Second edition of the Guide to statistics in European Commission development co-operation

Eurostat has just published the second edition of the ‘Guide to statistics in European Commission development co-operation’ in English, French and Spanish.  It is aimed at supporting EU staff in the delegations and to others actors in statistical development programmes.

The Guide explains why statistics are important for development cooperation, how to use them and what needs to be done to make them available. It provides practical information and advice regarding the role of statistics in the development process, the identification and development of actions to support statistics and the use of statistical indicators to define, monitor and evaluate co-operation programmes and projects. The Guide also provides background and practical advice in a large number of specific sectors, from health and education via environmental issues to economic statistics.

The Guide is more than a mere handbook: it is a highly interactive tool. It contains a large number of ‘clickable’ hyperlinked references in the text and in the ‘To find out more boxes’. Key information, checklists and practical examples are presented in more than 160 boxes. In addition, the Guide includes an extensive index and cross-references throughout – all ‘clickable’. The Guide in English, French or Spanish can be freely downloaded from Eurostat’s website:

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/product_details/publication?p_product_code=KS-RA-11-028 (file size 4-5 Mb). 

In addition, Eurostat has developed the ‘Portal to the Guide 2.0’ CD-ROM. This CD-ROM contains an ‘Outline of Knowledge’ of the Guide’s key messages and PowerPoint presentations used for training – all in English, French and Spanish. It also features more than 70 key references publications. This CD-ROM is of particular interest to users with slow or unstable internet connections. The ‘Portal to the Guide 2.0’ CD-ROM is freely available from Eurostat Unit A6: ESTAT-INTER-COOP@ec.europa.eu.