NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR DEVELOPMENT OF
                                                                                                 STATISTICS IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT PROJECT




                                                                                                                                   RELIABLE DATA
                                                                                                                                    FOR BETTER
                                                                                                                                      PLANNING


                                                   APPROVAL DATE:           END DATE:            TOTAL COMMITMENT:                IMPLEMENTING AGENCIES:
        BASIC
        INFORMATION
                                                   March 22                 February 28          $15 million                      Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics
                                                   2018                     2022

     OVERVIEW
     Quality statistics are necessary for development and poverty reduction efforts. They provide evidence for policy decisions. Recognizing the importance of timely and quality
     statistics in policy decisions, the Government of Bangladesh approved the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) in 2013, together with the Statistics
     Act 2013, that envisages an “integrated, professional, efficient, and effective National Statistics System, under the guidance and leadership of the Bangladesh Bureau of
     Statistics (BBS) and to produce official statistics that meet the current and evolving needs of national and international users in a transparent and timely fashion using
     international standards.”

     The NSDS Implementation Support Project will support the implementation of key elements of the NSDS strategy. It will help improve the capacity of Bangladesh Bureau of
     Statistics (BBS) to produce and disseminate quality statistics in a timely manner.



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CHALLENGE                                                                                                                       TOWARDS THE FUTURE
Bangladesh needs to strengthen the National Statistical System to produce quality core statistics and make them                 The project has started implementation.
accessible in a timely manner by building the capacity of BBS. This requires acting on three levels: first, there is a need
for an enabling environment where the statistical system has the necessary legal and institutional support to conduct
its business. This entails updating statistical legislation, policies and institutional arrangements. Second, it is key to
improve BBS’s organization and the production of statistics by strengthening management systems, improving human
and ICT resources, and the statistical infrastructure. Finally, it is important to focus on strengthening user-producer
dialogue so that statistics are used, and users’ feedback is incorporated in the production cycle or make statistical
production more user-centric.




APPROACH
The project acts on the three levels of interventions mentioned above and are
closely related and should be implemented in a synchronized and well-
sequenced way. The project aims to overcome key bottlenecks and build
the foundation for future investments contemplated under the NSDS
strategy. It will enhance coverage and improve collection and quality
of data for core statistics, including, national accounts and statistics
on price, labor, industry, social sectors, and agriculture. Where
applicable, it will also produce gender-disaggregated data. The
project will build on the progress made in some reform areas of
the NSDS.




    EXPECTED RESULTS

Core statistics produced by BBS are                               Core statistics                    Core surveys’ microdata is             Increased user
improved in line with international standards                     released on schedule               anonymized and made accessible         satisfaction with BBS

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