Background

In February 2004, representatives from developing countries and development agencies participated in the Second Roundtable on Development Results held in Marrakech, Morocco. They reflected on how donors can better coordinate support to strengthen the statistical systems and monitoring and evaluation capacity that countries need to manage their development process. One of the outcomes of the Roundtable was the adoption of a global plan for statistics, the Marrakech Action Plan for Statistics (MAPS).

The Marrakech Action Plan for Statistics Better Data for Better Results. An Action Plan for Improving Development Statistics [PDF, 265K]

Among the MAPS key recommendations was the creation of an International Household Survey Network. In doing so, the international community acknowledged the critical role played by sample surveys in supporting the planning, implementation and monitoring of development policies and programs. Further more, it provided national and international agencies with a platform to better coordinate and manage socio-economic data collection and analysis, and to mobilize support for more efficient and effective approaches to conducting surveys in developing countries.

The International Household Survey Network (IHSN) was established in September 2004 [Communique, PDF, 17K].