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INTRODUCTION
1. Statistical
development is a continuing process which is
of fundamental importance for both developing
and developed countries. It concerns improvements
in methodologies for data collection, processing,
dissemination and analysis, and development
and refinement of standards, classifications
and other tools such as survey frames. These
improvements enable the national statistical
agency to function efficiently and effectively
in accomplishing its mission and objectives.
2. Given the importance of
the topic, statistical development has been
on the agenda of many past sessions of the Committee
on Statistics. For example, at its ninth session
in 1994 the Committee discussed various statistical
development issues, including those concerning
statistics on gender issues, the measurement
of poverty, and the need for developing standard
concepts and definitions of poverty. In addition,
based on the recommendation of the Committee
made at that session, the Commission declared
the period 1995-1999 the quinquennium for improving
civil registration and vital statistics in the
region. The importance of implementing as promptly
as possible the 1993 System of National Accounts
(SNA) and the training of statisticians on SNA,
as well as the need for paying greater attention
to the needs of the disadvantaged economies
in transition were emphasized by the Committee.
It also supported the reduced information approach
for extending the geographical coverage of the
International Comparison Programme (ICP) in
the region and recognized that countries needed
technical assistance in the area of environment
statistics. The present note attempts to provide
an overview of selected emerging issues concerning
statistical development. Papers E/ESCAP/STAT.10/7/Add.1
to Add.5, which have been submitted to the Committee,
focus on issues concerning the following topics:
gender statistics, poverty estimation, critical
problems of economic statistics, science and
technology indicators, and environment statistics.
A. Emerging challenges
and opportunities
3. Many countries are undergoing
structural adjustments necessitated by such
factors as their participation in global trade,
the expansion of the private sector and the
emergence of new partnerships and subregional
groupings. The business environment is changing
and the service sector is assuming greater importance.
New emphases are being introduced into national
development planning and monitoring as concern
grows regarding poverty, joblessness, population
pressures, decline in environmental resources,
widening income gaps, food security and the
like. In response to changing circumstances
within and outside the countries, the national
statistical offices are required to provide
quantitative information on issues of current
concern. They are expected to improve their
understanding of the cross-sectoral dependencies
in society and of the corresponding demands
for new data. They should also review and improve
their methodologies, operations, and modalities
for statistical development.
4. With the rapid advances
in information and telecommunication technologies,
the expectations of data users are growing and
changing, with important implications for the
way the national statistical offices do their
business. Society's needs for statistical information
have become greatly diversified. In addition
to its essential functions in governmental planning,
administration and management, statistical information
plays an increasingly important role in democratic
processes, the formation of public opinion,
the accountability of institutions, activities
of non-governmental organizations, research
and so on. Under these changing circumstances
statistical development priorities will in all
probability undergo transformation in many countries
of the region.
B. Responding to changing
needs
5. There is growing awareness
among the national statistical offices that
their outputs and services should be in line
with the changing social and economic conditions
and that the needs of most data users should
be more fully met. However, the capacity in
the implementation of these objectives is directly
related to the stage of development of the country:
national statistical offices in more advanced
countries have been more successful in institutionalizing
greater interaction with data users and data
providers, systematically applying information
technology, improving the timely availability
and effective dissemination of data, providing
on-line access and establishing home pages on
the World Wide Web.
6. In addition to focusing
on improving statistics in particular sectors,
statistical development must also aim at reducing
the response burden and protecting the privacy
of individual responses, making surveys simpler
and more efficient, monitoring and effecting
standards, eliminating duplication, and improving
the reliability and accuracy of outputs.
C. Technical cooperation
for statistical development
7. Statistical development
in the region can be hastened by sharing information
on the experiences of national statistical offices
through meetings, workshops, printed materials
and the Internet. Over the years ESCAP and several
other international organizations, including
subregional organizations, have concentrated
on training, the improvement of censuses and
surveys, and data collection in the economic,
social, demographic and environment areas. In
the field of statistics, the record of cooperation
and coordination among the various entities
engaged in technical assistance activities in
the region has been a respectable one, but a
great deal more can be achieved through strengthening
the coordination mechanisms. In that regard,
ESCAP in general, and the Committee in particular,
have been playing an important role, to which
the revised terms of reference will give added
prominence.
8. The secretariat has traditionally
been contributing to statistical development
in the region through such technical assistance
modalities as regional advisory services, expert
group and other technical meetings, workshops,
training courses, study tours, and assistance
under TCDC (technical cooperation among developing
countries) arrangements. The statistical development
work programme employs a multipronged approach
utilizing a mix of regular and extrabudgetary
resources and support in the form of cooperation
and coordination from a number of national statistical
offices and regional and international organizations.
The Statistics Division works closely with the
Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific
(SIAP) to improve national statistical capabilities
in developing countries through training, and
with the United Nations Statistics Division
in various areas of regional and global statistical
concern.
9. More recently, the secretariat
has introduced projects built around pilot studies
in a small group of countries but involving
an extensive range of regional and national
activities. This approach has enabled the statistics
subprogramme to give in-depth treatment to the
subject matter concerned, with a very substantial
degree of involvement and participation by the
pilot countries. The results and outputs of
the pilot studies and regional activities of
the project are subsequently shared with all
the national statistical offices and other relevant
parties in the region.
10. The recent and continuing
multi-year projects of the secretariat have
concentrated on population statistics, environment
statistics and environmental and natural resource
accounting, and statistics on gender issues.
Activities supporting the International Comparison
Programme (ICP) have also been on a multi-year
basis, although funds have been approved on
an annual cycle. A three-year project approved
by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
will be launched in the fourth quarter of 1996.
It has the long-term objective of assisting
members and associate members of ESCAP in the
efficient and effective application of information
technology in population data collection, processing,
dissemination and presentation. A set of recommendations
will be prepared under the project, and disseminated
to the countries in the region, concerning the
application of computer technology in data capture,
geographic information systems and the development
of population databases. Pilot geographic information
systems and population databases will also be
established in a small number of countries.
11. Among the extrabudgetary
funding proposals recently submitted are three
subregional projects intended to assist countries
in implementing the 1993 SNA through (a) explaining
the application of the classifications, accounts
and transactions scheme embodied in the 1993
SNA, (b) assessing data requirements and means
to bridge data gaps and (c) developing a programme
to implement SNA in phases over the next five
years, taking into account the capabilities
of the subregion concerned.
12. Another project currently
under funding consideration, entitled "Improving
statistics on gender issues - phase II", aims
at enhancing national capabilities in identifying
statistics and indicators needed to measure
the achievement of national goals relating to
gender issues; identifying the deficiencies
in the existing statistics on priority gender
issues; developing national plans of action
and implementation mechanisms to redress those
deficiencies; and compiling and disseminating
internationally comparable statistics on women
and men. This project also envisages the mainstreaming
of gender statistics into the regular ESCAP
statistical publications.
13. Document E/ESCAP/STAT.10/8
refers to the statistical implications of the
recommendations of the recent global conferences,
and the Committee may wish to note that the
Copenhagen Programme of Action, adopted by the
World Summit on Social Development, has assigned
top priority to the eradication of poverty;
the year 1996 was designated the International
Year for the Eradication of Poverty. Among the
arrangements for implementing the outcome of
the Copenhagen summit, it is considered important
to assist countries in the development of various
statistics, indicators and criteria to determine
the extent and distribution of poverty and to
develop a better understanding of its causes
and various manifestations.
Technical cooperation
among developing countries
14. Over the years a great
deal of emphasis has been placed by the Commission
and the Committee on TCDC because of its importance
and immense potential as a means of transferring
technology and specialized information. However,
there is a need to improve the effectiveness
and frequency of utilization of this modality
for statistical development in developing countries.
The basic tenet of TCDC is that the country
receiving the assistance and the country providing
the assistance bear the local expenses involved
in their respective countries, the technical
personnel involved are released and paid salaries
by their parent organizations, while the international
travel may be supported by some third party
funding. When third party support is also sought
for local expenses, the original spirit of TCDC
is not fully adhered to; this often prevents
international organizations such as ESCAP from
committing resources earmarked for TCDC activities.
The efficacy of the TCDC approach is significant
when the study tours and other activities are
organized to meet well-defined objectives, support
some specific project or operations, and are
participated in by relevant personnel. The Committee
may wish to discuss these issues and identify
strategies which the countries and the secretariat
may adopt to vitalize and enhance the effectiveness
of the TCDC approach.
15. Many developing countries
of the Asian and Pacific region possess expertise
in particular fields of statistics, which may
be utilized to assist the countries which are
less advanced in those areas. It would be most
helpful if the national statistical offices
could identify potential experts with skills
and expertise suitable for overseas technical
assistance assignments, and who could be released
for such assignments. The secretariat has established
a roster of experts by sending questionnaires
to the national statistical offices and collecting
information from other sources.
16. In order to effectively
implement TCDC, the national statistical offices
should also gain knowledge of the TCDC arrangements
within their respective countries to obtain
funding for host arrangements when they invite
experts from other countries, or when they are
assisting other countries in the form of a study
tour.
17. Given the tradition of
excellent cooperation in the field of statistics
among members and associate members of ESCAP,
both developed and developing, it may be desirable
to extend the concept of TCDC to all countries
and areas of ESCAP. Some sort of technical cooperation
among Asia-Pacific countries in statistics already
exists. There have been several significant
examples in the past, including assistance provided
to the population census of a developing country
by the national statistical office of a developed
country; the developed country released expert
staff and provided training. The Committee may
wish to review the experiences of the countries
in this regard and discuss the feasibility of
expanding the application of the approach in
the region.
D. Future directions
18. In addition to the modalities
and areas of statistical development discussed
above, there are without doubt several other
areas which deserve attention. The Committee
is requested to provide advice on the orientation
of the statistical development activities and
the topics which should be dealt with in future
projects, taking into account the need to prioritize
given the limitations in the likely volume of
extrabudgetary funds and, no less important,
in the secretariat's capacity to manage multiple
projects simultaneously.
19. Until recently the regional
advisory services remained one of the principal
modalities for promoting statistical development.
However, the changing funding circumstances
have made it impossible for the secretariat
to sustain past levels of support. The situation
requires that new modalities be found or more
reliance be placed on some of the other modalities
of technical assistance. The Committee is invited
to review the effectiveness of the various modalities
of technical assistance, provide its views on
their validity and relevance for the future,
and suggest additional approaches which the
secretariat could adopt to promote statistical
development.
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