• Many activities related to the development of national statistical systems are carried out by various partners, but inadequately disseminated. Often similar activities such as the evaluation of the statistical system for instance, are carried out several times.
• While the collaboration and co-ordination among donors is in some way satisfactory at headquarters level, there is no tool to support the co-ordination at country level.
• The web sites of international institutions sometimes give the activities carried out by the institutions at country level, but a focal point where the activities carried out by different institutions in a specific country are regrouped so far does not exist.
• Many activities are documented by “grey literature” such as mission reports which are not easily available.
• At country level communication is poor among the different parts of the national statistical system.
• There is no reporting at country level of the progress, success, and constraints of the national statistical system.

In light of the above constraints, PARIS21 has established a Partnership Library on Country Statistical Systems (PARLISTAT). PARLISTAT is a gateway to information (primarily, web links) on country statistical systems and donor programmes supporting statistical development. The intention is to share this information in order to improve collaboration between the different parts of the national statistical system and among donors and to optimise the work done by various actors on the statistical system of a particular country.