DCS launches online database for monitoring millennium development
goals
Dr. Amara Satharasinghe
MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS: In an unprecedented demonstration of
political commitment, the largest ever gathering of heads of states and
governments signed the Millennium Declaration in 2000.
By subscribing to the Millennium Declaration, Sri Lanka and all other
United Nations member-states have agreed to do all they can to reduce
poverty, improve health, and promote peace, human rights, and
environmental sustainability.
The Millennium Declaration, the millennium development goals, or MDGs,
stipulate quantitative reductions in the various dimensions of human
poverty - ranging from hunger, disease and illiteracy to gender
discrimination and environmental degradation. These reductions are to be
achieved over a 15-year period, between 1990 and 2015.
The targets set in the MDGs were agreed unanimously by 189 countries
in 2000 and since then they have become the centre of the national,
regional and international development agenda. The member-states
committed to achieve MDGs and targets by 2015.
There are eight MDGs with 18 targets. The implementation of the MDGs
can be monitored in quantitative terms and much of the attention given
to the MDGs comes from the power of quantification. For a regular
monitoring of MDG at world level, there is a framework of 48 indicators.
These 48 indicators are being used to report the status of
implementation of MDGs at global level.
The Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) has been entrusted with
compilation and dissemination of MDG indicators. From regular
statistical activities, Department compiles 23 MDG indicators. Several
initiatives have been taken to compile the other MDG indicators relevant
to Sri Lanka, as well.
Sri Lanka is potentially on tract on most of the indicators, which
underlines the successive government’s commitment to helping the poor.
Among the key achievements are access to safe drinking water, equitable
primary education, literacy, child and maternal health.
A significant achievement is that there is no gender disparity in
these achievements. However, there remain considerable challenges. The
critical challenge is that 23% of Sri Lanka’s population is still living
below the national poverty line. In other words one fifth of the Sri
Lanka population is poor.
There is a growing demand for data and information for effective
monitoring and evaluation of millennium development goals in Sri Lanka.
In order to ensure these targets are met, resources should be used in
the most effective and efficient way possible. This calls for accurate
and timely data and information. Reliable information will help policy
makers to adjust the strategies and to make them ever more effective and
efficient.
Department disseminates MDG data and information in number of ways.
It has already released two national reports titled “Selected Millennium
Development Goals Indicators - 2005” and “Millennium Development Goals
in Sri Lanka - A Statistical Review; 2006”. These publications presents
the 23 indicators that the Department has compiled for two years: one of
the 1990 decade and another for the 2000 decade.
Trends and patterns revealed by these indicators are presented by
simple Tables, Charts and Maps. Conducting seminars, publishing news
articles through the media are some other dissemination systems and
mechanisms.
One of the main steps required to monitor MDG is the establishment of
national repositories of data where statistics are presented and
disseminated with the objective of quantifying the progress achieved
throughout the years.
Establishment of national MDG databases is an essential component for
an evidence-based policy making, and this database should be easily
accessible to all the stakeholders and that the value of statistics in
monitoring development goals is fully understood by all users.
Another important element of the Data and Information disseminating
system on MDGs of the Department of Census and Statistics is the Sri
Lanka MDGInfo Database. MDGInfo has been adapted from DevInfo software
developed by the United Nations.
This database aims to provide easy, user-friendly access to data on
the 23 MDG indicators disagregated by sex, sector and district, that
have already been released by the Department.
MDGInfo will serve as the repository for MDG indicators generated by
the Department of Census and Statistics and it will serve for data entry
and storage of data, query the data and present information in a
user-friendly way through graphs, tables and maps.
The Department of Census and Statistics officially launched the
MDGInfo Database last year to create a common database for easy storage,
retrieval and presentation of data.
The software tools of this database can be widely shared and used by
institutions and individuals at different levels of administration. The
MDGInfo Database will be used as a tool in the presentation of the
status and trends of MDG indicators.
The national and district administration in general could clearly
benefit from the format (e.g. graphs, tables, mpas) that can facilitate
planning and policy discussions. The database will be expanded gradually
to contain data on all MDG indicators relevant to Sri Lanka.
The MDGInfor database is presently available on CD-ROM and was made
available on the worldwide web from June 11, 2007. This database can be
accessed through the website of the Department of Census and Statistics:
www.statistics.gov.lk. On the home page of the website there is a link
to access this database.
When using for the first time, user will have to create his/her own
username and password after accessing the home page of the website. User
has to provide an e-mail address to create his/her username and
password. Later these username and password can be used to access the
databsed at any time from anywhere through the Internet.
The online version of the database will allow easy access through the
Internet by a wide range of stakeholders and continuous updating of the
database.
MDGInfo can be used to provide user-friendly presentations of data,
through table, graph and map options. These presentation materials can
be saved in this online database for future use. It is an ideal tool to
facilitate the use of data by policy makers.
The writer is Deputy Director, Department of Census and Statistics
Selected Millennium Development Indicators for Sri Lanka
Number and Indicator Value and Year
1-A. Poverty headcount ratio (percentage of
population below the national poverty line) 26.1 (1990/91) 22.7 (2002)
2. Poverty gap ratio (incidence x depth of
poverty) `` 5.6 (1990/91) 5.1 (2002)
3. Share of poorest quintile in national
consumption 8.9 (1990/91) 7.0 (2002)
4. Prevalence of underweight children
under 5 years of age 37.7 (1993) 29.4 (2000)
5. Proportion of the population below
minimum level of dietary energy
consumption 50.9 (1990/91) 51.3 (2002)
6. Net enrolment ratio in primary
education
6 - 10 years 95.7 (1996) 96.3 (2002)
11 - 14 93.8 (1996) 96.3 (2002)
7. Proportion of pupils starting grade
1 who reach grade 5 68.1 (1990) 95.6 (2002)
8. Literacy rate of 15-24 year-olds 95.6 (2001)
9. Ratio of girls to boys in primary,
secondary and tertiary education
Primary (6-10 yrs.) 94.2 (1996) 94.6 (2002)
Junior secondary (11-14 yrs) 1.2 (1996) 94.8 (2002)
Senior secondary (15-19 yrs) 07.7 (1996) 101.8 2002)
Tertiary (20-24 yrs) 75.4 (1996) 113.8 2002)
10. Ratio of literate women to men, 15-24 years old 100.9 (2001)
11. Share of women in wage employment in
the non-agricultural sector 32.8 (2001)
13. Child mortality rate 22.2 (1991) 13.5 (2002)
14. Infant mortality rate 17.7 (1991) 11.2 (2002)
15. Proportion of 1-year-old children
immunized against measles 95.5 (1993) 94.2 (2000)
16. Maternal mortality ratio 42.3 (1991) 27.5 (2002)
17. Proportion of births attended by
skilled health personnel 94.1 (1993) 96.0 (2000)
19. Condom use rate of the contraceptive
prevalence rate 5.0 (1993) 5.3 (2000)
19c Contraceptive prevalence rate 66.1 (1993) 70.0 (2000)
29. Proportion of the population using
solid fuels 80.3 (2001)
30. Proportion of population with
sustainable access to an improved water
sources, urban, rural and estate 82.0 (2001)
31. Proportion of population with access to
improved sanitation, urban and rural 67.5 (2001)
45. Unemployment rate of young people aged
15-24 years, each sex and tota 31.6 (1996) 27.9 (2002)
48. Personal computers in use per 100
population 3.8 (2004)
48b. Internet users per 100 population 2.8 (2004)
Sources: Selected Millennium Development Goals Indicators - 2005,
Department of Census and Statistics. |
