Statistical inclusion pledge

©Ethiopian Statistical Service

In the context of the second Global Refugee Forum (GRF), EGRISS is co-leading the Multi-Stakeholder pledge on ‘Inclusion of Forcibly Displaced and Stateless Persons in National Statistical Systems and Surveys’, together with its members from the World Bank-UNHCR Joint Data Center on Forced Displacement (JDC) and L’Institut National de la Statistique de Djibouti (INSTAD) . 

Launched in December 2022, the initiative aims to raise visibility of national efforts to include refugees, IDPs and statelessness in the work of national statistical systems and is open to governments, regional and international organizations, civil society, refugee groups and donors. 

This year, over 60 pledges were received from host countries, international and regional organisations and donors. Building upon the existing baseline from 2019, this indicates a total of almost 80 pledges. Results were presented during the 2023 Global Refugee Forum. Progress on implementation will be monitored periodically. 

Q&A
1. What is statistical inclusion of forcibly displaced and stateless people?

Often, refugees, internally displaced and stateless persons are excluded or not appropriately accounted for in national data collection systems, making them invisible in official statistics. 
Statistical inclusion is a deliberate effort to accurately capture forcibly displaced and stateless people in censuses, nationwide household surveys or other relevant data sources to allow for the computation of sound, policy relevant statistics on their socioeconomic conditions that are comparable to those of their host communities. As such, statistical inclusion is a mechanism to help implement and assess progress towards the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR). It is also key to keeping the central promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no-one behind. 

2. Why is it important?

• Reliable, comparable and nationally produced data and evidence are critical to enable governments to address the plight of forcibly displaced and stateless people in their policies, operations and development plans. 
• Quality official statistics, disaggregated across age, gender, diversity, and disability can inform the design of programs and policies to improve the protection and wellbeing of these vulnerable populations. 

3. What is a pledge?

A pledge is a commitment made by a Government or any other stakeholder to advance the objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR). Pledges are often formally announced during the Global Refugee Forum (GRF), which is also used to assess the progress made to implement existing pledges. In 2019, more than 1400 pledges were announced. 
During GRF in 2023, progress towards the 2019 pledges will be assessed and new pledges announced, in line with the recommendations identified at the 2021 High-Level Officials Meeting. 

4. What is a multi-stakeholder pledge?

A multi-stakeholder pledge is: 
• Large-scale / ambitious / transformational 
• Joint and/or around a common theme 
Multi-year / long-term 
• Clearly defined resource base, donorship, or financial instrument 
• Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timebound 

5. What is the National Statistical Inclusion Multi-Stakeholder Pledge?

This pledge encourages governments to include refugees, internally displaced or stateless people in their national statistics by making an official public pledge which will be announced at the Global Refugee Forum at the end of 2023. Equally, pledges by other stakeholders to support the work of national governments in this regard, are also encouraged. 
These individual pledges will form a multi-stakeholder pledge entitled “Inclusion of Forcibly Displaced and Stateless Persons in National Statistical Systems and Surveys” that is international recognition of the role of national statistics to further the inclusion and enhance the protection and well-being of vulnerable groups. 

6. Who can make a pledge towards statistical inclusion?

Concretely, such pledges can be made individually or jointly by: 
– Governments (including their National Statistical Offices) 
– Regional and international organizations 
– Civil society organizations, refugee groups 
– Donors, private sector entities. 

7. How can you submit a pledge?

Submit a pledge through the online GRF platform. You can link your pledge to the ‘Inclusion of Forcibly Displaced and Stateless Persons in National Statistical Systems and Surveys’ multistakeholder pledge or/and additional pledges. 

8. Contacts

For more information about the national statistical inclusion multi-stakeholder pledge, please contact Natalia Baal [email protected] (EGRISS) or Donatien Beguy [email protected] (JDC).
For more information about the pledging process or the GRF, please contact UNHCR country/regional representation and/or the GRF Coordination Team at UNHCR HQ in Geneva at [email protected]. 

Learn more about implementation progress: