Background Information:
Recognition of the centrality of gender equality to social and economic development has led to an increase in the demand for gender statistics and indicators for monitoring and planning. Although considerable effort and resources have been invested towards the development of gender statistics worldwide, significant gaps remain. In particular, there are still many critical areas of concern for gender equality for which little or no gender statistics exist. Moreover, while many activities are being conducted towards improving gender statistics, their regular production and use have yet to be institutionalized at the national, regional and global levels. |
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In 2007, at the Global Forum on Gender Statistics held in Rome, Italy , the United Nations Statistics Division, collaboratively with other UN Agencies, including UNFPA, DAW, and UNECE, launched a Global Programme on Gender Statistics. The Programme seeks to promote advances in gender statistics through improved collaboration among stakeholders and greater coherence in the development and implementation of activities. Also, to promote greater collaboration among international agencies and national statistical systems, the organizers of the forum established an Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Gender Statistics (IAEG-GS). The IAEG-GS brings together representatives of National Statistical Offices, the United Nations system and development partners, to review progress and provide guidance on future activities geared at advancing gender statistics.
The 2007 Forum reviewed technical developments in the incorporation of a gender perspective in the three primary sources of national official statistics –census, surveys and administrative records. Immediately following the Forum, on 13 December 2007, the IAEG-GS held its first annual meeting to review the Global Gender Statistics Programme and propose future activities. The IAEG-GS recommended the organization of a second Global Forum on Gender Statistics and the establishment of two sub-groups to provide guidance on the development of training curricula and programmes on gender statistics and the creation of a global database on gender statistics and indicators.
Purpose:
The 2009 Global Forum is the second of a series of international meetings on gender statistics to be held annually with the purpose of promoting the advancement of gender statistics among decision makers and all other user groups. The 2009 Forum will serve to solidify the momentum gained with the launch in December 2007 of the Global Gender Statistics Programme and the IAEG-GS. In addition the 2009 Forum will review best practices in the incorporation of a gender perspective in national statistical systems and in the measurement of women’s participation in and contributions to the economy. During the Forum, national-level experiences on integrating gender into census data collection and analysis will also be presented. The forum will therefore be an opportunity for strengthening countries’ capacities in producing gender statistics, which necessitate collecting gender sensitive data. The Forum will also serve to highlight the need for statistics to respond to requirements for monitoring progress towards the attainment of gender equity goals and targets, including the Millennium Development Goals, PRSPs, Beijing Platform for Action and CEDAW. Furthermore, the IAEG-GS will hold its annual meeting in conjunction with the Forum to review the work of the advisory groups and propose future actions.
Venue - Dates
International Conference Center, Accra, Ghana
2009 Global Forum on Gender Statistics: 26th-28th January, 2009
2009 Meeting of the IAEG-GS and Advisory Groups: 29th January, 2009
Sponsors:
Ghana Statisticial Service (GSS)
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
The World Bank
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD)
African Development Bank (ADB)
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