Strengthening Urban Observatory And Statistical Systems For Urban Evident-Based Development And Planning Policies In Vietnam

The proposed project is designed to focus on the followings:<?xml:namespace>

(i)               Improvement of quality of urban statistical information and data, especially on those regarding urban inhabitants with focus on gender issues, infrastructure development, basic services, housing profile, land use, migration, pollution, and environment etc. 

(ii)             Enhancing capacity of GSO and UDA's officers and statisticians to coordinate among government planning professionals, policy makers, researchers for analyzing and making use of urban statistical data and information for evidence-based planning frameworks, monitoring and evaluation, and socio-economic development strategies and policies.

Over the recent past, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in close cooperation with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank (WB) has provided MPI through Government Statistical Office (GSO) with technical support for the formulation of the Vietnam Statistics Development Strategy (VSDS) for the period 2011-2020 and a Vision 2030. UNFPA has also provided GSO with support for capacity building to GSO's statisticians to conducting the national-wide 2009 Census on Population and Housing, and conducted the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) in close cooperation with United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

In the period 2012 - 2016, UNFPA will continue to provide technical support in the production and dissemination of quality population data that will be used for policy researches and studies, planning, monitoring and evaluation of social and population strategies mainly at the national and regional levels, as well as assessing the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) committed to by the Government of Viet Nam. Almost all of technical support to date primarily focuses on population variables and the socio-economic sector in general. As the result, there is still a lack of statistical data and information that are in great need for urban development planning and long-term city socio-economic development strategies (CDS).

 UNFPA is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.

With its rich experience in providing support for countries on population and development, UNFPA is an important partner providing technical assistance to MPI (through GSO) in producing and disseminating population statistics information and data for evidence based policy development and monitoring of the implementation of socio-economic development plans.

Engaging in this project, UNFPA can provide statisticians and selected officers of MPI and government agencies at different levels with technical support to build capacity and skills in producing and publishing data of national surveys as well as studies on specific emerging issues, sharing international experience, analyzing policies, improving capacity in monitoring policy implementation towards the implementation of Plan of Actions of International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and MDGs.

UNFPA's comparative advantages are compatible with the action plans of GSO implementing VSDS 2011-2020; integrating population dynamics into development planning, and study on impact of the relationship between population and development to provide evidence for the development, implementation and monitoring of the National Socio-Economic Development Strategy 2011-2020 at national and local levels. In the years to come, UNFPA plans to continue providing technical support for integrating population variables into socio-economic development plans.

With the profession in various areas of statistical work, including the training programmes for statisticians at different levels, UNFPA have and continue making a significant contribution to strengthening the statistical system for population variables. It would also benefit UN-Habitat for strengthening urban statistical data and information through making use of the established system and more skillful human resources through working in partnership with UNFPA for the project on “Support for the implementation of the Vietnam Statistical Development Strategy in the period 2011-2020

It will be therefore strategic to provide MPI through GSO with technical support in coordination with UNFPA as it would basically enable UN-Habitat to make best use of the cadre of statisticians who have been and being trained by UNFPA under the 5-year project jointly supported by UN-Habitat and UNFPA, and the statistical systems already set up and operating for several years. More importantly, when being a part of the national statistics systems, urban statistics data and information will formally have the legal effect that would be in great need for government policy makers and planning professionals as they need for formalized sources of data and information.     

In consideration of the limited amount each UN agency may apply for from the One Plan Fund for September 2012 allocation round, this proposed proposal is developed to cover the first year's planned activities of the 5-year Project 2012 – 2016 entitled “Support for the implementation of the Vietnam Statistics Development Strategy in the period 2011-2020 and utilization of population information in development planning and programming” jointly developed by UN-Habitat and UNFPA and has been formally approved by the Government of Vietnam under ONE PLAN 2012 – 2016 (reference to Annex 3- Official Letter No. 1026/TTg-QHQT dated 19 July 2012 of the Prime Minister to approve the project).

To focus on strengthening urban observatory and statistical systems, UN-Habitat's one-year project falls under ONE PLAN Focus Area 1, Output 1.1.1: “Strengthened capacities of data producers, providers and users for evidence-based socio-economic development planning and decision-making”.

The rationale for UN-Habitat to provide MPI with support in which GSO (under MPI) as the National Implementing Partner (NIP), and the Urban Development Agency (under Ministry of Construction) as the Co-implementing Partner (CIP) is based on the followings:

(i)               The ever-growing need for improved quality information and data for urban planning, developing policies and investments, and monitoring and evaluation;

(ii)             At the institutional level: it is the roles and responsibilities of MPI/GSO as the lead government agency in collecting statistical data and information, and coordinating with relevant sectors and ministries to integrate respective objectives and indicators into the national annual and five-year socio-economic development plans while the urban development sector is in the roles and mandate of the Urban Development Agency (UDA);

(iii)           At the policy level: by end of the successful project implementation, the project will positively support the on-going perfection of the statistics systems to support the reform process of evidence-based urban planning frameworks. A more evidence-based and multi-sector planning process will, in turn, fill out deficiencies in the current urban planning approach that often does not factor the value and force of market dynamics, and functional on the assumption that a state can plan and induce development.