Introduction

World Summit: Follow-up actions

Strengthened data collection, analysis , monitoring and research

The Plan of Action of the World Summit for Children called for each country to establish appropriate mechanisms for the regular and timely collection, analysis and publication of data required to monitor relevant social indicators relating to the well-being of children. It noted the need for statistics disaggregated by gender; highlighted the importance of timely information; and urged the review of indicators of human development by leaders and decision makers with the same concern as indicators of economic development.

The call for regular and timely collection, analysis and publication of disaggregated social data and its greater use at subnational levels has been echoed in a number of international conferences throughout the 1990s. Most countries and regions report that the quality, availability and use of data on children and women have been consistently improving since the World Summit. Much of the progress has been catalysed by the monitoring and reporting requirements established for the follow-up of the Summit, including the mid-decade and end-decade reviews. This has been further strengthened by the periodic reporting process established for States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child; by review exercises conducted in follow-up to other international conferences; and by other assessment exercises, such as the recent global assessment 2000 conducted by the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council.

Tremendous efforts have been made in several areas: to expand the database on children and women and to build national capacity for data collection and analysis, including in connection with Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys and Demographic and Health Surveys; to promote intersectoral and inter-agency coordination in data collection and the development of indicators, through, for example, the common country assessment/ United Nations Development Assitance Framework and Education For All; to establish computerized database networks; and to develop innovative instruments and participatory techniques for the collection and analysis of information from key stakeholders, such as youth, and from children's opinion polls and the World Bank "Voices of the poor".

Governments have strengthened routine reporting mechanisms on children, while regional and international agencies have supported capacity-building and standardization in the development and monitoring of social indicators. Users and producers of statistical information and data have come together to develop common approaches to integrate development and human rights issues into statistical work. Particular attention in recent years has been given to developing indicators and gathering information in areas of emerging concern related to child labour, children affected by armed conflict, child trafficking and the situation of orphans and abandoned children. The right to a family environment and to protection against abuse or neglect have also been more fully appreciated through analysis and research.

NGOs, universities and research institutes have been involved in both the collection of data on children and its use in advocacy and programme development. The media have been important in the wide dissemination of information for advocacy purposes, helping to make children's issues more visible in national debates. Overall, there has been a growing sense of government accountability to children, and public scrutiny has gained in strength.

Despite such clear progress, a number of national reports and other contributions to the end-decade review of the World Summit identified the need for further strengthening of data collection and analysis. Several reports pointed out the difficulties of monitoring progress and setting priorities for the future in the absence of a sound baseline of information. The demand for reliable subnational data continues unmet in a number of countries. Filling this gap is particularly important in view of the trend to rapidly decentralize planning and administration in many regions. Disaggregation of key indicators remains a key challenge, and weaknesses in this area continue to hinder efforts to overcome disparities and identify the most vulnerable children. Further research is urgently needed on such issues as the impact of armed conflict and HIV/AIDS on children, economic and sexual exploitation and child trafficking. National capacity-building for data collection, analysis and dissemination remains an ongoing challenge, with appropriate international support likely to be required in several regions in future.

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