Strengthening Economic Statistics for Measuring Progress Toward Sustainable Development Goals

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This knowledge and support technical assistance (KSTA) has been conceptualized by the Statistics and Data Innovation Unit (EROD-SDI) of the Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department (ERCD) to enhance the capacity of the national statistical systems (NSS) of select developing member countries (DMCs) in Asia and the Pacific to produce high quality statistical information to illuminate critical economic phenomena and to facilitate evidence based policymaking using multi-sourced data, cutting-edge methods and best practices. The KSTA is in line with the framework of Strategy 2030 of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), wherein both DMCs and the ADB have pledged support to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the related Financing for Development Agenda. The proposed KSTA will capacitate the NSSs of the participating DMCs to produce relevant, accurate and timely economic statistical indicators that are imperative to measure the progress towards the SDGs, particularly Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all; and Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation. The proposed KSTA which is part of the approved workplan of ERCD, supports Strategy 2030's operational plan (OP6) strengthen governance, through enhancing the capacity of the DMCs to produce economic information needed for rigorous evidence-based policy making and program monitoring. Further, the statistics to be produced in the participating DMCs will enable the respective governments and the ADB to track the progress of the country and sector specific gainful participation in global and regional value chains (OP7: Fostering Regional Cooperation and Integration). Currently, due to similar statistical capacity building initiatives undertaken so far by EROD-SDI, ERCD produces global and regional value chain participation indices and analyses, including regional spillover analysis, for more than 20 regional member countries. As a result of this proposed KSTA the number of DMCs for which comprehensive value chain participation information and advanced measures of regional cooperation and integration (RCI) are available is expected to increase by at least 10, including many in the Pacific.The proposed KSTA will also enable the ADB to expand its economic databases by the inclusion of critical statistics relevant to the poorest and most vulnerable countries in the region, including fragile and conflict-affected situations and small island developing states. These databases are currently being employed by ERCD to provide economic impact analysis for the purposes of COVID-19 Active Response Expenditure Support (CARES) program. Due to ERCD's past and ongoing statistical capacity building work in Thailand and other countries in ASEAN, the department was able to readily compile the necessary data and provide the analysis required for the COVID-19 Pandemic Response Option (CPRO) . ERCD is currently preparing similar analysis for many DMCs. The proposed KSTA will enhance the ADB's capacity to produce such advanced analysis for more DMCs, including many in the Pacific.