A three-day training workshop on “Persuading with Data” was recently held in Lahore, bringing together The experts, policymakers, and statisticians from across Pakistan. The workshop, organized by the Data for Development (D4D) initiative at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), focused on enhancing data analysis and interpretation skills for evidence-based decision-making.
Provincial Participation and Consensus
The workshop saw active participation from provincial Bureaus of Statistics (BOS). From Balochistan, Director of the Bureau of Statistics, Mr. Amir Hussain, attended the workshop and shared his views during the session with all provincial Directors General. A significant moment of the workshop was when all four Director Generals of the provincial Bureaus of Statistics shared their perspectives on data-driven policy-making. Their participation underscored the importance of inter-provincial collaboration in strengthening statistical capacities across Pakistan. The consensus revolved around data reliability and validation, accessibility, interpretation for evidence-based planning, strengthening the provincial BOS in terms of capacity building, digitization of data, and the establishment of a uniform data governance framework.
Dr. Naeem Uz Zafar, Chief Statistician of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, also provided special remarks, emphasizing the federal government’s support for enhancing statistical capabilities at both national and provincial levels.
Conclusion
SDPI and UNFPA, in collaboration with provincial bureaus of statistics, will work on the formation and finalization of a data governance framework to improve the working of the provincial bureaus by using ICT interventions and best global practices to assist informed decision-making. The workshop ended with a note of gratitude from Dr. Rubina Ali, Assistant Representative, UNFPA, Pakistan. Certificates and souvenirs were awarded to the D4D master trainers and participants, who left the workshop with a renewed commitment to applying data-driven insights in their respective roles.
