The event aimed to provide technical support to the ongoing development of the indicator framework for the Tonga Strategic Development Framework (TSDF) III, 2025–2035. This activity has been underway for several months, with several technical components requiring further refinement to ensure that a draft core set of priority indicators will be ready ahead of the planned TSDF III launch on 8 October. The event was undertaken jointly with Ms Alison Culpin from the Statistics for Development Division of the Pacific Community (SPC), whose collaboration contributed to strengthening the analytical and methodological work required for the framework.
The event commenced on Tuesday afternoon, 16 September, with consultations involving senior colleagues from both the National Planning Department (NPD), including Director Dr. Mele Katea Paea, and the Tonga Statistics Department (TSD), including Government Statistician Mr. Sione Lolohea. Discussions centered on progress to date in drafting the TSDF III and its accompanying indicator framework, and on identifying areas where further technical support was required during the remaining days of the event and beyond.
Work continued on Wednesday, 17 September, with a detailed review of the draft TSDF III National Outcomes and the corresponding draft indicators. The team undertook a technical assessment of the proposed indicators, resulting in a revised draft set accompanied by justifications for the recommended changes. In addition, a narrative for the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) section of the TSDF III was prepared, outlining the processes, principles, and criteria guiding the selection of indicators for monitoring progress under the new framework.
On Thursday, 18 September, the analytical work from the previous day continued, culminating in a follow‑up meeting in the afternoon with senior representatives from NPD and TSD to present progress and gather feedback on the emerging indicator framework. On Friday morning, 19 September, the team incorporated the feedback received and delivered a training session for the senior management of TSD focusing specifically on their role in the TSDF III process, with emphasis on generating high‑quality metadata for the proposed indicators. The event concluded with a discussion with the Government Statistician, Mr. Sione Lolohea, on future areas of support for TSD and how this work aligns with the activities of other consultants engaged in the TSDF III process.