No two countries will have the same NSDS – form and content depends on factors such as the administrative structure of government, the level of existing statistical capacity, and the resources available to sustain a statistical system. But good NSDSs have some common features:
-
They are part of or consistent with national development policy processes and contexts (e.g. Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers);
-
They have political support and commitment championed by high-level national official(s);
-
They are outcomes of consultation and consensus-building among key stakeholders;
-
They set an agreed vision of what government and other stakeholders expect from the statistical system at a particular point in the future, and provide strategic actions to achieve the goal;
-
They incorporate result-based management principle in their implementation plan;
-
Their values, principles, and technical standards follow international recommendations and experience;
-
They are concerned with the whole national statistical system (NSS) including all data processes (collection, analysis, dissemination and use), all key producers (central statistical office and statistical units of other agencies), and the mechanism for coordination among them;
-
They are demand-focused responding to needs and priorities of the government and the other stakeholders;
-
They are based on the assessment of the current status of the NSS and build on existing activities and processes;
-
They are realistic and prioritized taking into consideration available funds and absorptive capacity;
-
They have a concrete implementation plan with a timetable, deliverables, and a financing plan; and
-
They include a plan to monitor progress and update or adopt the strategy.
