Republic of Korea
Statement by Ms. Oh Youngju
Director-General for Development Cooperation
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea
Post-2015 Intergovernmental Negotiations (Indicators)
23 March 2015, New York
Thank you, Mr. Co-facilitators.
At the outset, I would like to thank you for providing us with the
opportunity to better understand progress in the work on
indicators. I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to
the Chair as well as other speakers of the UN Statistical
Commission (UNSC) for their informative presentation and
concrete responses.
Co-facilitators,
The Republic of Korea values the preliminary report by the UNSC.
Recognizing that the proposed provisional indicators need
technical review among national experts, we will make continued
endeavor to constructively engage in future process. We also
welcome the formation of the IAEG-SDGs and would like to
emphasize that the group’s activities should be conducted in an
open and transparent manner.
Let me share a few comments on the key principles of developing
an indicator framework. First, we need to ensure a transparent
and participatory process that is bottom-up, making voices from
the field heard. In this regard, it is important to remember our
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) experience of having a
set of core global indicators that were easily communicable to the
general public.
Second, we should also take into account the three aspects of a
global indicator framework: measurability, collectibility, and
comparability. Some post-2015 development goals, such as
governance and the rule of law, would be value-oriented and
qualitative by nature, thus requiring a careful approach to
measure their targets. Also, there is a possibility that due to
capacity constraints and decentralized statistical systems, some
countries may experience difficulties in collecting the necessary
and appropriate data for indicators. Moreover, global indicators
would need to be comparable across national contexts.
Last but not least, developing a global indicator framework does
require sufficient time for elaborate preparation. Therefore, the
Korean Government supports the current plan to finalize an
indicator framework at the next UNSC session in March, 2016.
Co-facilitators,
At this point, allow me to further elaborate on some technical
aspects of indicators. Indicators must be relevant, clearly defined,
and able to measure the targets of the post-2015 development
agenda. This means clear targets are a prerequisite for clear
indicators. In this regard, we welcome the review done by the UN
system and expect to have substantive and constructive
discussions on the proposal to make the targets robust and
measurable. In particular, t is crucial that we address the
question of possible inter-linkages and overlapping targets. Also,
there are those targets whose complex nature might require us to
come up with appropriate indicators.
To leave no one behind, indicators must also be disaggregated
taking into account gender, age, region, and vulnerable groups.
However, they should be limited in number based on the
experiences of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), while
maintaining policy relevance.
In addition, flexibility is important as there may be a need to
develop new indicators to measure targets. There should be
room for refinements and adjustments in line with changing policy
priorities. We have done this in the MDGs era; in 2007, three
targets and twelve indicators were newly approved. Therefore, I
recommend that national statistical offices continue to work with
the UN as we move forward.
Co-facilitators,
In closing, I would like to reiterate the importance of monitoring for
successful post-2015 implementation. To build a comprehensive
monitoring mechanism, we need an integrated structure of global,
regional, national, and thematic indicators. This is why the role of
national statistical offices is critical, and strengthening their
capacity is vital. In this context, the Republic of Korea stands
ready to share our experiences as well as to contribute to global
endeavor in this field.
I thank you, Mr. Co-Facilitator. /END/
Director-General for Development Cooperation
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea
Post-2015 Intergovernmental Negotiations (Indicators)
23 March 2015, New York
Thank you, Mr. Co-facilitators.
At the outset, I would like to thank you for providing us with the
opportunity to better understand progress in the work on
indicators. I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to
the Chair as well as other speakers of the UN Statistical
Commission (UNSC) for their informative presentation and
concrete responses.
Co-facilitators,
The Republic of Korea values the preliminary report by the UNSC.
Recognizing that the proposed provisional indicators need
technical review among national experts, we will make continued
endeavor to constructively engage in future process. We also
welcome the formation of the IAEG-SDGs and would like to
emphasize that the group’s activities should be conducted in an
open and transparent manner.
Let me share a few comments on the key principles of developing
an indicator framework. First, we need to ensure a transparent
and participatory process that is bottom-up, making voices from
the field heard. In this regard, it is important to remember our
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) experience of having a
set of core global indicators that were easily communicable to the
general public.
Second, we should also take into account the three aspects of a
global indicator framework: measurability, collectibility, and
comparability. Some post-2015 development goals, such as
governance and the rule of law, would be value-oriented and
qualitative by nature, thus requiring a careful approach to
measure their targets. Also, there is a possibility that due to
capacity constraints and decentralized statistical systems, some
countries may experience difficulties in collecting the necessary
and appropriate data for indicators. Moreover, global indicators
would need to be comparable across national contexts.
Last but not least, developing a global indicator framework does
require sufficient time for elaborate preparation. Therefore, the
Korean Government supports the current plan to finalize an
indicator framework at the next UNSC session in March, 2016.
Co-facilitators,
At this point, allow me to further elaborate on some technical
aspects of indicators. Indicators must be relevant, clearly defined,
and able to measure the targets of the post-2015 development
agenda. This means clear targets are a prerequisite for clear
indicators. In this regard, we welcome the review done by the UN
system and expect to have substantive and constructive
discussions on the proposal to make the targets robust and
measurable. In particular, t is crucial that we address the
question of possible inter-linkages and overlapping targets. Also,
there are those targets whose complex nature might require us to
come up with appropriate indicators.
To leave no one behind, indicators must also be disaggregated
taking into account gender, age, region, and vulnerable groups.
However, they should be limited in number based on the
experiences of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), while
maintaining policy relevance.
In addition, flexibility is important as there may be a need to
develop new indicators to measure targets. There should be
room for refinements and adjustments in line with changing policy
priorities. We have done this in the MDGs era; in 2007, three
targets and twelve indicators were newly approved. Therefore, I
recommend that national statistical offices continue to work with
the UN as we move forward.
Co-facilitators,
In closing, I would like to reiterate the importance of monitoring for
successful post-2015 implementation. To build a comprehensive
monitoring mechanism, we need an integrated structure of global,
regional, national, and thematic indicators. This is why the role of
national statistical offices is critical, and strengthening their
capacity is vital. In this context, the Republic of Korea stands
ready to share our experiences as well as to contribute to global
endeavor in this field.
I thank you, Mr. Co-Facilitator. /END/
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