26 April 2023, Hangzhou, China. Tremendous amounts of data generated every day represent significant opportunities for National Statistical Systems (NSS) to improve the timeliness, granularity and quality of information about our societies. Yet, many NSOs, particularly in developing countries, struggle to ensure they have sufficient staff with relevant competencies to harness these opportunities or at times even to produce basic statistics. Building sustainable statistical programs at the national level can help strengthen the capacities of staff of the NSOs and NSS over the short, medium and long term to achieve their priorities. This is also crucial for ensuring consistency and effectiveness in human resource investments, and can draw on a mix of globally available e-learning and nationally tailored training solutions. Finding relevant e-learning, however, may not always be easy due to a multitude of providers.
Recognizing this challenge, the Global Network of Institutions for Statistical Training (GIST) and UNITAR organized a learning session entitled “(LEARN.318) Learning and teaching official statistics with the help of UN SDG:Learn” on 26 April 2023 as part of the 2023 World Data Forum (2023 WDF) held in Hangzhou, China.
Since 2020, the UNSDG:Learn Statistics gateway has been providing a one-stop-shop for learning and training on official statistics from GIST members and other organizations. In addition, the Inter-Agency Expert Group on SDG indicators (IAEG-SDGs) decided in 2022 that the UN SDG:Learn Statistics platform should be a go-to place for all training and learning on SDG indicators from custodian agencies and other organizations. There are examples of countries that have been leveraging UNSDG:Learn already to ensure sustainable access to relevant statistical training for their staff.
One of the examples of countries that have deployed comprehensive statistical training is Morocco. Mr. Samir ISSARA, Director of Human Resources and General Affairs, High Commission for Planning of Morocco (HCP), explained how they use the UN SDG:Learn Statistics to complement national statistical training offering for Morocco’s NSO. This was done as HCP looked to bridge the training gap in the area of statistics and data collection relevant for monitoring of national priorities and SDGs. More specifically, HCP mapped relevant learning on the UN SDG:Learn Statistics and then featured it on the HCP Academy platform alongside MOOCs, webinars, learning videos and face-to-face training from HCP and other providers. This way HCP was able to have all learning in one place, monitor the progress of employees and provide a personalized training path according to the employees’ needs and functions. HCP is also interested in diversifying the language options, particularly, providing more learning in French and Arabic. As an active GIST Stakeholder Advisory Group member, Morocco has asked GIST to also look into options for translating more materials and has agreed to contribute to the work of the new language group set up by GIST.