Role of official statistics in situations of conflict and post-conflict

Abstract

The formal adoption of the ten Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, 10FP, represents an important milestone in the process of empowering official statistics, and a turning point in the perception of the role of official statistics in the ultimate service of an informed citizenry. Indeed, the last decade of statistical development could be characterized as a persistent groundbreaking in the commitments, and extended measurement responsibilities, increasingly taken on by official statistics. During the decade, a multitude of indicators have been developed for monitoring progress in alleviating human suffering, culminating in the current efforts to establish a framework for measuring human rights and good governance within the mandate of official statistics. The proactive role assumed by official statistics since then has lead to evolving the statistical function from a mere government owned function concerned mainly with satisfying the needs of governments, to a tool for measuring government performance and impact of policies on development and use of resources in a framework for the empowerment of citizens to become an informed citizenry. The proactive role has contributed to strengthening its “democratic” role and given an impetus to have statistics considered as a very important State function. Systematic data collection and dissemination of relevant indicators of performance will eventually determine the degree of involvement of donor countries, regional commissions, and international agencies in official development assistance. This may leave developing countries no choice but to pay more attention to the role of official statistics in these countries, and to the investments required to maintain a statistical function capable of a minimum data flow for monitoring impact of various interventions and progress in achieving goals of various global summits. The challenge of maintaining a statistical function with minimum relevance is much greater, however, in situations of internal conflicts, wars, and military occupations, and in the immediate aftermath of these situations. While statistical development in normal situations is influenced mainly by the dynamics of national development planning and international strivings for various goals, statistical development in situations of conflict or post conflict is influenced mainly by strivings for national survival and preservation, empowerment and nationhood, and for qualification for membership in the international community of nations by meeting various obligations to report on the status of the emerging nation relative to various international goals and declarations. In each of these situations key issues relating to the process and substance of the statistical function are worthy topics for discussion by the international community of statisticians for the sake of better understanding and for enhanced intervention in the framework of partnership and cooperation.