LAUSR

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in serious and prolonged disruptions to the National Statistical Systems worldwide, both in developing and developed countries. The pandemic’s pervasive impacts, which have affected almost every part of our communities, continue to unfold, leaving profound marks on financing for development data and statistics that are expected to last for several years after the pandemic has ended. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, financing for development data and statistics was already in a critical condition The global response to the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic were unprecedented. COVID-19 brought more importance to data to respond quickly to its impact and greater amount of current data are re-used in a more productive response manner where relevant tools for data collection are being developed. Huge volumes of data are pledged, committed and mobilized by various national and international organizations through a variety of funding instruments; however, an accurate and comprehensive understanding of the extent and detail of the response is difficult. Data on these activities are collected through a variety of systems for different purposes and different ways of describing financial flows that may operate over different time frames. Development data and statistics are critical for policy making and planning and for monitoring and measuring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and it’s even more relevant now after the COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve the SDGs goals as initial expected, even more and better-targeted funding is needed for National Statistical Systems (NSS) to produce accurate; timely; and relevant data to make policies and develop critical strategies; especially, in developing countries where statistical systems are often under-resourced and Palestine was no exception. The Dubai Declaration, announced at the UN World Data Forum in 2018 and endorsed by the UN Statistical Commission at its 50th session in March 2019, calls for the establishment of a funding mechanism to mobilize domestic and international funds to strengthen the capacity of national data and statistical systems. The Dubai Declaration recognizes that innovative funding strategies are critical for successful implementation of the CTGAP. Moreover, the Cape Town Global Action Plan for Sustainable Development Data (CTGAP), adopted by the UN Statistical Commission and welcomed by the UN General Assembly in 2017, identifies strategic areas that need strengthening and serves as a framework for investment. For this purpose, the Bern Network which