Support to UNESCO UIS 2019-22

This grant represents Canada's institutional support to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics (UIS) one of nine specialized institutes of UNESCO created in 1999 and based in Montréal Québec. The Institute’s mandate is to develop and make available to the international community consistent accurate and relevant data to guide its decisions in a growing political economic and social environment which is continuously changing and more complex. The UIS is the source of education statistics and serves UNESCO Member States the United Nations system a range of intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations research institutes and universities. The UIS has working relationships with over 70 countries and serves as the custodian and monitor of internationally comparable data in 200 countries that are surveyed annually for literacy statistics. Since its creation the UIS has become a reliable and indispensable source for countries wishing to improve the measurement of critical issues such as learning outcomes gender equality in education and financing for primary and secondary education. In order to achieve the objectives of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4 – Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (SDG4) – it is essential to have a clear strategy which includes having up-to-date and reliable data.

The outcomes of the UIS theory of change revolve around the notion that improved data literacy increases demand for high-quality data leading to a more robust culture of data use and results such as: 1. Better quality learning and teaching practices; 2. Service delivery focused on equity and reaching the marginalized; 3. Allocation of resources according to shared vision of priorities; 4. Good management practices and satisfaction of stakeholders about the availability and quality of learning opportunities; and 5. More productive and participatory populations able to achieve aspirations decent livelihoods and quality of life.