UNITED NATIONSECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFICSTATISTICAL INSTITUTE FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC (SIAP)

Developing National Indicator Frameworks for SDG Monitoring(e-Learning course)
24 May – 25 June 2021
GuidelineI.

OVERVIEW OF THE COURSE

This e-learning course aims to provide insights on how to facilitate the alignment of national
plans and indicator frameworks. It provides details on the important role statistical indicatorsplay in monitoring national and sector plans. While the focus is on developing indicator
frameworks to monitor national and sectoral plans, the course also includes guidance onaligning national processes on indicator development with the 2030 Agenda and theaccompanying SDG indicator framework. Other important regional/global initiatives are also
discussed, to gauge how they can help identify appropriate national indicators. Besides
providing details on integrating policy and indicator frameworks, the course also provides
details on ways in which the overall effectiveness of planning (and associatedimplementation) processes could be improved.
Specific topics that are part of the course include:a) The process of policy and planning decision making and implementation, with andwithout evidence – ground realities, and value-added scenarios with effective
monitoringb) Understanding what issues in the policy/strategy need to be measured using indicators– policy makers’ intentc) The alignment of the key policy priorities and strategies addressed in the plan, withthe accompanying indicator frameworkd) Identifying potential indicators that can improve relevance and coverage of existing
monitoring framework of the plane) Process of identifying disaggregation requirements in the indicator framework tomake sure the policy is addressing issues of all vulnerable groupsf) Introduction to the EPiC (Every Policy is Connected) tool and how it can facilitate
user producer dialogue to address all the above issues

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TARGET PARTICIPANTS

The target audience is officials in national statistical offices, line ministries (especiallyMinistries of Planning), and other institutions that are working on monitoring and evaluationof national and sector development plans. The course may also benefit a broader audienceinterested in learning more about developing indicators that are statistically sound and wellaligned with policies.
III.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the course, participants will be expected to have an improved understandingof:•••IV.

The basic concepts of development planning and related measurement frameworks
How to develop indicator frameworks that are aligned with policy documents andplans
The EPiC tool and how it can be applied.

COURSE DESIGN AND CONTENT

The course contains three modules, with each module consisting of a series of slide showpresentations with quizzes and exercises. After all modules have been completed,participants will be required to complete a final test that will cover all modules. The modules
are expected to take a maximum of 6 hours to complete. Participants are also expected toattend three webinars/Q&A sessions. The live online sessions will provide an overview of
the course topics and allow for participants to ask questions. Furthermore, participants areencouraged to actively participate in the online forum of the course. Topics for discussion
will be posted regularly and participants are invited to share their views/comments/questions.
The course will be conducted in English.
OutlineModuleCoverage

1. Overview of the Development and Structure of National/Sectoral Plans
1.1 Overview of theDevelopment Planning
Process••••

Common terms used in planning
Why do we have plans?
Planning cycles
Planning process activity

1.2 Development PlanStructure••

Typical information contained in a plan
Examples of sections of plan documents2

1.3 Measuring Progress••

Using of logical frameworks within planning documents
Balancing national and global priorities•••••

Why monitor the progress of plans?
Thought process to generating indicators in a plan
Targets vs. Outcomes and importance of baselines
Key to effective Monitoring (and Evaluation) of a plan
Examples of monitoring the SDGs in Asia-Pacific2. Process of developing an indicator framework
2.1 What is an indicator andwhat purpose does it serve?

••

Definition of a statistical indicator
Role of indicators in monitoring progress

2.2 What are theCharacteristics of a GoodIndicator?

••

Five characteristics of a good statistical indicator
Assessing the usefulness of an indicator

2.3 What are the Different
types of Indicators forMonitoring Progress?

•Types of indicators used to plan, monitor and evaluate
results in national planning and policy documents
How different types of indicators can be used indeveloping indicators in the context of national planning
Types of performance indicators in the context of Results
Based Management••

2.4 Implementing Globaland Regional Indicator
Frameworks into NationalProcesses

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Regional and global indicator frameworks
Overview of the Sustainable Development Goals
Relevant indicator frameworks in Asia and the PacificRegional and national reporting and the required followup

2.5 Importance of Sound
Metadata to Define
Indicators••••

Definition of metadata
Types of metadata
Importance of metadata in relation to indicators
SDG indicator framework metadata template

3. Every Policy is Connected (EPiC) – Application of EPiC in Developing NationalIndicator Framework
3.1 Policy and dataintegration

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What is policy and data integration
Importance of integrated policies
Significance of an Indicator Framework and its role
Concepts in policy and data integration
Introduction to the EPiC tool used to facilitate policy anddata integration33.2 EPiC - An Online Toolfor Integrating Policy andDataV.

•••

EPiC tool key stepsKey Stakeholders by phases
Review of outputs when applying EPiC

EVALUATION

Participants must receive 70% or higher in the test at the end of this course to receive acertificate. They must also complete a short assignment on national plans and indicators;
details will be provided at the beginning of the course.
Participants will be given 60 minutes to complete the test. Participants may not work together
on the test. The course facilitator reserves the right to deny course certificates to participantssuspected of cheating on the test. The supervisor is expected to ensure that the test of thecourse is taken in his/her presence.
VI.

FOLLOW-UP PHASE

Following the completion of the training and depending on resource availability, in-kind
support will be made available to countries interested in applying the EPiC tool in theircountries. Further details on the follow-up phase will be provided during the course.
VII.

SOURCE MATERIAL

This course draws upon various sources, including international statistical standards and casestudies from national statistical offices.

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