The World Bank Modernizing Production of Statistics in Vietnam Integrated Safeguards Data Sheet Identification / Concept Stage (ISDS) Public Disclosure Copy Concept Stage | Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: 28-Feb-2018 | Report No: ISDSC23678 Feb 28, 2018 Page 1 of 7 The World Bank Modernizing Production of Statistics in Vietnam BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Project ID Project Name Environmental Category Country Modernizing Production of P166158 C - Not Required Vietnam Statistics in Vietnam Team Leader(s) Estimated Date of Approval Managing Unit Financing Instrument Investment Project Obert Pimhidzai GPV02 Financing Public Disclosure Copy Financing (in USD Million) SUMMARY -NewFin1 Total Project Cost 0.00 Total Financing 0.00 Financing Gap 0.00 DETAILS -NewFin2 B. Project Development Objective(s) The overall development objective of this project is to enhance the capacity of the General Statistics Office to adopt advanced methods of data collection and processing. This will be achieved through building a framework and piloting use non-survey data to generate statistics and piloting use of CAPI in major surveys. C. Project Description Project Components The project will consist of three main components as follows: Component 1: Reviewing and updating the Vietnam Statistical Development Strategy 2011-2020 with vision to 2030. The Viet Nam Statistical Development Strategy 2011 - 2020 with vision to 2030 (VSDS) was approved by the Prime Minister in 2011. The mid-term review of the VSDS in 2015 has indicated the need to update the VSDS, thanks to changes in the external and domestic environment. Domestically, the biggest change is on legal environment. In 2015, the new Law on Statistics was approved containing some new regulations on the Feb 28, 2018 Page 2 of 7 The World Bank Modernizing Production of Statistics in Vietnam production and use of statistics. The Law on Statistics 2015 may affect many activities in the current VSDS. Now the GSO now needs to update the VSDS to reflect those changes. Secondly, there are also important changes in the external environment, notably the introduction of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that Vietnam has committed to. The GSO has been actively involved in the development of a statistical indicator system for evaluating the implementation of SDGs and has integrated some SDG indicators into the national statistical indicator system in the Statistics Law 2015. The collection and compilation of SDG indicators will be an important task of Viet Nam statistical system. Therefore, the VSDS needs to be updated with additional activities related to SDGs. This Component will focus on the following main activities (i) update the VSDS 2011-20 to be consistent with the requirements of the new Law of Statistics passed in 2015 and new data requirements for monitoring the SDGs, (ii) update the implementation plan for the updated VSDS and (iii) revise the monitoring and evaluation system of the updated VSDS. Funding from this grant will pay for: Public Disclosure Copy National consultancies to review the impacts of changes in the legal framework and the introduction of SDGs on the VSDS and proposing updates to the VSDS, revise the implementation plan and monitoring and evaluation system for the updated VSDS and developing the proposed framework for the VSDS for the next period 2021-2030 Workshops during consultations for updating the VSDS and developing a framework for the next VSDS 2021- 30 Component 2: Incorporation of administrative data into official national statistics. The project will assist the GSO to comprehensively review the current needs of national statistics, based on both the list of national indicators issued by the Prime Minister in 2010 and the SDG indicators that are developed. The project will review the current use of administrative data in compiling the indicators and will help improve the legal framework and the practice of incorporating administrative data. The project will bring to fruition existing efforts by the GSO towards using administrative data. From August 2016 to April 2017, the GSO received support from UN-ESCAP to develop the software for extracting economic statistics from tax data, while the General Department of Taxation has invested approximately VDN 6 billion in the IT infrastructure for this purpose and a Memorandum of Understanding between the GSO and the General Department of Taxation is already in place (issued on 10 November 2015). The GSO also began working with the Statistics Denmark on the potential for using administrative data in education statistics since Vietnam is planning, developing and implementing IT solutions to manage students and student records. This started with a study visit by the GSO to Denmark, followed up by an initial situation analysis by Statistics Denmark on the potential for using administrative data in education statistics. This culminated in an agreement between the GSO and the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) to collaborate in this area. Feb 28, 2018 Page 3 of 7 The World Bank Modernizing Production of Statistics in Vietnam A central population register currently being designed and implemented in Vietnam offers a “golden opportunity” for shifting certain types of statistics from surveys to administrative records. With advance planning, a consistent use of unique ID’s will allow the GSO to create longitudinal time series in the area of social statistics. In this process record keeping shifts from “paper and pen” to “bits and bytes” that can easily be turned into statistics. This project will build upon the work of the GSO to mainly provide proof of concept in the use of administrative data in generating economic and education statistics. The project will thus finance activities to (i) facilitate inter-agency dialogue to deepen collaboration between the GSO and other government agencies in the use of administrative data to produce statistics through workshops and study visits, (ii) develop frameworks and operation manuals to produce selected statistics using administrative data and (iii) produce pilot statistics using tax, customs and education administrative data. While not exhaustive, the following activities are expected as part of the Component 2: Public Disclosure Copy National consultancy in incorporating tax and custom data obtained by administrative system into the national statistics. International/national consultancy: reviewing experiences in utilizing and incorporating administrative data on education in official statistics and piloting the incorporation of administrative data on education into the national statistics system. Study visit on integrating administrative data into official statistics: A study visit will allow the GSO (and preferably representatives from MOET and other stakeholders) to meet with register authorities, involved line ministries, users of statistics and gain hands on experience with the relevant IT solutions. Technical workshops and dissemination workshops. In implementing this component, the GSO will partner with another statistical agency in a twining arrangement with defined TORs. In addition to building up existing collaboration, the twining arrangements allows the GSO to learn from the models widely seen as best practice models in the use of administrative data combined with data / information sourced from national civil registration authorities, which they have been using from the late 1960s. Component 3: Support the adoption of Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) for surveys This component will finance activities to facilitate the adoption of a CAPI platform for survey data collection by the GSO. This includes running a CAPI pilot of the VHLSS instrument to overlap with implementation of the VHLSS 2018 in the last two quarters of the data collection period. That will allow both to assess the feasibility of using CAPI in a major survey like the VHLSS and to compare the quality of data from the CAPI pilot to the VHLSS data collected using paper and pen, as necessary to benchmark or analyze any incomparability introduced by the use of CAPI. This component will also support a review of the VHLSS to adopt to changing data demands. Without funding for the MICS survey, the GSO is currently reviewing the design and implementation of the VHLSS to incorporate new indicators and improve its implementation. The current VHLSS paper-based questionnaire is considered as too long and time-consuming. Using CAPI would Feb 28, 2018 Page 4 of 7 The World Bank Modernizing Production of Statistics in Vietnam greatly reduce the processing time and improve the accuracy of the data, alongside a careful review of the questionnaire to eliminate redundancies and information that could be produced using administrative data sources supported in the component 2 of this project. The GSO is very enthusiastic about the application of CAPI in the whole VHLSS questionnaire after experimenting with using CAPI as part of an extended module in 2016 VHLSS on Food Away from Home (FAFH) consumption pilot supported by the World Bank. This pilot used the Survey Solutions developed by the World Bank, but other departments have also experimented with different platforms for surveys they run. For example, the Price Statistics Department is using a locally-developed CAPI platform for its monthly price survey while another Department has been using a CSPro version in its survey. Thus, the GSO is looking at CAPI platforms that can be used across the institution for different surveys. The project will therefore finance activities to (i) develop a CAPI platform for use across different surveys, Public Disclosure Copy (ii) piloting data collection using CAPI using the VHLSS instrument and (iii) review the VHLSS questionnaire to meet the country’s data needs. The GSO will pay for the purchase of tablets. While not exhaustive, this project will cover the following expenses: 1. International consultancies to evaluate different platforms for CAPI and provide training and online/offline support to the GSO in using CAPI in the VHLSS; 2. International/national consultancy in reviewing VHLSS sampling and VHLSS questionnaire to fit the needs of SDGs; 3. Additional costs of piloting the use of CAPI in VHLSS in a sample of provinces; 4. Technical workshops and dissemination workshops. SAFEGUARDS D. Project location and salient physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis (if known) The project will finance data collection nationally when piloting data collection of the VHLSS instrument using CAPI. It will also facilitate the use of individual level data already collected by other agencies, in particular the Ministry of Education and Training (education data) and Ministry of Finance (customs and tax data). These data are analyzed and reported at an aggregate level, thus maintaining confidentiality and anonymity of individual responses. By using data collected nationally, the project will necessarily gather data from or concerning vulnerable groups, including ethnic minorities and their communities. This enables closer monitoring of social-economic outcomes among ethnic minorities to assess progress in achieving social inclusion, challenges they face and opportunities to promote development. These are necessary inputs for improving both the design of interventions and policies targeting ethnic minorities, lagging areas and other vulnerable groups. Feb 28, 2018 Page 5 of 7 The World Bank Modernizing Production of Statistics in Vietnam E. Borrower’s Institutional Capacity for Safeguard Policies The project will not trigger any safeguard policies. F. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists on the Team Giang Tam Nguyen, Social Safeguards Specialist Son Van Nguyen, Environmental Safeguards Specialist G. Policies that might apply Safeguard Policies Triggered by the Project Triggered? Explanation (Optional) Public Disclosure Copy The main activities of the grant include: i) reviewing and updating the Vietnam Statistical Development Strategy 2011- 2020 with vision to 2030; ii) incorporation of administrative data into official national Environmental Assessment OP/BP 4.01 No statistics; and iii) support the adoption of Computer-Assisted Personal Interview for surveys. These activities are to have minimal or no potential environmental and social implications, risks and impacts. Therefore, OP 4.01 is not triggered. Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 No Forests OP/BP 4.36 No Pest Management OP 4.09 No Physical Cultural Resources OP/BP 4.11 No Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 No Data collected in this project includes data from ethnic minorities. However, as standard practice (for example in the VHLSS), only processed data is shared, adhering to principles of data anonymity and confidentiality. Therefore no negative impact of ethnic minorities is anticipated, on the contrary, they may benefit from overall improvements in policy making and monitoring of outcomes as a results of timely and increased availability of data. Given that the project will not adversely affect and no any risk to ethnic minorities is anticipated, hence the OP4.10 is not Feb 28, 2018 Page 6 of 7 The World Bank Modernizing Production of Statistics in Vietnam triggered. Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP 4.12 No Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 No Projects on International Waterways OP/BP 7.50 No Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP 7.60 No H. Safeguard Preparation Plan Appraisal stage ISDS required? No APPROVALS Public Disclosure Copy Team Leader(s): Obert Pimhidzai Approved By Safeguards Advisor: Surhid P. Gautam 26-Feb-2018 Practice Manager/Manager: Salman Zaidi 26-Feb-2018 1Reminder: The Bank's Disclosure Policy requires that safeguard-related documents be disclosed before appraisal (i) by the Bank and (ii) in country by the Borrower/Recipient, at publicly accessible locations and in a form and language that are accessible to potentially affected persons. Feb 28, 2018 Page 7 of 7