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I. ORGANIZATION OF THE
MEETING
1. The ninth session of the
Working Group of Statistical Experts, organized
by the secretariat of the Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP),
was held at Bangkok from 30 January to 2 February
1996.
A. Attendance
2. The meeting was attended
by representatives of the following 23 members
and associate members of ESCAP: Australia, Bangladesh,
Brunei Darussalam, China, Fiji, Hong Kong, India,
Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Japan,
Kiribati, Lao People's Democratic Republic,
Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, New Zealand,
Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation,
Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.
3. The meeting was also attended
by representatives of the following United Nations
bodies and specialized agencies: United Nations
Children's Fund, United Nations Development
Fund for Women, United Nations Environment Programme,
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees, United Nations Population Fund,
International Labour Organization, Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,
World Health Organization and International
Monetary Fund (IMF). Representatives of the
following intergovernmental organizations also
attended: Commonwealth of Independent States,
Mekong River Commission, Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) and South
Pacific Commission. The Asian Institute of Technology
was represented. The Statistical Institute for
Asia and the Pacific (SIAP) was also represented.
B. Opening of the meeting
4. The meeting was opened
by the Executive Secretary of ESCAP, who said
that he was pleased to see such a large number
of countries and agencies participating in the
Working Group; their attendance confirmed the
importance of the work of the Committee on Statistics
and its role as the focus of regional statistical
development. He apologized for the delay in
convening the Working Group, which had been
caused by the serious and continuing financial
crisis facing the United Nations. He noted with
pleasure that, with the active involvement of
the Bureau of the Committee on Statistics, which
had met the previous day, a start had been made
on providing the statistical work of ESCAP with
continuity of leadership and guidance.
5. The Executive Secretary
noted that, in line with the recommendation
of the Committee on Statistics, the Working
Group would consider a number of technical topics.
Those included the implementation of the 1993
System of National Accounts (SNA), on which
the secretariat had surveyed countries' status,
plans and technical assistance requirements,
and the use of information technology in statistics,
for which countries had provided the documentation.
The Working Group's recommendations were also
being sought on strengthening statistical coordination
arrangements within countries.
6. The Executive Secretary
advised the Working Group that the secretariat's
likely resource situation should be taken into
account in the consideration of programme matters
such as the programme of work for 1996-1997
and the medium-term plan for 1998-2001. He stressed,
however, that the present climate of uncertainty,
while necessitating efficient and effective
use of the secretariat's limited resources,
should not allow the budget to determine the
programme. In that regard, he was encouraged
by the increase in extrabudgetary resources,
the generous cooperation of multilateral agencies
and the heightened involvement of member States
in the activities of the statistics subprogramme.
7. It was noted that the Bureau
of the ninth session of the Committee on Statistics
would officiate at the meeting of the Working
Group. Accordingly, Mr Frederick W.H. Ho (Hong
Kong) served as Chairperson, Mr Timoci Bainimarama
(Fiji) and Mr Ataul Haq (Bangladesh) as Vice-Chairpersons,
and Mr Romulo Virola (Philippines) as Rapporteur.
8. After noting that the deliberations
of the Committee on Statistics should address
the statistical implications of recent global
summit meetings, as well as the priorities of
the United Nations Statistical Commission, the
Working Group adopted the following agenda:
- Opening of the session.
- Adoption of the agenda.
- Report of the Bureau.
- Review of implementation
arrangements for the 1993 System of National
Accounts (SNA).
- Statistics on trade
in services.
- Use of information technology
in statistics:
- Geographic information
systems;
- Remote sensing in statistics;
- Implications of the
Internet.
- Programmes of national
statistical offices towards the effective
dissemination of statistical information.
- Statistical coordination
within countries.
- Programme matters:
- Review of the work
programme in statistics, 1996-1997;
- Review of the outline
of the medium-term plan in statistics,
1998-2001.
- Provisional agenda
for the tenth session of the Committee on
Statistics.
- Other matters.
- Adoption of the report.
9. The documents submitted
to the Working Group are listed in the annex
to the report.
II. REPORT OF THE BUREAU
10. The Working Group considered
the topic on the basis of an oral report by
the Chairman. It heard that the Bureau had met
on 29 January 1996 and had discussed the following
topics:
- Terms of reference and
functioning of the Bureau, including financial
arrangements;
- Terms of reference of the
Committee on Statistics, with special reference
to its designation as the focus of regional
statistical development;
- Mechanisms for mutual cooperation
in statistical development among member countries;
- Programme matters:
- Review of the implementation
of the 1994-1995 work programme;
- Assessment of the planned
experimental presentation of programmes
in statistics in the region;
- Tentative provisional agenda
for the tenth session of the Committee on
Statistics.
11. The Working Group was
informed that, since the last session of the
Committee on Statistics, the secretariat had
been in touch with the members of the Bureau
through correspondence and had circulated, among
other documents, two six-monthly progress reports
on the status of implementation of the recommendations
of the Committee. It was decided that in the
future such reports should, after review by
the Bureau, be circulated to national statistical
offices. The Working Group noted that the Bureau,
in discharging its functions, should alert the
secretariat to the significant issues on which
the inputs and comments of other countries would
be necessary so that special needs and interests
could be taken into account in formulating statistical
programmes. The Working Group sessions themselves,
in fact, provided an excellent opportunity to
strengthen that process.
12. In discussing the financial
arrangements for the Bureau members and their
participation in the Working Group, it was agreed
that the current arrangements would continue.
However, in a situation of financial constraint,
priority would be given to funding the participation
of Bureau members from the Central Asian republics,
least developed and landlocked countries and
island developing countries.
13. The Bureau had felt that
the revised terms of reference of the Committee
on Statistics, as they appeared in annex II
of the report of the ninth session of the Committee,
comprised a useful statement of direction and
did not need any change. The Working Group agreed
with the Bureau recommendation that, in any
future revision of the conference structure
of ESCAP, the Committee on Statistics should
be retained. The Committee had an excellent
track record in which attendance from the capitals
had always been very high. Given the role that
it played as the focus of regional statistical
development, any downgrading of the Committee
on Statistics or merger with other bodies would
be detrimental to the process of capability-building
and statistical coordination in the region.
If necessary, national statistical offices should
make representations with the appropriate agencies
in their respective Governments to maintain
the current position of the Committee in the
ESCAP structure. To demonstrate the validity
and vitality of the Committee's terms of reference,
the Bureau had suggested that the secretariat
should prepare a document providing concrete
examples of work accomplished in pursuance of
each clause.
14. The Working Group noted
that the Bureau, in discussing mechanisms for
mutual cooperation in statistical development
among member countries, had felt that the spirit
of technical cooperation among developing countries
(TCDC) was admirable, but that its implementation
often faced problems because of lack of funding
for local costs of study tours or visiting experts.
Moreover, the organization of TCDC activities
was resource-intensive for the secretariat.
It was recommended that countries should identify
and convey to the secretariat a list of areas
in which other countries could benefit from
their knowledge and experience. In that regard,
the Working Group was informed of the activity
initiated by the United Nations Statistics Division
of compiling information on technical cooperation
received and rendered by countries.
15. The Working Group was
advised of the high rate of implementation achieved
by the secretariat in its 1994-1995 statistics
subprogramme. It also acknowledged the intensive
efforts of the secretariat in collecting and
compiling information on the regional statistical
activities of other international organizations
and agencies, in the context of the experimental
presentation of statistical work programmes
in the region. That information would prove
useful for coordination of activities. Despite
known difficulties arising from the lack of
comparability in the information collected,
the Working Group encouraged the secretariat
to continue with the exercise. It was noted
that the purpose of the exercise was to enhance
coordination among international agencies active
in the field of statistics in the region, and
not to review the performance of the agencies.
16. The Working Group noted
that the Bureau had also discussed the tentative
provisional agenda for the tenth session of
the Committee on Statistics, and decided to
take up the resulting suggestions under the
appropriate item of its own agenda.
III. REVIEW OF IMPLEMENTATION
ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE 1993 SYSTEM OF NATIONAL
ACCOUNTS
17. The Working Group considered
the paper "Implementation of the 1993 System
of National Accounts in the developing economies
of the ESCAP region" (STAT/WGSE.9/1). It appreciated
the efforts and cooperation of the countries
which responded to the enquiries made by the
secretariat and provided useful inputs for the
paper. On that basis, the Working Group noted
that developing countries in the region would
need substantive support to assist in the implementation
process; in most of the countries, implementation
would entail a long gestation period, with new
elements in their national accounts systems
being gradually introduced over time.
18. The Working Group underlined
the importance of implementing the 1993 SNA
and endorsed the action taken by the secretariat
as the focal point for assistance with implementation
in the region. In particular, it supported the
categorization of the countries into various
groups as outlined in the paper. It noted that,
for operational convenience in terms of language
and the activities of OECD in those countries,
the Central Asian republics and Mongolia had
been kept in one group, separate from other
countries in transition. The Working Group endorsed
the proposal of the secretariat to organize
subregional workshops focusing on the procedures
for switching over to the updated concepts and
classifications of the 1993 SNA. The topics
covered would be based on the stage of national
accounts development amongst the member countries
in the group. The Working Group appealed for
financial support from multilateral donors such
as the Asian Development Bank and the United
Nations Development Programme for the activities
proposed by the secretariat. It emphasized that,
for successful implementation of the System,
the development of basic statistics and the
provision of technical assistance were essential.
Towards that end, it welcomed the training courses
provided in national accounts by SIAP and IMF,
but noted nevertheless that training opportunities
in those institutions were limited.
19. The Working Group welcomed
the offer of the Government of Japan to provide
SIAP with training materials and teaching faculty
for training on the 1993 SNA. It also welcomed
its offer to make available the services of
national accounts experts to assist developing
countries, especially those in transition, in
implementing the 1993 SNA, based on requests
which would be considered on a case-by-case
basis.
20. The Working Group noted
the growing demand for regional (subnational)
accounts, particularly for countries with a
federal structure. It noted that a handbook
on regional accounts had been scheduled for
publication by the Statistical Office of the
European Communities (Eurostat), which might
prove useful to the countries in the region,
especially if it addressed problems relating
to the availability of basic data. The Working
Group appreciated the production by members
of the Intersecretariat Working Group on National
Accounts of manuals, handbooks and supporting
material for SNA implementation. It encouraged
national statistical organizations to obtain
the required publications from the concerned
agencies.
21. The Working Group welcomed
the 1993 SNA's feature of satellite accounting,
whereby topics of special interest could be
pursued without unduly burdening the central
framework of the System. It noted that some
countries in the region had already started
to experiment with computations on environmental
accounting. In that connection, it was noted
that valuation of the services of unpaid family
members was important not only in terms of gender
statistics but also because of changes in employment
status between paid and unpaid work. The Working
Group nevertheless emphasized that, since it
was important to keep the existing production
boundary of gross domestic product unchanged,
it would be advisable to develop other relevant
measures of unpaid services within households
such as those derived from time-use surveys.
22. The Working Group noted
that the informal sector was important in many
countries of the region and that the estimation
of its output and labour force posed serious
problems. It also noted that many studies on
the sector had been carried out, and a definition
had been adopted by the International Conference
of Labour Statisticians in 1993. The Working
Group heard with interest that the Government
of India intended to commission a detailed study
on the informal sector so as to ensure its full
reflection in the national accounts statistics;
the secretariat was invited to participate in
the study. The results would be made available
to interested parties in due course.
23. The Working Group noted
that some of the terminologies used in the 1993
SNA were different from those of earlier versions.
As terminologies of basic statistics collected
in surveys at present followed closely those
of previous versions of the SNA, care was needed
to ensure concordance of statistical terms appearing
in different fields of official statistics.
In that regard, it also noted that the 1993
SNA had been translated into a number of languages.
24. The Working Group noted
that the "residual approach" to the estimation
of the household sector, including unincorporated
enterprises, had been commonly utilized in national
accounts compilation for various reasons. The
deficiencies in the method were recognized by
the participants. The Working Group noted that,
in certain circumstances, the quality of the
estimates for the components used in the derivation
had deteriorated over time. A review of the
quality of the basic data could thus lead to
improvement in the estimates, even when the
residual approach had to be adopted. It also
heard the experience of one country where the
quality of industrial statistics had declined
despite the fact that the legislative authority
for statistical collection had, in fact, originated
specifically for the collection of such data,
and the situation had been further aggravated
by the liberalization of trade. The Working
Group also noted that the design of questionnaires
tailored to the accounting practices of business
enterprises could facilitate better response
rates and improve the quality of data. In that
connection, a handbook on the links between
business and national accounts standards would
prove extremely useful.
25. The Working Group was informed
that, because of the financial problems facing
the United Nations, the services of the regional
adviser on national accounts could be made available
only on a restricted basis until the current
constraints were removed. The Working Group
considered that, given the importance of the
development of national accounts statistics
and the emphasis given to implementation of
the 1993 SNA, ESCAP should accord priority to
the delivery of advisory and training services
and other technical assistance in that field.
IV. STATISTICS ON TRADE
IN SERVICES
26. The Working Group considered
the topic on the basis of the report of the
Seminar on Statistics on Trade in Services,
held in Bangkok from 6 to 10 November 1995 (STAT/WGSE.9/2).
It expressed appreciation to the Republic of
Korea for providing financial support for the
seminar through the Korea-ESCAP Cooperation
Fund. It expressed similar sentiments to IMF,
OECD, the World Trade Organization and the Australian
Bureau of Statistics for providing resource
persons for the meeting, which had been evaluated
very highly by its participants.
27. The Seminar had noted
that countries in the ESCAP region were compiling
trade in services statistics in varying detail.
Most of the countries were still compiling data
based on the fourth edition of the IMF Balance
of Payments Manual (BPM4), while some were
moving towards adopting BPM5. Most countries
collected data through foreign exchange records
supplemented by surveys, while a few others
used surveys exclusively. However, with many
of the first group of countries in the region
moving towards liberalized foreign exchange
regimes, it would be necessary to depend upon
other sources of data such as surveys. The Seminar
had noted that the General Agreement on Trade
in Services (GATS) definitions of trade in services
encompassed four modes of supply: cross-border
supply, consumption abroad, commercial presence
and presence of natural persons. There was a
need to create a new statistical domain on foreign
affiliates trade to provide information for
the commercial presence mode of supply. The
experience among countries in that area was
still limited and a task force of Eurostat was
considering guidelines in that regard.
28. The Working Group noted
that trade in services was assuming greater
importance in the ESCAP region and welcomed
the organization of the Seminar. It heard with
interest about activities in the collection
and compilation of trade in services data in
some countries in the region. It noted that
exchange of "mirror data" between countries
would help to improve the quality of the statistics.
Considering that a number of fast-developing
economies were situated in the region, which
had important implications for the collection
of statistics on trade in services, the Working
Group encouraged the sharing of country experience
on the subject. It also noted that, with rapid
advances in information technology and the emergence
of the satellite channel of communication, accounting
adequately for increases in the volume and range
of services traded presented a challenge to
statisticians. In that connection, the Working
Group welcomed the plan by the inter-agency
Task Force on Services Statistics to produce
a manual or handbook in due course, for which
relevant inputs would be needed from both developed
and developing countries.
29. The Working Group noted that the informal Voorburg Group established in 1986
on the initiative of Statistics Canada and the
United Nations Statistical Office had undertaken
important work on services statistics, although
not all national statistical organizations had
been receiving the Group's output. It was decided
that the secretariat should disseminate, through
the Statistical Newsletter, the contents
lists of the reports and proceedings of the meetings
of the Voorburg Group and of similar informal
groups where those were likely to be relevant
to national statistical agencies of the region.
It was suggested that it would be helpful if the
secretariat could produce a document to prepare
member countries to cope with the rapid expansion
of the service sector by highlighting the problems
to be anticipated, safeguards to be introduced
and the advance preparations to be made.
V. USE OF INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY IN STATISTICS
30. The Working Group discussed
the use of information technology (IT) in statistics
based on 25 country papers and statements, which
had focused on geographic information systems
(GIS), remote sensing and the Internet. The
list of country papers is provided in the annex
to the present report.
31. The Working Group noted
that the region's statistical offices were clearly
at different stages of IT development. Some
advanced national statistical offices (NSOs)
had a personal computer on almost every employee's
desk, whereas in others computers were shared
by several workers. The use of IT was essential
in statistical offices as, despite the initial
outlay, it reduced the overall costs of statistical
operations, improved the timeliness and quality
of statistics and created a better working environment
by reducing routine work. The Working Group
recognized the value of IT in broadening the
potential user base of statistics, as it allowed
people to search for, obtain and use statistics
electronically.
32. Regarding statistical
database development in general, the Working
Group observed that the more advanced countries
were already redesigning their old applications
and converting from mainframe systems to client-server
environments. In that conversion, hardware was
a relatively small problem compared to the challenges
of designing an integrated system that catered
to all needs in data collection, processing,
analysis and dissemination, and that was capable
of reaching customers conveniently at their
sites.
33. Countries that had used
GIS in statistics reported a high demand for
location-specific products and services. The
Working Group noted that as a consequence, some
advanced statistical offices were already in
the process of redesigning their GIS that had
been developed less than a decade ago. In contrast,
some other NSOs had yet to make a start in using
GIS in statistics; ESCAP could have a role to
play in helping to build national capabilities
in that regard. The Working Group noted with
appreciation the offer of the Government of
Japan to share its knowledge and information
on GIS.
34. The Working Group heard that GIS were used for presentation
of land and natural resources data and for displaying
statistical data that were available for a mapped
area, or data values that pertained to known
coordinates. The public sector employed GIS
for land-use monitoring and mapping, management
of public utilities, transportation planning
and tax zoning, among other uses. The private
sector was highly interested in the possibilities
of exploiting GIS in the planning of marketing
campaigns and in locating their offices and
sales units. The Working Group noted that several
countries had made considerable efforts to digitize
maps of their enumeration districts so as to
use GIS in their future censuses.
35. The Working Group noted
the experience of several NSOs on the benefits
derived from GIS technology when planning censuses
and surveys, with a view to presenting their
results in a more user-friendly format. One
problem cited, however, was that agricultural
maps and GIS data tended to follow agricultural
and climatic zones and could often not be used
together with data that were based on administrative
areas. Nevertheless, the Working Group felt
that it was possible to solve the problem with
adequate coordination between the responsible
government agencies. In one country, at least,
an established GIS had proved very useful in
statistical coordination among government agencies.
36. For some purposes, users
wanted GIS-based data for relatively small and
precise geographic areas. When data were thus
disaggregated or based on individual persons,
households or businesses, the Working Group,
while stressing the importance of quality and
consistency of the data, emphasized that aggregates
needed to be large enough to maintain confidentiality
and to protect the privacy of the reporting
units.
37. The Working Group heard
that, while remote sensing imagery was deemed
inapplicable to some countries in the region,
it had been used for more than two decades by
some statistical offices and other government
agencies to estimate land use, particularly
for crop production, and forest cover and soil
types. It was sometimes the only method of obtaining
accurate estimates of natural resources and
land area estimates in unpopulated areas. In
fact, remote sensing technology had significantly
contributed to global and national early warning
systems in agriculture. The Working Group noted
that remote sensing imagery had proved very
useful in determining stratification and sampling
areas for statistical surveys and in the preparation
of GIS maps.
38. During the past few years,
local area networks (LANs) had been introduced
in many statistical offices. In the more advanced
countries, Governments had developed wide area
networks (WANs) connecting various government
departments, including statistical agencies.
The Internet, which had experienced a phenomenal
growth during the past couple of years, had
opened up new opportunities in all areas of
statistics from data collection to data dissemination
and marketing. The Working Group, however, felt
that the main obstacle in the utilization of
the Internet was still the lack of understanding
of the scope and the potential of the global
network, particularly at the decision-making
level.
39. The Working Group agreed
that Internet e-mail offered invaluable, informal
and borderless channels of communication between
persons and organizations. E-mail was used in
several statistical offices; although only four
NSOs had so far gone on-line to use the full
Internet connection and establish World Wide
Web (www) pages on the Internet, several others
were about to create their home pages soon.
The Working Group observed that statistical
agencies used the Internet as an added distribution
medium for products and information that were
previously disseminated through conventional
means only. Besides corporate data and information
about statistical products and services, the
NSO Internet sites offered key country indicators,
either in html-format or down-loadable spreadsheets,
and links to useful statistics-related resources
including other NSO home pages. The Working
Group noted that no statistical Internet site
had yet made data available for download in
bulk. That was understandable as pricing and
distribution issues had yet to be resolved;
data provision though the public Internet could
reduce the sales revenue of statistical publications,
CD-ROMs and diskettes. Some countries were,
however, providing on-line statistics in bulk
to schools, universities and research institutions
at significantly reduced rates.
40. The Working Group urged
the secretariat to establish a www server and
create a statistical home page, which would
include links to statistical sites within and
outside the region and which could be used to
disseminate papers related to statistical development
and capability-building. Some participants commented
that setting up www pages for their offices
had initially required additional resources,
but the burden decreased later on as the updates
became routine work. The Working Group recommended
that statistical offices, once on the Internet,
should update their Web pages frequently.
41. The Working Group was
reminded that, besides e-mail and hypertext
applications, the Internet also offered access
to USENET news groups, which already covered
certain areas of statistics. On-line messages
could be exchanged through the Internet Relay
Chat (IRC). Internet also facilitated remote
direct access to distant databases at the command
level (TELNET) and file transfer from any part
of the network (FTP). A particularly useful
feature of the Internet was its information
search facilities and the capacity to provide
machine-readable information faster than any
other medium. Caution was, however, expressed
with regard to data security and integrity in
connection with the Internet; those issues were
being explored by several countries.
42. The Working Group recognized
that, although not much used yet for the purpose,
the Internet had some potential in speeding
up data collection and thus improving the overall
timeliness and quality of statistics. Regarding
the use of the Internet for dissemination of
statistics, the Working Group emphasized the
need to distribute statistical data together
with their metadata; otherwise, misinterpretations
of statistics were very likely to occur.
43. The Working Group agreed
that the rapidly evolving IT had increased the
demand for training, but most NSOs had difficulties
in coping with the change. The demand for IT
training was still bound to grow tremendously,
if the forecasted increase in the number of
information workers became reality. Some statistical
agencies had the definite intention to leapfrog
in applying IT in their offices; that could
only be achieved by significantly increasing
resources on IT purchases and human resources
development. In that regard, the Working Group
proposed that the secretariat should serve as
a clearing house for sharing country experiences
in the use of IT in statistics and should take
action to enhance the capacity of NSOs to utilize
IT; SIAP was also urged to pay added attention
to IT training for statisticians.
44. In discussing alternative
ways to address human resources development
issues for information professionals, the Working
Group recognized that, on the one hand, IT professionals
working outside NSOs seldom had a thorough knowledge
of statistics, which was a prerequisite in designing
functional statistical information systems.
On the other hand, there was a lack of IT skills
among statisticians. It was therefore apparent
that hybrid strategies, which would include
enhancing the IT skills of statisticians and
the use of general IT experts, would be needed.
The Working Group encouraged statistical offices
to involve statistical units of other government
agencies in sectoral IT development work. While
the Working Group's mandate was, in principle,
limited to statistics, the view was expressed
that IT-related human resources development
in the public sector should be discussed at
the forthcoming ESCAP Commission session.
VI. PROGRAMMES OF NATIONAL
STATISTICAL OFFICES TOWARDS THE EFFECTIVE DISSEMINATION
OF STATISTICAL INFORMATION
45. The Working Group considered
the agenda item on the basis of secretariat
document STAT/WGSE.9/4 entitled "Dissemination
of statistical information in national statistical
offices of the region" as well as a verbal presentation
made by the representative of IMF. The Working
Group noted that, although the national statistical
offices of the region were increasingly disseminating
their statistics through electronic media such
as magnetic tapes, diskettes, CD-ROM and in
some cases on-line access, printed publications
remained the single most important mode of data
dissemination in most countries and were likely
to remain so in the near future, since there
were not sufficient computers, modems and network
access by key users. It noted that most of those
publications were priced nominally in order
to ensure wider dissemination, but some copies
were also distributed free of charge, mainly
to government agencies. The pricing of statistical
publications was sometimes insufficient to recover
even the costs of printing. The Working Group
noted, moreover, that the revenue obtained by
selling statistical publications was usually
returned to the Government's central treasury
and was not available to the statistical offices.
46. The Working Group noted
with interest the suggestion to increase the
sales revenue of statistical offices by improving
the quality of their statistical products and
to utilize the additional revenue in developing
their statistical system, including the capabilities
of the staff members. The Working Group nevertheless
felt that, although the intention of the proposal
was laudable, there was a need to adopt a cautious
approach as the primary goal was to raise the
effectiveness of statistical dissemination and
to enhance the delivery of statistical services
by national statistical offices and not to maximize
revenue.
47. The Working Group heard
that the recent technological developments in
microcomputing, networking and telecommunications
had offered great opportunities for the statistical
offices to improve the dissemination of their
statistics. The enormous potential of the Internet
had added a new dimension to statistical data
dissemination. Some countries had already initiated
the use of the Internet for statistical dissemination
on a limited scale, whereas others were still
exploring the possibility of using it in the
future. It was pointed out that the introduction
of IT in statistical dissemination had greatly
heightened the expectations of users, including
business people, government agencies and household
members. Some users were even seeking access
to databases for manipulation. The Working Group
therefore felt that every country should adopt
a suitable strategy of data dissemination according
to their infrastructural development and the
requirements of the users.
48. The Working Group recognized
that the great potential of CD-ROM as a medium
for data dissemination, and its spreading use
in developed countries, made it an attractive
option for statistical offices of developing
countries. It was, however, noted that most
of those countries did not have CD-ROM copying
facilities available and would need to outsource
any volume production. In that connection, the
Working Group emphasized the urgent need for
appropriate technological initiatives to promote
a faster spread of those facilities.
49. It was pointed out that
there were instances where commercial companies
purchased data series from statistical offices
and repackaged and sold them according to the
needs of the users. With the better marketing
capabilities of those private companies, that
could lead to loss of revenue for statistical
offices in the sale of their publications. It
was therefore deemed important to devise a rational
pricing mechanism, especially for statistical
products that were accessible electronically.
50. The Working Group noted
that one of the most effective ways of disseminating
data to the grass-roots level was via communication
media such as newspapers, radio and television.
In order to benefit from those modes of dissemination
effectively, statisticians needed training not
only in the area of information technology but
also in the skills of report writing, editing,
verbal communication and marketing, in order
to make their presentations more appealing and
attractive to the users. The Working Group also
noted that statisticians should make greater
efforts to acquaint media professionals with
the methodologies used in the collection and
compilation of statistics in order to improve
the quality of use and reporting of statistics.
51. The Working Group heard
that IMF had taken the initiative to develop
standards to guide member countries in the provision
of economic and financial statistics to the
public. The standards encompassed four broad
dimensions: coverage and periodicity; timely,
equal and ready access to the data by the public;
integrity of official statistics; and quality.
The Working Group noted that the Executive Board
of IMF had expressed support for a two-tier
approach comprising both general and more demanding
standards; the latter had the same four dimensions
but with more stringent norms for coverage,
periodicity and timeliness.
52. The Working Group noted
that, for the general standard, 17 data categories
had been initially identified by IMF as the
minimum for publication, grouped into real sector
statistics, fiscal statistics, monetary statistics
and external sector statistics. The Working
Group also noted that the more demanding norms
would be used to support analyses and investment
decisions in the international financial markets.
53. While noting that all
IMF members would be encouraged to work towards
the general standard, the Working Group heard
that IMF had paid particular attention to the
implementation of the more demanding standard
and the establishment and maintenance of an
electronic bulletin board (EBB). The Working
Group was advised by the IMF representative
that producers of data had generally confirmed
their willingness to provide information to
IMF for EBB, while users had agreed that maintenance
of EBB on an Internet World Wide Web site would
provide them with the ready access that they
would need to make use of the information.
VII. STATISTICAL COORDINATION
WITHIN COUNTRIES
54. The Working Group considered
the item on the basis of secretariat document
STAT/WGSE.9/5. It stressed that, without effective
coordination, it would be difficult for national
statistical agencies to achieve a number of
their important objectives, many of which were
listed in the secretariat document. Since coordination
of statistical activities was particularly important
for avoiding duplication and dissemination of
conflicting figures, and for reducing the reporting
burden, explicit mention of those objectives
should also be made in the list. Some countries
described steps that had been introduced to
reduce the reporting burden through comprehensive
coordination, such as simplification of the
process of clearance for statistical activities
of other agencies and the introduction of simple
and easy reporting methods. The need for a unified
database was also mentioned as a reason for
enhancing coordination.
55. In addition to the instruments
of coordination mentioned in the secretariat
paper, the Working Group noted the usefulness
of a calendar of activities of different statistical
agencies of the Government, and of information
on their statistical enquiries. However, no
improvements could be expected unless the instruments
of coordination were utilized effectively; for
example, coordination bodies needed to meet
regularly, and to promote and monitor statistical
coordination actively. The need for coordination
of statistical activities concerning administrative
data sources was even greater, as those sources
were often outside the statistical system.
56. Some representatives described
recent and future developments in their statistical
systems to facilitate effective and efficient
coordination of statistical activities. Improvements
in statistical legislation included provisions
to assist in the development of statistical
capability of other agencies, and the introduction
of realistic penalties for breach of confidentiality.
The legislative sanction of coordination was
considered essential as it allowed the national
statistical agencies to exercise a measure of
influence over statisticians in other government
departments and ensured the provision of funds
for statistical activities.
57. The Working Group recommended
that countries should provide the secretariat
with documents on their statistical legislation;
the secretariat would publish in the Statistical
Newsletter the list of materials available
that other countries could obtain on request.
58. Some representatives described
their statistical systems and coordination mechanisms,
and provided information concerning statistical
coordination bodies and documentation. One country
reported that its statistical service was taking
steps to meet the social and economic changes
of the next decade. Those steps included the
review and reorientation of statistical surveys,
adjustment in the timing and frequency of major
enquiries and expansion of the use of survey
results. Improvement of the international comparability
of data and promotion of technical cooperation
in statistics were also considered important.
The Working Group noted the recommendation that,
in order to enhance statistical coordination,
there was a need to train official statisticians
in the area of interpersonal relationships and
communication.
VIII. PROGRAMME MATTERS
59. The Working Group had
before it two secretariat notes: STAT/WGSE.9/6
entitled "Programme matters: review of the outline
of the medium-term plan in statistics, 1998-2001"
and STAT/WGSE.9/7 entitled "Programme matters:
review of the work programme in statistics,
1996-1997". The Working Group noted that the
1996-1997 programme of work in statistics, which
had been reviewed by the Committee on Statistics
and the Working Group during their previous
sessions, had already been approved by the Commission
and the General Assembly. Thus, the secretariat
was seeking advice on any changes which might
be required to be submitted for endorsement
by the Commission at its fifty-second session,
to be held in April 1996.
60. The Working Group did
not feel it necessary to propose changes to
the outline of the medium-term plan or to the
programme of work for 1996-1997 as approved
by the Commission at its fifty-first session.
However, the Working Group felt that it could
have made comments more effectively if document
STAT/WGSE.9/7 had included information on resources
and specific outcomes for each programme element,
preferably in tabular form, as well as on progress
made in programmed activities. It was agreed
that, as in the past, such information would
be made available to the Committee on Statistics,
and the Committee would be asked to ensure that
detailed consideration was given to the programmatic
information provided.
61. It was noted that the
secretariat had made good progress in initiating
the work on statistics on gender issues in the
region. In order to ensure further development
and institutionalization of activities, it was
recommended that that important area should
be given a higher priority in the statistical
work programme of ESCAP. Another area requiring
immediate attention was the estimation of poverty.
It was agreed that there should also be significant
commitment in the work programme to address
the statistical issues arising from the recent
United Nations summit meetings in Cairo (the
International Conference on Population and Development,
1994), Copenhagen (the World Summit for Social
Development, 1995) and Beijing (the Fourth World
Conference on Women, 1995).
62. The Working Group noted
the very generalized nature in which the work
programme outputs were stated and urged that
a time-frame be introduced for certain of the
activities such as the ESCAP Statistical Information
System (ESIS). It also acknowledged, however,
that the uncertainty of the regular budget resource
situation and almost complete dependence on
extrabudgetary sources for funding operational
activities made it necessary to maintain a degree
of generality in the work programme; that also
had the advantage of providing a flexible enabling
framework within which a broad range of activities
could legitimately be conducted.
IX. PROVISIONAL AGENDA
FOR THE TENTH SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE ON STATISTICS
63. The Working Group had before
it secretariat note STAT/WGSE.9/8, "Provisional
agenda for the tenth session of the Committee
on Statistics". It recalled that the Bureau
of the Committee on Statistics had already discussed
the matter and had generated some ideas for
consideration by the Working Group. The Working
Group accepted the Bureau's recommendation that
under agenda item 5 only statistical activities
in the region should be reviewed, while all
aspects of public sector computerization should
be discussed under one agenda item, that is,
item 9 of the tentative provisional agenda.
64. It was stressed that,
in the consideration of statistical issues in
global forums such as the United Nations Statistical
Commission, the regional viewpoint should be
adequately reflected. In that regard, the regional
body should be proactive in formulating proposals
for consideration at the global level, as well
as reactive to the United Nations Statistical
Commission's decisions. The Working Group agreed
that the agenda of the Committee on Statistics
should reflect those considerations.
65. It was agreed that the
provisional agenda should accommodate an adequate
level of discussion on priority areas including
statistical issues arising from the global summits,
statistics on gender issues, estimation of poverty,
critical problems in economic statistics and
environment statistics. Several views were expressed
as to how those and other topics could be incorporated
under item 7 of the agenda; the Working Group
decided to introduce sub-items under that item.
It was pointed out that due attention should
also be paid to more traditional activities
such as SNA and the International Comparison
Programme. The Working Group noted that the
annotated provisional agenda was a useful instrument
for indicating the degree of emphasis to be
given to a particular topic.
66. The Working Group decided
that the tentative provisional agenda for the
tenth session of the Committee on Statistics
should be revised as follows:
- Opening of the session.
- Adoption of the agenda.
- Report of the Bureau.
- Report of the Working
Group of Statistical Experts.
- Review of statistical
activities in the region.
- Functioning of the
Committee and its Bureau.
- Issues relating to
the development of statistics, including those
in support of the themes of the Commission:
- Gender statistics;
- Poverty estimation;
- Other statistical implications
of the global social summits;
- Critical problems in
economic statistics;
- Environment statistics.
- Issues relating to
SIAP, including the report of the Governing
Board.
- Issues relating to
information technology applications and information
resource management, and review of public
sector computerization activities in the region.
- Programmes of work
in statistics, 1996-1997 and 1998-1999, including
the development of an integrated presentation
of work programmes, and review of the medium-term
plan, 1998-2001.
- Other matters.
- Election of the Bureau.
- Adoption of the report.
X. OTHER MATTERS
67. No matters were raised
under the item.
XI. ADOPTION OF THE
REPORT
68. The Working Group adopted
its report on 2 February 1996.
Annex
LIST OF DOCUMENTS
Symbol: Title
- STAT/WGSE.9/L.1: Provisional agenda
- STAT/WGSE.9/L.2: Annotated
provisional agenda
- STAT/WGSE.9/1: Implementation
of the 1993 System of National Accounts in
the developing economies of the ESCAP region
- STAT/WGSE.9/2: Report
of the Seminar on Statistics on Trade in Services,
Bangkok, 6-10 November 1995
- STAT/WGSE.9/4: Dissemination
of statistical information in national statistical
offices of the region
- STAT/WGSE.9/5: Statistical
coordination within countries
- STAT/WGSE.9/6: Programme
matters: review of the outline of the medium-term
plan in statistics, 1998-2001
- STAT/WGSE.9/7: Programme
matters: review of the work programme in statistics,
1996-1997
- STAT/WGSE.9/8:
Provisional agenda for the tenth session of
the Committee on Statistics
Country papers for agenda
item 6
- a. Australia: Use of
information technology in statistics
b. Australia: Implications of the Internet
- Bangladesh: Use of
information technology in statistics
- Brunei Darussalam:
Status of information technology use in statistics
in Brunei Darussalam
- China: Report on the
status of information technology use in statistics
in China
- Fiji: Status of information
technology use in statistics
- Hong Kong: Use of information
technology in statistics in Hong Kong
- India: [To be circulated
by the country at a later date]
- Indonesia: The status
of information technology use in statistics
- Islamic Republic Use
of information technology in statistics of
Iran
- a. Japan: Status of
information technology use in statistics in
Japan
b. Japan: Utilization of GIS in the population
censuses of Japan
- Lao Peoples's Geographic
information system in Lao People's Democratic
Democratic Republic: Republic
- Macau: The status of
information technology used in statistics
in Macau
- Malaysia: Use of information
technology in statistics: geographic information
system
- Maldives: Use of information
technology in statistics
- New Zealand: Overview
of information technology in Statistics New
Zealand
- Philippines: Use of
information technology in statistics in the
Philippines
- Republic of Korea:
Use of information technology in statistics
in the fields of GIS and Internet
- Russian Federation:
Use of information technologies in Goskomstat
- a. Singapore: Use of
information technology in statistics: status
report for Singapore
b. Singapore: Implications of the Internet
- Thailand: Use of information
technology in statistics in Thailand
- United Kingdom: Use
of information technology in statistics
- Viet Nam: Use of information
technology in statistics in Viet Nam
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