Brief Description

The problem of weak data production capacity and the poor quality of data generally, makes it difficult to monitor the impact of poverty programmes and update current socio-economic data. These problems are exacerbated by the following:
- Absence of National Statistical Council
- Absence of integrated Household Surveys programme
- Data collection by line ministries, other public sector partners and the private sector remains uncoordinated.
- Poor data administration and management tools

Through this programme, UNDP aims to continue the support, which began since 2002 in Phase I of this project; to support the establishment of a sustainable National Monitoring and Evaluation System and strengthen national statistical institutional capacities and promote evidence-based policy making in Lesotho.


Broad Project Goals and Outputs
The programme intends to provide selective strategic support and facilitation for effective implementation and monitoring of national level processes including the Poverty Reduction Strategy, National Vision 2020, Monitoring Systems, Public Expenditure Reviews and the Socio-economic Database through the following components:

1 Improved effectiveness in implementation and monitoring of the development agenda including the Poverty Reduction Strategies:

1.1. Supporting effective Operationalisation of the National Monitoring and Evaluation System and dissemination of the results;
1.2. Establishing integrated Socio-economic and Geographical Information Database System from local to national level;

2 Support to the establishment of Baseline Data and Review and Operationalisation of Integrated Household Based Surveys within the context of the Poverty Reduction Strategies:

2.1 Supporting the launching of the 1994/95 2002/03 Household Budget Survey Report and country -wide dissemination of the results;

2.2 Support the formulation and operationalisation of the National Strategies for Development Statistics of the Bureau of Statistics;

3 Formulation and coordination of a joint UN project support towards enhancement of the statistical system and operationalisation of a sustainable monitoring of PRS implementation and MDGs.

4 Support provided to the process of reporting progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, and other national indicators and targets, within the context of the National Vision and PRS implementation

Key Project Activities
- Support the BoS to develop NSDS for 2007 - 2012
- Develop data storage and archival system at the BoS; the Focal Unit for National Monitoring and Evaluation System ; and in key line ministries
- Popularize PPA findings for policy makers, educational institutions and the media
- Disseminate and carry out DevInfo data base user interface trainings Country-wide within key government institutions, the UN agencies and learning institutions
- Produce Annual Progress Report on development interventions

 

Contact

Ms Victoria Diarra
Victoria.diarra@undp.org