring progress. Throughout the development and humanitarian community there is now agreement that consistent and coherent implementation are the key towards achieving the MDGs, with a shared accountability and a new focus on results.
Better statistical data and improved analysis, while they are clearly not all that is needed, can create and stimulate the political will for changes to take place, and are crucial for the process of better measuring, monitoring and managing for development results. Without good statistics, governments cannot deliver efficient administration, good management, and evidence-based policy making. Statistics also provide a means for the civil society to monitor the activities of Government and their development partners and make decisions about their own lives. An effective and efficient national statistical system, providing the data needed to support better policies and to monitor progress, is a crucial component of good governance. The ability to provide regular and reliable data on the economy and the vulnerable portion of the population and disaster risks is an important indicator of good policies and institutions. Disseminating good quality data increases transparency and promotes accountability. It effectively complements important government processes, such as budget management and auditing and strengthens dialogue with aid partners.
Development and humanitarian actors acknowledge that relevant, reliable and available strategic information is of key importance to the UN’s regional support capacity and to UN Resident Coordinators at country level. There is a need for common analysis to support joint programming by UNCTs and guide the UN RDT: support attainment of MDGs, address critical vulnerabilities and gaps in fulfilment of human rights, prepare and respond to emergencies in SADC countries. Within the UN system, there is also a general need for common monitoring of situations, documentation of results, a knowledge base and capacity building in knowledge management.
How we transform these requirements into tangible needs and steps of action depends on our understanding of the integrated nature of the role of the UN and their development partners. The link between decision-making and information management is obvious but difficult to operationalise. The MDGs framework helps create is a conductive environment for actions at country and regional level. Yet southern Africa has seen the development of several information initiatives, often too sectoral or not coordinated, with the result being the difficulty of drawing a common picture of “the triple threat”. There have been hot debates on HIV/AIDS figures, vulnerability to natural disasters, social vulnerability and governance, leading to many questions around: quality, adequacy and mostly availability of strategic information at the scale relevant to assist evidence-based decision-making.
The humanitarian and chronic development issues facing southern Africa constitute an exceptional challenge to the United Nations and its partners. In the context of the “triple threat” of food insecurity, HIV/AIDS and weakened capacity for governance, the UN has recognized the needs to reassess its approach to helping governments and their people. It translates into an attempt to scale up integrated humanitarian and development interventions. However, it calls for a renewed and more integrated vision of the type of support the UN system as a whole provides to these countries for sustainable development, disaster preparedness and response. The post-Monterrey partnership for development has identified the main components for improving on this record: the need for good country-specific and country-owned policies and institutions as well as a continuing commitment to provide effective development assistance. There is broad consensus that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) identify the desired outcomes as well as the means for measuring progress. Throughout the development and humanitarian community there is now agreement that consistent and coherent implementation are the key towards achieving the MDGs, with a shared accountability and a new focus on results.
Better statistical data and improved analysis, while they are clearly not all that is needed, can create and stimulate the political will for changes to take place, and are crucial for the process of better measuring, monitoring and managing for development results. Without good statistics, governments cannot deliver efficient administration, good management, and evidence-based policy making. Statistics also provide a means for the civil society to monitor the activities of Government and their development partners and make decisions about their own lives. An effective and efficient national statistical system, providing the data needed to support better policies and to monitor progress, is a crucial component of good governance. The ability to provide regular and reliable data on the economy and the vulnerable portion of the population and disaster risks is an important indicator of good policies and institutions. Disseminating good quality data increases transparency and promotes accountability. It effectively complements important government processes, such as budget management and auditing and strengthens dialogue with aid partners.
Development and humanitarian actors acknowledge that relevant, reliable and available strategic information is of key importance to the UN’s regional support capacity and to UN Resident Coordinators at country level. There is a need for common analysis to support joint programming by UNCTs and guide the UN RDT: support attainment of MDGs, address critical vulnerabilities and gaps in fulfilment of human rights, prepare and respond to emergencies in SADC countries. Within the UN system, there is also a general need for common monitoring of situations, documentation of results, a knowledge base and capacity building in knowledge management.
How we transform these requirements into tangible needs and steps of action depends on our understanding of the integrated nature of the role of the UN and their development partners. The link between decision-making and information management is obvious but difficult to operationalise. The MDGs framework helps create is a conductive environment for actions at country and regional level. Yet southern Africa has seen the development of several information initiatives, often too sectoral or not coordinated, with the result being the difficulty of drawing a common picture of “the triple threat”. There have been hot debates on HIV/AIDS figures, vulnerability to natural disasters, social vulnerability and governance, leading to many questions around: quality, adequacy and mostly availability of strategic information at the scale relevant to assist evidence-based decision-making.