Rationale

Rationale

Measuring and monitoring development outcomes require timely, reliable, comparable, relevant, and accessible survey data. But in many developing countries, survey programs rarely provide the necessary flow of this type of data. The timing of national surveys is still rarely optimal, data collection programs lack methodological consistency, and existing data often remain largely unexploited. The ADP supports data producers and users in developing countries by helping them make better use of existing data and aligning survey programs and statistical outputs to priority data needs. The ADP is focused on sample household surveys, which provide estimates of many key outcome indicators, as well as data needed for research and impact evaluation. The ADP is increasingly focusing on other type of unit-level data, including censuses and administrative data. The ADP takes advantage of tools and guidelines developed or provided by the International Household Survey Network (IHSN).

Geographic coverage

The ADP is currently supporting agencies in more than 60 countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean. A summary of the activities and results for each of country is available . Participating agencies include data producers like national statistics office and statistical units in line minisitries (i.e., health, agriculture, education, etc.), and non-official data producers like universities, data centers and NGOs. ADP also involves survey data users and favors the feedback loop between data users and producers.

ADP in the global picture of the development agenda

The ADP was launched in 2006 as a recommendation of the Marrakech Action Plan for Statistics (MAPS) to undertake urgent improvements in survey programs for monitoring the Millennium Development Goals. The MAPS was agreed at the Second International Roundtable on Managing for Development Results to support a global partnership for improving development statistics in the following six actions areas:

1. Mainstreaming strategic planning for the development of statistics
2. Preparing for the 2010 round of population censuses
3. Increasing financing for statistics
4. Setting up an International Household Survey Network (IHSN)
5. Improving data for monitoring the Millennium Development Goals
6. Improving the accountability and coordination of the international statistical system

With the high-level endorsement in November 2011 of the Busan Action Plan for Statistics (BAPS), the ADP is addressing the BAPS' second priority (i.e., “promote open access to and use of data”). ADP continues to help in providing policy makers and other stakeholders with better data and analysis for policy design, monitoring, and evaluation.