PARIS21 Webinar on "Addressing COVID-19: How are national statistical offices in low- and middle-income countries doing?"

The ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic is disrupting everyday life in unprecedented ways. To address these data and capacity related challenges, PARIS21 is hosting a webinar on 8 April, from 15:30-16:30 CEST for national statistical offices (NSOs) and other organizations, in particular from low- and middle-income countries, to share their experience and how they plan to mitigate its effects in the near and long term.

NSOs in affected countries find themselves in a very challenging situation. Many NSOs with limited IT capacities are forced to move into virtual work environment and adjust to a new data demand from

1. Policymakers to understand and track the COVID-19 impact,
2. Citizens in search of reliable data sources.

Many NSOs struggle to conduct their usual statistical activities while maintaining the safety of staff. At the same time, additional data demands create additional pressure on the NSO to coordinate effectively with line ministries (such as the ministry of finance or the ministries if health) to produce ad-hoc data while continuing regular data collection, which will be essential in the aftermath of the crisis.

To address these data and capacity related challenges, the PARIS21 partnership is hosting a webinar, calling on NSOs and other organisations in the data for development communities, in particular from low- and middle-income countries to share their current experience amidst the global pandemic, and how they plan to mitigate its effects in the near and long term.