FOUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
↓
This is our focus
••
1 › Develop Statistical Capacity
+ Encourage Statistical Communication & Networking
+ Increase the Public Voice of Statistic
+ Securing our Financial Future: Approaches for Sustainability and Stability
••
We deeply believe that by building capacity, we can bridge differences.
—
→ Building capacity empowers people far beyond their own development
The ISI works actively to bolster the capacity of statisticians and data scientists across the globe through a variety of initiatives.Until recently, many of these activities were funded through World Bank’s Trust Fund for Statistical Capacity Building and the African Development Bank. Since 2022, the ISI’s Capacity Building Committee has been working with global and regional partners to develop a strategy that will secure funding for our capacity building ambitions.
The resulting strategy focuses on establishing an ISI Academy that will support the ISI’s members and wider networks in gaining from and contributing to activities that:
- Meet proven priority demands for capacity development
- Support scientific processes and independence
- Transfer knowledge across disciplinary boundaries
- Leverage synergies and efficiencies with partner organisations
- Provide scalable and practicable solutions with sustainable long-term impactsAlongside supporting activities that meet these principles, the ISI Academy aims to independently support the strengthening of statistical capacity development as a professional discipline. The Academy aims to enhance the quality of capacity building activities by and for statisticians across the globe, leveraging the ISI’s unique qualities as an institution.
- Meet proven priority demands for capacity development
- Support scientific processes and independence
- Transfer knowledge across disciplinary boundaries
- Leverage synergies and efficiencies with partner organisations
- Provide scalable and practicable solutions with sustainable long-term impactsAlongside supporting activities that meet these principles, the ISI Academy aims to independently support the strengthening of statistical capacity development as a professional discipline. The Academy aims to enhance the quality of capacity building activities by and for statisticians across the globe, leveraging the ISI’s unique qualities as an institution.
Furthermore, the ISI continues to build its members’ capacity through several ad hoc learning events with the support of ISI members or through its Associations. It also supports participants from developing countries to attend ISI and Association conferences.
The ISI’s long history in supporting capacity development
The ISI and its Associations have long been involved in the development of the professional capacity of their members and society more broadly, sharing knowledge among their individual and organisational members and enhancing the impact of statistics and data science for the public good.
For over a century, the ISI has organised regional and global scientific congresses to share and discuss new insights, established two scientific journals, delivered a wide range of courses - online and in person - teaching hard and soft skills, and organised webinars to share best practices. These activities will continue alongside and be informed by learning generated by the Academy. We believe in inclusivity, in particular supporting participants from low and middle-income countries/regions to actively engage in global statistical developments and empowering women towards equality in our profession.
For over a century, the ISI has organised regional and global scientific congresses to share and discuss new insights, established two scientific journals, delivered a wide range of courses - online and in person - teaching hard and soft skills, and organised webinars to share best practices. These activities will continue alongside and be informed by learning generated by the Academy. We believe in inclusivity, in particular supporting participants from low and middle-income countries/regions to actively engage in global statistical developments and empowering women towards equality in our profession.
Priorities
The Academy brings together expertise and resources to help solve data-related challenges across, academia, official statistics, international development, business, other statistical professional societies, and other sectors. Our members have determined our priorities as:Providing independent advice on improving the quality of capacity development activities.
- Facilitating data partnerships across private and public sectors
- Dealing with ethical challenges in the modern data ecosystem
- Developing regional independent communities of statistical and data professionals
- Supporting data science training centres based on cross-sectoral collaboration
- Enabling statisticians to develop better soft skills
- Upscaling the successes of the International Statistical Literacy Programme (ISLP)
- Facilitating data partnerships across private and public sectors
- Dealing with ethical challenges in the modern data ecosystem
- Developing regional independent communities of statistical and data professionals
- Supporting data science training centres based on cross-sectoral collaboration
- Enabling statisticians to develop better soft skills
- Upscaling the successes of the International Statistical Literacy Programme (ISLP)
The evolution of our new strategy
From 2019, the Capacity Building Committee (CBC) monitored the 2019-21 Strategy and Action Plan, but with little extra funding available little was achieved. By 2021, the Executive Committee and the CBC decided to build a follow-up strategy that would better generate resources and optimise the organisation’s impact in supporting our members in the modern data ecosystem.
From 2021, the Committee began to consult on solutions with a wide range of ISI and Association members and other stakeholders, gradually developing a strategy based on feedback around:
→ What are the priority capacity development challenges for our members in the modern data ecosystem?
From 2021, the Committee began to consult on solutions with a wide range of ISI and Association members and other stakeholders, gradually developing a strategy based on feedback around:
→ What are the priority capacity development challenges for our members in the modern data ecosystem?
→ From April 2022, a detailed strategy was then developed in consultation with a wider range of stakeholders.
→ What is the comparative advantage of the ISI and its family of Associations in providing capacity?
→ How can we organise ourselves to deliver higher value activities more efficiently?
Key follow up steps have included:
→ Consultations with the Chairs of all ISI Committees and Special Interest Groups and the Presidents of each of the ISI’s Associations during 2021.
→ From 2021, more relevant expert members were brought onto the Capacity Building Committee to support the work.
→ What is the comparative advantage of the ISI and its family of Associations in providing capacity?
→ How can we organise ourselves to deliver higher value activities more efficiently?
Key follow up steps have included:
→ Consultations with the Chairs of all ISI Committees and Special Interest Groups and the Presidents of each of the ISI’s Associations during 2021.
→ From 2021, more relevant expert members were brought onto the Capacity Building Committee to support the work.
→ Initial proposals were tested and approved by the IAOS conference in April 2022 for:
> the types of projects where ISI and Associations could add most value
> consulting even more widely on how we can best add-value/work in partnerships, and
> exploring how we can best leverage funding for the expansion of ISI/Association capacity development activities.
> the types of projects where ISI and Associations could add most value
> consulting even more widely on how we can best add-value/work in partnerships, and
> exploring how we can best leverage funding for the expansion of ISI/Association capacity development activities.
"I've always loved the centrality and importance of statistical capacity building to ISI. It reflects our shared value of improving how we collect information and make decisions about everyone in our communities." - John Bailer
→ The ISI Academy in 2023
The ISI Academy was created in 2023 to help develop the capacity of statisticians and data professionals in ways tailored to the International Statistical Institute’s comparative advantages.
The Academy is a dynamic vehicle for nurturing sustainable strategic solutions to the priority international and regional capacity development challenges faced by our members. It provides a framework for our members to innovate by leveraging the International Statistical Institute’s scientific and organizational independence, our members’ passion for data and statistics, extensive cross-sectoral networks of expertise, high academic standards, and global and regional reach.
The Academy is a dynamic vehicle for nurturing sustainable strategic solutions to the priority international and regional capacity development challenges faced by our members. It provides a framework for our members to innovate by leveraging the International Statistical Institute’s scientific and organizational independence, our members’ passion for data and statistics, extensive cross-sectoral networks of expertise, high academic standards, and global and regional reach.
Our primary goal is to address the capacity development requirements within the field of statistics and data-related professions by leveraging our expansive global reach of members.
The Academy’s Principles
→The Academy aims to generate learning and foster excellence in capacity development practice in areas that:Meet proven priority demands for capacity development.
→ Support scientific independence.
→ Transfer knowledge across disciplinary boundaries.
→ Leverage efficiencies with partner organisations within and beyond the ISI Network.
→ Provide scalable and practicable solutions with sustainable long-term impacts.
The Academy’s Principles
→The Academy aims to generate learning and foster excellence in capacity development practice in areas that:Meet proven priority demands for capacity development.
→ Support scientific independence.
→ Transfer knowledge across disciplinary boundaries.
→ Leverage efficiencies with partner organisations within and beyond the ISI Network.
→ Provide scalable and practicable solutions with sustainable long-term impacts.
→ Outlook for 2024
The ISI Academy will be officially launched, with new governance and human resources arrangements in place. Initially supported by the ISI Capacity Building Committee, the Academy will seek to implement as many of its objectives as possible in 2024 according to available funding.
Project proposals within the scope of the Academy’s core principles will continue to be developed and implemented by our members, and future ISI conferences designed well to support the Academy’s aims.
