Tangier, Morocco – June 26, 2023 – The Specialized Technical Group on Demography, Migration, Health, Human Development, Social Protection, and Gender (STG-Social) held its first hybrid meeting from June 24-26, 2023, in Tangier, Morocco. This meeting brought together 30 African Union (AU) Member States online and on-site, to discuss and validate the Terms of Reference (ToRs) for the STG, share experiences on Poverty Measurement, Gender Statistics, and Migration Statistics, and establish a roadmap for the development of African methodologies on gender statistics, migration statistics and poverty measurement.
The establishment of the STG is a significant step in implementing the Second Strategy for the Harmonization of Statistics in Africa (SHaSA 2), which was adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in January 2018. The STGs serve as a platform for accelerating the production and harmonization of statistics in Africa to support the planning, monitoring, and evaluation of Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030.Its objective is to support the African Union in planning, monitoring, and evaluating the AU Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by providing robust statistical frameworks in the areas of demography, migration, health, human development, social protection, and gender.
Gender statistics remain a critical aspect of the African Union's efforts to promote gender equality and women's empowerment. While progress has been made, the availability and quality of gender statistics in Africa still require improvement. The STG will work towards increasing the availability and quality of gender statistics, building the capacity of national statistical offices in Africa, and promoting the use of gender statistics by policymakers and decision-makers.
Poverty measurement is another vital component addressed by the STG. Poverty reduction is a key pillar of the AU's Agenda 2063, aiming to eradicate extreme poverty by 2063 and reduce inequality within and between countries. The STG will address challenges related to the lack of available data, resources, and capacity in measuring poverty effectively. Through improved poverty measurement, the STG aims to support the design and implementation of more targeted and effective poverty reduction policies.
The meeting has been attended by Statistics Experts from the National Statistics Offices of the 30 participating African Union Member Statesnamely: Burundi, Burkina-Faso, Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, the Gambia, Guinea, Kenya, Libya, Malawi, Mauritius, Somalia, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia and Tanzania, (ii) representatives from AUC, STATAFRIC and Regional Economic Communities: AMU, EAC, IGAD, ECCAS and ECOWAS. The meeting was also attended by representatives from international organizations and independent consultant: World Bank, AfDB, IOM-GMDAC, UNWOMEN, and Statistics Sweden.
The STG-Social concluded the meeting with the following recommendations :
- Adoption of the Terms of references of the Specialized Technical Group on Demography, Migration, Health, Human Development, Social Protection and Gender (STG-Social) with the proposed Amendments to be submitted to the CoDGs;
- Request AUC to conduct an advocacy on the importance of Statistics on Poverty, Gender and Migration during the various Conferences for, Policy makers, Ministers and the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union for improved resource allocation to statistical activities;
- Request AUC to organize training/Workshops for both producers and users of data on Poverty Measurement, Gender Statistics and Migration Statistics;
- Request AUC to develop the three guidelines on Poverty Measurement, Gender and Migrationusing a participatory approach for its development;
- Request AUC to organize a meeting on Specialized Technical Group on Demography, Migration, Health, Human Development, Social Protection and Gender (STG-Social) before end of 2023 to validate the three Guidelines on Poverty Measurement, Gender and Migration before adoption by the CoDG;
- Request AUC to conduct a mapping and develop a minimum list of indicators to be included in census and other surveys on Migration and Health as well as migration and climate change;
- Call upon the AUC to conduct an assessment and develop a better methodology for collecting data from big data sources including administrative data sources;
- Invite the AUC to Fastrack the Harmonization of concepts, definitions, tools, standards, and methodologies to improve comparability of data;
- Request the Members of the STG to carry an advocacy and sensitization for the implementation of the Assembly decision on the allocation of 0.15 percent of the national budget to the development of statistics;
- Request AUC to create a knowledge sharing platform for the members of the STG.
The African Union Institute for Statistics (STATAFRIC), a key partner in improving the availability, quality, and use of gender statistics in Africa, will continue to support the STG's efforts to promote evidence-based decision-making and advance gender equality and women's empowerment on the continent.
To download the presentations delivered during the three-day meeting, click here
For media inquiries and further information, please contact:
Mrs. Leila Ben Ali
Ag. Executive Director, African Union Institute for Statistics (STATAFRIC)
Mr Samson Bel-Aube Nougbodohoue
Statistician, African Union Institute for Statistics (STATAFRIC)
