The statistical training initiatives in the region include programmes of a wide variety, including, ad hoc short-duration advocacy workshops to regular long-duration courses on specialized topics or official statistics in general. Trainings on some topics are now offered by many agencies while none or little training exists on other topics.

At the regional level, there is no system for setting priority of training needs, particularly for the developing countries of the region. Considering the urgent need for ensuring statistical trainings in the region are coordinated and respond adequately to the needs of countries, the ESCAP Committee on Statistics, at its second session in December 2010, decided to establish a small working group to develop a strategy for the coordination of statistical training in Asia and the Pacific.

The Working Group will prepare a proposal, for the consideration by the Committee on Statistics, on the strategy for the coordination of statistical training programmes in Asia-Pacific, with the objective of improving the impact of a demand-driven statistical training system on the capacity of all Asia-Pacific countries to produce timely and reliable official statistics in accordance with established international statistical standards.

The Bureau of the Committee on Statistics has appointed Mr. T. C. A. Anant, Chief Statistician and Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation of the Government of India, to chair the Working Group.