Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) are facing “numerous difficulties” in collecting data to track their progress in terms of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), an official of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.
In a presentation at the Fourth Asean Statistical Forum on Thursday, PSA Assistant National Statistician Wilma A. Guillen said Asean member-states are able to collect data on some 31 percent of SDG indicators.
Data were collected from all Asean members except Lao PDR and covered 133 indicators, including sub-indicators. Around 46 indicators and sub-indicators were submitted in the first round and 87 submitted in the second round of submission.
“At least four Asean members are able to regularly submit the indicators,” Guillen said. “There is a need to align 63 priority SDG indicators into the AEC [Asean Economic Community] and the ASCC [Asean Socio-Cultural Community] Sectoral KPIs [Key Performance Indicators]. Once finalized [these will be used] for measuring the progress of the Asean community.”
Guillen said challenges encountered by Asean countries include non-applicability of SDG indicators. For instance, the poverty indicator is not applicable for both Brunei Darussalam and Singapore.
Another example is data in the Red List Index, which tracks the animals that are already facing the threat of extinction. This is not applicable to Singapore.
For countries like the Philippines, the challenge includes the non-availability of annual data for certain indicators. This is because censuses or surveys are conducted periodically, such as every 10 years.
Other challenges, Guillen said, include the difficulty of collecting indicators from other ministries, data sensitivity issues and a long process of data clearance to be submitted.
These will be addressed through a multiyear workplan for 2020 to 2030 crafted by the Asean Working Group-SDG Indicators. The workplan includes efforts to harmonize SDG data and implement capacity-building efforts in Asean member-states and AseanStats on SDG data production and dissemination.
The workplan also aims to improve data dissemination and reporting through an online Asean SDG indicators database portal which will be publicly available by September 2020.
She added that the workplan includes strengthening the AseanStats and statistical expertise of Asean countries. It will seek to coordinate and facilitate IT know-how via international/regional trainings or seminars related to SDG implementation monitoring.
“(The workplan aims to) explore the use of administrative records, big data, small area estimations, statistical modeling towards improving the availability of Asean priority SDG indicators,” Guillen said.
The SDGs aim to end poverty and hunger, promote universal health, education for all and lifelong learning, achieve gender equality, sustainable water management, ensure sustainable energy for all, decent work for all, resilient infrastructure, and reduce income inequality between and among countries.