WORLD STATISTICS DAY
We live in a society of statistics and statistics live in society! The world is full of statistics, which can be used to connect the world. It is, therefore, important for all statistics stakeholders to work together to ensure that statistics plays its im
Introduction
It is an honour and privilege to have this opportunity to give my personal refection on the World Statistics Day, which is today the 20th of October 2020. The main purpose of the day is to show that good data and statistics are indispensable for informed decision-making by all actors in society. Through numbers and other quantitative information, statistics helps us understand our societies and the world as a whole a little bit better than without them. In our daily lives we produce and use some amount of data and statistics that assist us solve a number of problems that we encounter as individuals and society.
Historical Background
International days are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilise political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate achievements made on a number of issues. The 1st World Statistics Day was celebrated on 20th October 2010 with the theme “Service, professionalism, integrity: celebrating the many contributions and achievements of official statistics”. On 3rd June 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 69/282, in which it designated 20th October 2015 as the 2nd World Statistics Day and decided to celebrate the Day every five years on 20th October. The second World Statistics Day’s was celebrated under the theme "Better data, better lives". Acknowledging that the production of reliable, timely statistics and indicators of countries’ progress is indispensable for informed policy decisions and monitoring implementation of the then Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). the General Assembly adopted resolution 64/267 on 3rd June 2010 and officially designated 20th October 2010 as the first ever World Statistics Day.
Reflection on the Theme
This 3rd World Statistics Day will be celebrated around the globe today the 20th October 2020 under the theme “Connecting the world with data we can trust”. This theme reflects on the importance of trust, authoritative data, innovation and the public good in national statistical systems. The world uses data to address common challenges. For example, data to support our decisions on the COVID-19 pandemic is required to formulate appropriate interventions for dealing with the problem. This day can, therefore, be used to profile the role of statistics in many areas of human endeavour.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. António Guterres made a very important message for this day when he said “As the United Nations marks its seventy-fifth anniversary and the world deploys data to face a common challenge, let us use World Statistics Day to spotlight the role of statistics in advancing sustainable development for all”. He emphasised that "current, reliable, timely and trusted data are necessary to understand the changing world in which we live.” He also noted that “the unprecedented Coronavirus pandemic has elevated the importance of data and statistics, and demonstrated how linking data to geospatial information can help us to track the dynamics of a rapidly changing global situation.”
Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS)
These are nationally-representative household surveys, normally conducted at five-year intervals, that provide data for a wide range of monitoring and impact evaluation indicators in the areas of population, health, and nutrition. They are used in this article because they contribute to the theme of Connecting the world with data we can trust as survey follow well-defined methodology that meet international statistical standards. Comparisons can be made within the country and across a number of countries in the world. In building trust in these surveys, DHS methodology is clearly elaborated and the surveys use a combination of standardised survey instruments such as Questionnaires; Biomarkers; Geographic Information. This assists in ensuring integrity in the data collected and therefore build confidence and trust among the users.
The Government of the Republic of Zambia, through the Zambia Statistics Agency and the Ministry of Health together with its cooperating partners, conducted the 2018 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey (ZSA, 2019). This was the sixth in a series of Demographic and Health Surveys in Zambia. Previous surveys were conducted in 1992, 1996, 2001-
02, 2007, and
2013-14. The primary objective of the
2018 ZDHS was to provide up- to
date estimates of basic demographic and health indicators (ZDHS, 2018). Health issues that are relevant to the achievement of the SDGs were captured. Some of the key results from the report were that in Zambia, 72% of households have access to an improved water source; The contraceptive prevalence rate among currently married women age 15-49 is 50%; and Total demand for family planning among currently married women increased from 45% in 1992 to 69% in 2018.
Official Statistics
The current statistics legal framework in Zambia particularly the Statistics Act No. 13 of 2018, makes an effort to build trust in the data and statistics by providing for the production and compilation of official statistics in a transparent and impartial manner and giving effect to the United Nations Fundamental Principles
of Official Statistics and Principles of the African Charter on Statistics. Under the charter, statistical information is identified as being vital for decision-making by all components of the society, particularly policy-makers as well as economic and social players, and is therefore essential for the continent’s integration and sustainable development. Official statistics are part of use of evidence in the public sphere required for both those who deliver the statisti
cal services and those who use them (Pullinger, 2020).
One of the Ten Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics is to retain trust in official statistics, the statistical agencies need to decide according to strictly professional considerations, including scientific principles and professional ethics, on the methods and procedures for the collection, processing, storage and presentation of statistical data. Reliable statistics in all fields of political, social, economic and cultural activity is recommended for the monitoring of the implementation of the ongoing integration process in the continent on which African States embarked several years back. This will make it possible for the process to achieve its objectives and for its outcomes to be assessed (AUC, 2009). It is always important to have high-quality data and statistics. RSS (2017) emphasises that trust in official statistics is fundamental to proper functioning of our democracy in order to know whether Governments are actually delivering what
they say.
Conclusion
We live in a society of statistics and statistics live in society! The world is full of statistics, which can be used to connect the world. It is, therefore, important for all statistics stakeholders to work together to ensure that statistics plays its important role in society. I say: Happy 2020 World Statistics Day!