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Report Submitted by Bolivia to the Fourth International Workshop on the CSD Indicators of Sustainable Development
Hosted by the Government of the Czech Republic in Prague
19-21 January 1998

PROGRESS REPORT ON BOLIVIA
APPLICATION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INDEXES

The Bolivian test of sustainable development indexes had not finished the preparatory phase. Problems of data availability did not allow for a comprehensive discussion of the significant variables to be considered, and forced a broader approach to start a project for creating a National System of Information for Development (SNID), described later in this report.

The new administration installed last August is preparing a National Plan of Social and Economical Development, according to constitutional mandate, whose Strategic Lines had already been approved by the President. These lines have as fundamental paradigm Integral Sustainable Development, and Poverty Alleviation as the main objective. Therefore, have adequate measurement instruments as to monitor the application of this Plan have fundamental importance.

The main actions to be reported are:

  1. A conceptual framework was prepared as a basis to discussion and acceptance of a common view of the possible indexes to be developed and applied. This document was circulated among a few key persons as to improve it to serve as one of the documents to be used in a working seminar to be held in March this year.
  2. A description was prepared of the Position-State-Response methodology and a complete set of indicators was prepared according to 12 variables (economical, demographic, social, environmental and institutional).
  3. A pilot construction of indexes was made as to test available information and its reliability. This report will be submitted to the mentioned workshop.
  4. As a response to information needs to monitor poverty alleviation programs and facilitate information interchange among public and private development institutions in the country, an important project profile was prepared and included in the working plan of the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Planning. This project: National System of Information for Development (SNID, after their Spanish acronym), is under preparation. Their concept is to have a focal centre to register all information sources as to facilitate access to information produced in the country, which at present is not recorded, principally those resulting of research made by NGOs and universities, as well as development projects which produce information to monitor and evaluate their results.
  5. A chapter of this project is the development of a set of indexes to monitor the application of the National Plan. This pilot indexes will allow to test them, and promote the discussion of their usefulness and reliability.

Follow-up reports will be prepared every semester of development and application of both the SNID and the indexes.

For more information, please contact:

Mr. Jorge Gonzalez Roda
Director and Coordinator, Capacity 21 Project
Ministry of Sustainable Development and Planning
Av. Arce No. 2147
La Paz, Bolivia
Tel. no.: (591-2) 372-063/372-378
Fax no.: (591-2) 361-855
E-mail: CAP21@cap21.rds.org.bo