ACSS Journey: Slowly but Surely with a Proper Planning Towards the ACSS Strategic Plan

Transcription

1 ACSS Journey: Slowly but Surely with a Proper Planning Towards the ACSS Strategic Plan ASEAN Secretariat paper ASEAN Regional Workshop on Strategic Planning: Towards a Stronger ASEAN Community Statistical System ASEAN Eurostat PARIS21 workshop, ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, November 2012 The first ACSS Strategic Plan, the Strategic Plan for the Establishment of an ASEAN Community Statistical System (ACSS) , was endorsed by AHSOM in July It covers the period The ACSS Strategic Plan serves the basis to develop the annual work plans. A new ACSS Strategic Plan is needed from As stipulated in the ACSS Rules of Procedure, Annual work plan must be submitted to the ACSS Committee 15 months before the start of the concerned year; thus the ACSS Strategic Plan should be available by the end of As stated in the Rules of Procedures, the preparation of the draft plan is the responsibility of ASEANstats. It shall be discussed at the ACSS Planning and Coordination Sub-Committee before it is presented to the ACSS Committee for its consideration. ASEANstats shall consult ASEAN bodies and/or, as necessary, other stakeholders for opinions during the preparation. This ASEAN Regional Workshop on Strategic Statistical Planning is the opportunity to launch the preparation of the second ACSS Strategic Plan. 1 BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE 1.1 Headlines of the Strategic Plan for the Establishment of the ASEAN Community Statistical System (ACSS) Challenges: Challenge 1. Increased and more diverse demand for statistics. Challenge 2. Need for concrete institutional framework and mandate for statistical cooperation and development coordination. Challenge 3. Need to facilitate more technical support to narrow the development gap. Vision: Mission: Strategies: The ASEAN Community Statistical System (ACSS)will by 2015 be a forward looking and reliable provider of relevant, timely and comparable statistics in support of the ASEAN Community. The ASEAN Community Statistical Systemwill provide relevant, timely and comparable ASEAN statistics in support of evidence based policy and decision making and enhance the statistical capacity of the Member States and ASEAN Secretariat. Strengthening institutional framework. Strengthening ASEAN statistics.

2 Narrowing the development gap. 1.2 Expected achievements by 2015 Based on what has already been done up to end of 2012, it can be expect that many of the results set in the Multi-Year Plan will be achieved by the end of Strengthening the institutional framework: Updated Broad Framework for the Sustainable Development of ASEAN Statistics (Broad Framework Rev.1) done. AHSOM reconstituted in the ACSS Committee with recognition as unique ASEAN body dealing with ASEAN statistics and reporting to AEM through SEOM -done. Rules of Procedures of the ACSS Committee adopted-done. Establishment of the Sub-Committee for Planning and Coordination to support the ACSS-Committee-done. Adoption of the Code of Practice to ensure trust, accountability and highest professional standards in the development, production, dissemination and communication of ASEAN statistics-done. Multi Year Plan and Annual Work Plans 2012, 2013 and 2014 adopted-done. Adoption of Mechanisms to Monitor Implementation of activities/programme at national and regional levels o Compliance monitoring tool-done. o Quality monitoring tool-on-going. User producer consultation process defined-on-going. 2. Strengthening ASEAN statistics Progress in harmonising IMTS, FDIS and SITS on-going. ASEAN statistical report on MDGs-done. ASI framework expanded including the ACPMS-on-going. Statistical data processing and dissemination tools developed (REXDBS, ASEANstats website)-on-going. Regional statistical dissemination policy elaborated and more statistical publications available-on-going. ASEANstats organisation and human resources strengthened-on-going. 3. Narrowing the development gap Significant improvement of IMTS,FDIS and SITS in the CLMVs-on-going. 1.3 Risks/Possible obstacles Based on the current trend of implementation of the Strategic Plan, there are some obstacles that may prevent the ACSS from achieving all the expected results. 1. Strengthening the institutional framework Greater involvement of the AMSs: Involvement of the AMS in the functioning of the ACSS in general needs to be ensured to go beyond their participation in the meetings of the ACSS Committee/working groups and few technical inputs. In addition, in some cases their participation to the working groups is subject to project funding. 2/6

3 Programming and monitoring: Programming, planning and monitoring need further developments, with greater involvement of the AMSs. Reporting to SEOM/AEM: A community-based approach of reporting to SEOM/AEM needs to be defined. User s involvement: Dialogue with users to be further developed, especially the dialogue with the ASEAN bodies. Strengthening of ASEANstats: This resources constraint affect sustainability of the project supports. 2. Strengthening ASEAN statistics Demand-supply data gap: Inability to answer to the ASEAN decision maker data needs in some key areas for surveillance, and in other ASEAN policy priority fields. No progress in some statistical fields mentioned in the Strategic Plan (further analysis of the reasons would be needed) 3. Narrowing the development gap Still an important gap between ASEAN6 and CLMV Specific support needed by Myanmar 1.4 Headlines of the ASEAN policy after 2015 Hereafter are the main last ASEAN decisions, which give directions to the ASEAN policy for future. Bali Concord III Declaration adopted in 2011: is an ASEAN platform to enhance ASEAN s capacity to respond to key global issues by promoting greater coordination, coherence, and cohesiveness on positions and efforts undertaken by ASEAN to address challenges and seize opportunities of the 21st century. Several areas of cooperation are covered; the following ones are the more significant for ASEAN statistical cooperation: Strengthen ASEAN Community and strengthen the capacity of ASEAN Secretariat to support the vision and the development of the ASEAN Community. Advance ASEAN economic relations, in particular trade and investment, within the region as well as with the rest of the world. Strengthen macroeconomic coordination and promoting financial cooperation at the regional and global level. Intensify collaboration in sub-regional initiatives which contribute to overall economic integration of the region. Strengthen collective efforts in ensuring food and energy security at regional and global levels. Strengthen ASEAN s Commitment in the attainment of the MDGs. The Master Plan on Connectivity was adopted in It is both a strategic document for achieving overall ASEAN Connectivity and a plan of action for immediate implementation for the period It includes several aspects which will require ASEAN statistics: Physical Connectivity: Transport, ICT and energy security framework. Institutional Connectivity: movements of vehicles, goods, services and skilled labour across borders. People-to-People Connectivity: greater intra-asean people mobility. 3/6

4 While recognising the tangible benefits of closer connectivity, the problems caused by transnational crime, illegal immigration, environmental degradation and pollution, and other cross-border challenges should be addressed properly. Several frameworks agreements have been adopted recently or reasserted in view of fostering ASEAN economic integration: Strengthening ASEAN Finance Cooperation and Economic Integration (under the ASEAN Finance Minister Meeting, AFMM): it highlights the need to strengthen surveillance in support of regional economic integration - development of analytical reports, monitoring tools, and capacity building programs for integration by AIMO. ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement (ACIA): its purpose isto create a free and open investment regime in ASEAN. ASEAN Framework for Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP): its purpose is to maintain the centrality and proactive role of ASEAN in relation to external parties. It establishes an ASEAN-led process by setting out principles under which ASEAN will broaden and deepen its engagement with FTA/CEP partners and subsequently with other external economic partners towards a regional comprehensive economic partnership agreement. This agreement includes trade in goods, trade in services, and investment as well as other areas related to trade, investment and economic cooperation. ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS) under which 10 packages of service liberalisation have been decided; enhancement of AFAS after 2015 is one of the elements for post AEC-ASEAN integration. ASEAN Agreement on the Movement of Natural Persons (MNP)will facilitate the movement of ASEAN people engaging in trade in goods, trade in services and investment in the region. 2 MAJOR THRUST FOR THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ACSS FIRST THOUGHTS OF ASEANSTATS These first thoughts are first elements to initiate the discussions of the ACSS on the strategic issues that should be addressed by the next strategic plan Possible strategic measures Improve the response to ASEAN data needs The visibility of statistics in the ASEAN set-up has been improved. ASEAN decision makers are now expecting greater support from ASEAN statistics to monitor ASEAN integration. Main expectations are coming from the following domains: Key policy fields need more and further harmonised data: IMTS, FDIS, SITS Data needed for monitoring the surveillance (especiallythe macroeconomic surveillance), the ACPMS, the MDGs, the ASCC scorecards Food and energy security Support the monitoring of the Master plan on connectivity: statistics on transport, ICT and energy, SITS (movement of natural persons), tourism (intra ASEAN), migrations (migrant workers and students overseas). More works need to be done to improve visibility and ensure better access to the available statistics: 4/6

5 Development of the analytical publications, and possibly snapshot publications, and a community-based approach to statistical dissemination/publication Improved access to the ASEAN statistics through intranet and internet Consolidate the ACSS Greater involvement of the AMS in the work of the ACSS and its Sub-Committee; participation in the working groups including more technical inputs from the AMS, bilateral and sub-regional cooperation between the AMS ( ASEAN helps ASEAN ). Improvement of the dialogue with the ASEAN bodies (CCA,CCI,CCS, Customs Office, etc.). Better aligned with and mutually supportive with the national strategy for the development of statistics (NSDS). Greater involvement of ASEANstats in the support to the AMS, especially the CLMV (Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) andnarrowing the Development Gap (NDG)) Strengthen the capacity of ASEANstats as statistical service of the ASEAN Secretariat and technical arm of the ACSS Committee Improve the efficiency of the production process thanks to an advanced used of IT Consolidate the human resources with permanent staff and a secondment programme Upgrade the organisation of the ASEANstats Improve assistance to the NSS of the AMS in complying with the ASEAN statistical requirements, especially the CLMV Organise the dialogue of the ACSS with the international organisations and development partners Define the specific objectives of the cooperation between the ACSS and the international organisations and development partners: o Feasibility of the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership approach in the fields of statistics: what should be the added value of the cooperation between ACSS and the international statistical community compared with the cooperation between the AMS and the international statistical community? o Define the scope and objectives of the cooperation with the international organisations (it should be ASEAN-driven) Set up partnerships with international organisations and development partners within the framework of the ACSS Multi-Year plan Challenges Longer term challenges still remain Longer-term challenges: 1. Strengthening ASEAN statistics and ASEANstats 2. Narrowing the development gap What could be the new challenges? 1. Consolidate the ACSS 2. Strengthen the answer of the ACSS to the monitoring and surveillance for regional integration 3. Expand the scope of ASEAN statistics in key policy fields 4. Develop targeted partnership in statistics with international organisations and development partners. 5/6

6 3 PREPARATION OF THE NEXT STRATEGIC PLAN 3.1 Elaboration of the next strategic plan A mid-term review of the on-going multiyear plan should be carried out by 2-3 ACSS Committee members with ASEANstats to give a picture of the current situation of its implementation, identify the likely achievements and outstanding issues, and make suggestions to improve the design of the strategic plan, its implementation and monitoring. This should possibly be done with greater involvement of the AMSs. Possible nest steps would include: defining the thrusts, by the ACSS identifying some major elements of the Strategic plan, based on the above thrusts and challenges and assessment of the achievements of the strategic plan; formulating a first thought on the vision 2020; Based on the above, the following documents need to be developed 1. The strategies 2. The Multi Year Plan Resources: ASEANstats and the Sub-Committee for Planning and Coordination. 3.2 Draft calendar November 2012 strategic workshop: start of the work and definition of the ad hoc mandate to the sub-committee for Planning and Coordination January-March: Review of the Strategic Plan by the Sub-Committee, possibly led by the Incoming ACSS Committee Chair January-July 2013: First draft prepared by the Sub-Committee with consultation of the statistical working groups and other partners Last quarter of 2013: ACSS Committee Third Session to discuss the draft proposal. January July 2014: Finalisation of the Strategic Plan Third quarter of 2014: approval by ACSS Committee Fourth Session with Multi-Year Action Plan Presentation of the draft AWP for end --- 6/6