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I. MATTERS CALLING FOR ACTION BY THE ECONOMIC
AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
OR BROUGHT TO ITS ATTENTION
A.
Recommendations to the Commission for its consideration
and adoption
1. The Committee on Statistics recommends
to the Economic and Social Commission for Asia
and the Pacific the adoption of the following
terms of reference of the Committee:
TERMS OF REFERENCE
OF THE COMMITTEE ON STATISTICS
The Committee on Statistics, in acting as
the focus of regional statistical development,
shall perform the following functions:
- Review and analyse
progress in the development of statistics
in the region.
- Assist in the strengthening
of the statistical infrastructure in the countries
of the region, promote the improvement of
the quality of statistics, the international
comparability of data and the appropriate
application of new techniques, and arrange
for the exchange of information on and experiences
in statistical work and methods among the
countries.
- Promote observance
of the fundamental principles of official
statistics adopted by the United Nations Statistical
Commission at its special session in 1994.
- Participate actively
in the initiation, development, revision,
testing and implementation of international
statistical standards, promote and monitor
their application, and promote their adaptation,
as appropriate, to the conditions and needs
of the countries of the region.
- Play the focal role
in promoting close coordination of all aspects
of the statistical activities of specialized
agencies, relevant United Nations bodies and
other international organizations with regard
to their work in the Asian and Pacific region,
inter alia so as to achieve greater
uniformity in concepts and definitions, reduce
to a minimum the response burden on national
statistical offices, and maximize the effectiveness
of technical cooperation activities.
- Promote the generation
and analysis of statistical data and encourage,
with due regard to relevant international
work, efforts to develop a set of standardized
statistical indicators for the region relevant
to the themes of the Commission, namely regional
economic cooperation, environment and sustainable
development, and poverty alleviation through
economic growth and social development.
- Recommend programmes
of technical assistance, training, education
and research in the various fields of statistics
and their application.
- Review and analyse
progress in the development of information
technology applications and information resource
management in the region, especially in the
public sector, and make recommendations on
issues concerning policies and strategies,
as well as on programmes of technical assistance,
training and research in this field.
- Review and evaluate
the activities of the secretariat in the areas
of statistics and computerized information
processing, and provide guidance on the work
of the secretariat, paying due regard to the
recommendations of the United Nations Statistical
Commission and other relevant bodies.
- Make recommendations
to the Governing Board of the Statistical
Institute for Asia and the Pacific on the
nature of and priorities in statistical training
for the countries of the region.
- Inform the United Nations
Statistical Commission and, where appropriate,
the statistical authorities of the specialized
agencies and other relevant bodies, of its
work, so that due attention may be given to
the wider aspects of the issues considered
by the Committee.
- Work closely with other
subsidiary organs of the Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific, and coordinate
activities with them.
- Carry out such other
activities as the Commission may direct from
time to time.
The Committee shall meet once
every two years and report to the Commission.
B.
Major conclusions and decisions of which the
Commission should take note
2. The Committee adopted the
following terms of reference for its bureau:
- To assist the Committee
in overseeing the activities of the secretariat
during the inter-sessional period in implementing
the objectives and decisions of the Committee.
- To review presentations
from the secretariat of the decisions and
resolutions of the Economic and Social Commission
for Asia and the Pacific and of the Statistical
Commission, and to highlight issues of particular
importance to the ESCAP region for the consideration
of the Committee together with appropriate
recommendations.
- To review the provisional
agenda for the meetings of the Committee as
prepared by the secretariat and provide guidance
to the secretariat regarding the scope of
the documentation for the meetings of the
Committee.
- To guide the secretariat
as necessary in the coordination of statistical
activities in the region through such means
as the integrated presentation of programmes
of work to the Committee.
- To represent the Committee,
through its chairperson or such other bureau
member as may be designated in the event of
the chairperson's inability to attend, at
meetings for which invitations might be received
and which the bureau considers of relevance
and importance to the Committee, in particular
the United Nations Statistical Commission
and its Working Group on International Statistical
Programmes and Coordination.
- To take up any other
matter as may be assigned by the Committee.
3. The Committee decided that
the bureau should comprise six members, and
it set the term of office at four years, with
three members retiring every two years. It took
other decisions on necessary transitional measures,
the nature and geographical distribution of
representation on the bureau, and financial
arrangements for bureau meetings.
4. The Committee asked the
secretariat to improve its reporting on emerging
trends and topics in international statistical
standardization and methodological work.
5. The Committee asked its
bureau to examine how the Committee could increase
its involvement in the development of statistical
methods and standards.
6. The Committee felt that
it should pay greater attention to providing
inputs for and views on future agendas of the
United Nations Statistical Commission.
7. The Committee decided that
a Working Group of Statistical Experts should
be convened, preferably in November 1997, to
discuss specific substantive topics, with content
of an administrative nature pruned to the minimum.
The bureau would decide on and inform members
about the agenda three to four months prior
to the meeting.
8. The Committee recommended
that the Committee on Statistics should be retained
in any future revision of the conference structure
of ESCAP.
9. The Committee instructed
its bureau and the secretariat to continue to
monitor developments in the reform of the conference
structure of ESCAP.
10. The Committee recommended
that the approach of inviting papers from national
statistical offices should be continued for
future sessions.
11. The Committee recommended
that, based on the outputs of the project on
improving statistics on gender issues, the secretariat
should disseminate information on gender issues
and continue to give priority to improving gender
statistics in the region. It should also compile
a list of bibliographic references on research
and analysis based on gender statistics.
12. The Committee noted that
the Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS)
initiated by the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) had significant resource implications
for national statistical offices. It regretted
that adequate consultations with producers of
the relevant statistics in the ESCAP region
had not been held, but welcomed the fact that
the International Monetary Fund had devoted
resources to assist some countries to meet the
standards.
13. The Committee agreed that
it should focus on how to proceed in developing
national social statistical infrastructure and
the Minimum National Social Data Set (MNSDS),
and endorsed the idea that some countries in
the region should be selected in which to conduct
pilot studies.
14. The Committee welcomed
the increase in contributions to the Statistical
Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP) from
China, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Republic of Korea,
Singapore and Thailand as well as the resumption
of financial support from Australia. It called
for increased contributions in cash and in kind
from other members and associate members as
well as new contributions from those countries
which had not been contributing to SIAP. The
Committee also considered assistance from the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
to be crucial.
15. The Committee noted that
any expanded programmes of SIAP should be additional
and complementary to, and not in replacement
of, any activities undertaken by ESCAP.
16. The Committee asked the
secretariat to examine modalities, other than
the planned seminar on information technology
management for senior-level decision makers
in the public sector, that could be used in
sensitizing government officials to the importance
of adopting information technology.
17. The Committee strongly
urged the secretariat to start disseminating
its documents, data and services through the
World Wide Web of the Internet.
18. The Committee noted the
importance of providing a sharp focus for the
secretariat's work in the field of public sector
computerization, and asked the secretariat to
concentrate on those recommendations of the
Expert Group Meeting to Review Computerization
Development in the Public Sector where the available
resources could have a meaningful impact. The
Committee considered that greater attention
should be paid to applications in statistics
rather than to the public sector in general.
19. The Committee identified
a number of high priority areas in the work
programme of the secretariat for 1998-1999,
including implementation of the 1993 System
of National Accounts, pilot studies and other
work on the statistical implications of the
global summit conferences held at Cairo, Copenhagen
and Beijing, and services statistics. Other
priority areas that were identified included
the informal sector, price statistics and environment
statistics.
20. The Committee strongly
urged ESCAP to pursue means of providing advisory
services in the top priority area of national
accounts, for example, through redeployment
of resources within the secretariat.
21. The Committee stressed
the fundamental importance of information technology
in the work of national statistical offices,
not least in the dissemination aspects. The
secretariat was encouraged to help countries
exchange information on the latest techniques
for data processing, presentation and dissemination,
including through the Internet.
22. The Committee felt that
administrative aspects of the work of the secretariat
should be kept to the minimum required.
23. The Committee reaffirmed
its support for the ESCAP Statistical Information
System (ESIS) and urged that the resources to
put the system into operation as soon as possible
should be found. It advised the secretariat
to, if necessary, reduce substantially the planned
data content, simplify and cut the available
features of the System to the necessary minimum,
and adopt the latest Internet technologies to
make its data content available to members and
associate members.
24. The Committee asked the
secretariat to continue to collect and collate
information from the agencies for the integrated
presentation of work programmes, subject to
some modifications in the format and content
of the presentation. To increase the participation
of relevant agencies, the Committee recommended
that the secretariat distribute the presentation
among agencies working in the region and seek
their comments and cooperation. More vigorous
follow-up including reminder letters, correspondence
and, where possible, consultations, was proposed
to further improve participation.
25. The Committee decided
that the provisional agenda for its eleventh
session should include as item 3 "Implementation
of recommendations of the Committee at its ninth
and tenth sessions" and that the reports of
the bureau and the Working Group of Statistical
Experts should become items 4 and 5, respectively.
It noted the proposals that gender statistics,
environment statistics and economic statistics
should also feature on the agenda, considered
that the provisional agenda could be finalized
in due course, and encouraged countries to submit
comments to the bureau of the Committee for
its deliberation.
II. PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMITTEE
A. Report of the bureau
26. The Committee had
before it document E/ESCAP/STAT.10/1. It noted
that the bureau had met twice in Bangkok since
the last Committee session: on 29 January 1996,
prior to the ninth session of the Working Group
of Statistical Experts, and on 22 November 1996,
immediately preceding the tenth session of the
Committee itself.
27. The Committee welcomed
the report of the bureau and agreed that the
new arrangements introduced at the ninth session
were working reasonably well, taking into account
the limited support the secretariat had been
able to provide owing to resource constraints.
Acknowledging the usefulness of the reports
prepared by the secretariat for the bureau,
the Committee supported the proposal made by
the Working Group of Statistical Experts that
such reports, prepared six-monthly, should be
circulated to national statistical offices following
review by the bureau.
28. The bureau reported
that it had examined its terms of reference
and had found them satisfactory. In discussing
them, the Committee decided to insert an additional
clause, as follows: "To represent the Committee,
through its chairperson or such other bureau
member as may be designated in the event of
the chairperson's inability to attend, at meetings
for which invitations might be received and
which the bureau considers of relevance and
importance to the Committee, in particular the
United Nations Statistical Commission and its
Working Group on International Statistical Programmes
and Coordination". The newly approved terms
of reference of the bureau appear in Section
I.B.2 of this report.
B.
Report of the Working Group of Statistical Experts
29. The Committee had before
it the report of the Working Group of Statistical
Experts on its ninth session (E/ESCAP/STAT.10/2).
It noted that the meeting, which drew high attendance
from the countries in the region, had touched
upon topics of fundamental importance. It generally
endorsed the recommendations of the Working
Group, and placed emphasis on those concerning
the production of handbooks for implementation
of the 1993 System of National Accounts (SNA),
especially that on subnational accounts and
the manual on statistics on trade in services.
The view was expressed that data on the valuation
of unpaid work of family members should not
be used for operational purposes. The Committee
noted the need for giving adequate attention
to the application of information technology
in statistics, particularly the human resources
aspects, in order not to widen the gap between
the developed and the developing countries in
that sector, and suggested that the topic should
be reviewed by an expert group. The Committee
acknowledged the importance of the work being
undertaken by ad hoc (Voorburg-type) informal
groups and noted with satisfaction that the
United Nations Statistics Division had made
arrangements for the distribution of information
received from the ad hoc groups on the schedules
and results of their meetings. It heard that
a Delhi group on statistics concerning the informal
sector had been formed.
C.
Review of statistical activities in the region
30. The Committee had
before it the secretariat document entitled
"Secretariat activities since the ninth session
of the Committee on Statistics" (E/ESCAP/STAT.10/3).
It also took note of the documents entitled
"Recommendations and statement of regional priorities
of the South Pacific Commission's Tenth Regional
Conference of Statisticians" (E/ESCAP/STAT.10/4),
and "Report of the Director of the Statistical
Institute for Asia and the Pacific" (E/ESCAP/STAT.10/5).
31. The Committee expressed
its appreciation of the fact that, despite worsening
budget constraints, the secretariat had so far
been able to maintain a reasonable level of
statistical services.
32. The Committee noted that
the important task of setting priorities need
not be unduly affected by financial considerations;
setting priorities also simplified the task
of the secretariat in formulating a work plan.
It heard that the future resource position was
difficult to predict and given clear priorities,
possible extrabudgetary sources of funding could
be explored, including experts on non-reimbursable
loan or other contributions in kind as well
as cash payments.
33. In reviewing the current
status of the ESCAP Statistical Information
System (ESIS), the Committee expressed concern
that despite considerable technological progress,
putting the System into operation had been slow.
The Committee reaffirmed its support for ESIS
and urged that the resources needed to put it
into operation be found as soon as possible.
It noted that the specialized statistical database
administration skills required for further work
on ESIS were unlikely to be available from in-house
redeployment.
34. The Committee voiced its
appreciation of the Statistical Newsletter
and encouraged member countries and partner
organizations to contribute more articles. It
felt that one way to assist potential contributors
might be to provide broad guidelines on the
format and length of articles.
35. The Committee heard with
interest country and agency statements on the
salient features of their statistical activities
in the region over the last two years. Many
of the statements were based on reports circulated
to the Committee (see annex I), which would
form part of the documentation archive being
built up in the secretariat.
36. The Committee noted that
national statistical agencies were making innovations
and improvements to meet changing statistical
needs in their countries. It noted further that
SDDS, which had been initiated by IMF had significant
resource implications for national statistical
offices. Many countries which had agreed to
subscribe to the standards saw in principle
the benefits of SDDS in terms of improved statistics,
but noted nevertheless the resource implications.
They expressed regret that adequate consultations
with the producers of the relevant statistics
in the countries in the ESCAP region had not
been held. While the recommendations in SDDS
on the coverage of data were considered relevant
and had been well received, that was not always
the case with the requirements for periodicity
of data release, especially on a monthly basis.
37. The Committee noted with
interest that modern information technology
was increasingly being used for statistical
purposes. That included the use of satellite
imagery for creating sampling frames, computer-assisted
telephone interview methods for enumeration,
and palm-top and microcomputers for paperless
data collection. The Internet was being increasingly
used for data dissemination and some national
offices had launched their home pages on the
World Wide Web.
38. The Committee welcomed
the fact that technical cooperation among countries
to enhance statistical capabilities was increasingly
being pursued by countries in the region on
a bilateral basis. The modalities included study
tours for statisticians from one country to
another, as well as provision of on-the-job
training by host countries. The Committee noted
with interest that some donor countries had
provided financial support, on a bilateral basis,
to countries in the region to assist in the
development of statistical capacities. It welcomed
the initiative of member countries in organizing
technical meetings in the statistical field.
It noted with interest the process of setting
up a chamber of statistics for the SAARC (South
Asian Association for Regional Cooperation)
countries.
39. The Committee noted
with interest the efforts made by some countries
to coordinate statistical standards among government
agencies at the national level. It also noted
that countries were increasingly faced with
non-response problems. It held the view that
promoting statistical literacy among the public
could help ameliorate the situation. The Committee
considered that promoting the public's right
of access to statistical data and demonstrating
transparency in data compilation would instil
confidence among users of official statistics.
D.
Functioning of the Committee and its bureau
40. The Committee had before
it document E/ESCAP/STAT.10/6. It noted the
facilitative role of the bureau in the discharge
of the functions of the Committee.
1. Terms of reference
of the Committee
41. The Committee recommended
that the Commission adopt the Committee's terms
of reference in the form in which they appear
in section I.A of the present report, which,
with an editorial amendment as agreed on by
the Committee at its previous session. It authorized
the secretariat, in consultation with the bureau,
to make any necessary technical and editorial
changes to the terms of reference as might be
necessitated by the outcomes of the ongoing
reviews of the conference structure and work
programme of the Commission.
2. Size of the bureau
and its term in office
42. The Committee decided
to increase the size of its bureau from the
current four members to six and to set the term
of office of bureau members at four years. To
ensure continuity in the bureau's work, three
members of the bureau would be retired every
two years. The Committee recognized that in
the above respects, some transitional measures
would need to be adopted at the tenth session.
The Committee reaffirmed that bureau members
were representatives of members and associate
members of ESCAP and were not serving in their
personal capacity. It felt it desirable to have
a representative in the bureau from all five
ESCAP subregions, but saw it necessary to apply
that principle flexibly. The bureau would decide
the frequency of its own meetings.
3. Financial arrangements
for bureau meetings
43. The Committee endorsed
the conclusions of the Working Group of Statistical
Experts on the financial arrangements for bureau
meetings, noting that there was in principle
provision under the regular budget for the airfare
and daily subsistence allowance of the persons
(currently four) elected as the officers of
the Committee to participate in the meeting
of the Working Group of Statistical Experts
(if one was held), with which a bureau meeting
could be associated; in the event of financial
constraints, priority should be given to funding
the participation of bureau members from the
Central Asian republics, and the least developed,
landlocked countries and island developing countries.
Otherwise, members would be expected to finance
their participation in bureau meetings. The
Committee encouraged the bureau to hold frequent
consultations without physically convening,
which had become easier as electronic and telephone
connections had improved.
4. Promotion of statistical
standards
44. The Committee emphasized
that the United Nations Statistical Commission
was the appropriate forum to approve and recommend
new international statistical standards. Standards
developed by sectoral agencies or informal groups
should be discussed at the Statistical Commission
before being recommended for global use. The
Committee noted that national statistical offices
had expressed concern that they had not been
adequately consulted by IMF in the planning
for the implementation of SDDS.
45. Citing other recent developments
that were not known to all members and associate
members, the Committee asked the secretariat
to improve its reporting on emerging trends
and topics in international statistical standardization
and methodological work. It noted that the bureau
also had a role to play in ensuring that members
and associate members were kept up to date,
and in maintaining the Committee as a forum
where participants could learn about the latest
developments in international statistics.
46. The Committee recalled
the fundamental principles of official statistics
adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission
in 1994 and noted that they were widely used
to support the development of national statistical
legislation and best practices. The Committee
asked its bureau to examine how the Committee
could increase its involvement in the development
of statistical methods and standards.
5. Coordination function
47. The Committee welcomed
the practice whereby its chairperson received
an invitation to participate in the United Nations
Statistical Commission and its Working Group
on International Statistical Programmes and
Coordination. As with all non-elected members,
the chairperson's status as an observer at the
Statistical Commission in no way precluded her/him
from making statements or interventions. The
Committee felt, however, that it should pay
greater attention to providing inputs for and
views on future agendas of the Statistical Commission.
48. The Committee heard the
Director of the United Nations Statistics Division
describe the existing mechanisms through which
the Statistical Commission was taking regional
concerns into consideration: First, the ESCAP
region was represented in the Statistical Commission
through members elected by the Economic and
Social Council, who not only could speak for
themselves but could also reflect the views
of the region. Second, the secretariats of the
regional commissions were usually represented
at the Statistical Commission and spoke on behalf
of their members and associate members. Third,
a balanced geographic representation was sought
in the expert groups formed to prepare technical
issues and draft documentation for the Commission.
6. Participation
49. The Committee noted that
its tenth session had attracted senior-level
representation, with half of the Commission's
60 members and associate members attending.
While observing that the surest way of increasing
participation at Committee sessions was to provide
funding for the many members and associate members
who were unable to attend owing to financial
constraints, the Committee noted that a relevant
agenda and the early provision of documentation,
preferably highlighted and summarized, was one
way of attracting interest in participation.
7. Working Group of
Statistical Experts
50. Following the established
practice, the Committee decided that a Working
Group of Statistical Experts should be convened.
The Committee recommended that the Working Group
should concentrate on discussing substantive
statistical matters in depth. It asked the bureau
to decide on and inform members about the agenda
3-4 months prior to the meeting of the Working
Group, with content of an administrative nature
pruned to the minimum.
8. Future conference
structure of the Commission
51. The Committee unanimously
endorsed the view of the Working Group of Statistical
Experts that the Committee on Statistics should
be retained in any future revision of the conference
structure of ESCAP, and that if necessary, national
statistical offices should make representations
with the appropriate agencies in their respective
Governments to that end. While welcoming the
indications that the existing proposals would
retain the Committee intact, it instructed its
bureau and the secretariat to continue to monitor
developments in the reform process, which would
culminate at the fifty-third session of the
Commission in April 1997. The Committee endorsed
a text, reproduced in annex II to this report,
which would enhance the description of the proposed
statistics subprogramme as formulated by the
Working Group on ESCAP Reform and contained
in paragraph 22 of document E/ESCAP/STAT.10/6.
E.
Issues relating to the development of statistics,
including those in support of the themes of
the Commission
52. The Committee had before
it two notes by the secretariat: "Statistical
development:selected issues" (E/ESCAP/STAT.10/7)
and "Emerging issues in the development and
utilizationof science and technology indicators
in developing countries of the ESCAP region"
(E/ESCAP/STAT.10/7/Add.4); and four papers contributed
by countries at the invitation of the secretariat:
"Gender statistics" (E/ESCAP/STAT.10/7/Add.1)
prepared by the Central Bureau of Statistics
of Indonesia, "Poverty estimation" (E/ESCAP/STAT.10/7/Add.2)
prepared by theFederal Bureau of Statistics
of Pakistan, "Critical problems in economic
statistics" (E/ESCAP/STAT.10/7/Add.3) prepared
by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and
"Developing and institutionalizing the Philippine
system of environment and natural resources
accounting" (E/ESCAP/STAT.10/7/Add.5) prepared
by the National Statistical Coordination Board
of the Philippines.
53. The Committee commended
the quality of the invited papers and expressed
its appreciation to the national statistical
offices for contributing them. It recommended
that the approach of inviting papers should
be continued for the future sessions.
1. Gender statistics
54. The Committee felt that
document E/ESCAP/STAT.10/7/Add.1 on gender statistics
provided interesting and comprehensive information
on the development of gender statistics in Indonesia,
along with an assessment of the methods employed
by the Central Bureau of Statistics in collecting,
compiling, and disseminating statistical information
disaggregated by gender at the national and
subnational levels. The Committee heard that
gender statistics were not a mere breakdown
of data by sex; rather they provided a symptomatic
description of the gap existing between women
and men.
55. The Committee noted that
improving the availability and quality of information
disaggregated by gender was necessary but not
sufficient; the national statistical offices
should also consider how to promote the analysis
and use of those data for deeper understanding
of the issues and for assisting policy-making.
Further, data should be disaggregated by sex
only when applicable; statisticians should not
neglect other factors in disaggregating data,
such as by rural or urban place of residence
or by education. Data collection and analysis
should also take into consideration the cultural
conditions of the country. The Committee acknowledged
that there remained several areas for which
direct measurement was difficult or where the
information collected was not reliable, such
as gender equity, violence against women and
maternal mortality.
56. The Committee was informed
of the successful experiences of six Asian countries
participating in the secretariat project on
improving statistics on gender issues, under
which national statistical booklets on women
and men had been published. Most of the participating
countries intended to continue publishing the
booklets in the future by improving and updating
the data they contained. The Committee recommended
that, based on the outputs of that project,
the secretariat should disseminate information
on gender issues and continue to give priority
to improving gender statistics in the region.
The secretariat should also compile a list of
bibliographic references on research and analysis
based on gender statistics. In that regard,
the Committee welcomed the plan of the secretariat
to work towards replicating the project in other
countries of the region.
2. Poverty estimation
57. Document E/ESCAP/STAT.10/7/Add.2
concerning poverty estimation in Pakistan discussed
some of the traditional approaches to estimation
of the poverty line and the assumptions underlying
them. The Committee noted that poverty analysis
should go beyond just determining the number
or proportion of poor households, or individuals,
according to the established poverty line, and
should attempt to measure the disparity of income
even among the poor themselves. In recognizing
the conceptual difficulties in poverty assessment,
several countries shared their experience and
the problems encountered in their attempts to
estimate poverty lines and to measure poverty
incidence. Income and expenditure surveys were
invariably the major sources of data for poverty
estimation. In that regard, it was noted that
alternative methods of data collection such
as nutrition surveys should be explored because
the interview method of collecting information
on household income and expenditure often yielded
unreliable results. The Committee noted that
minimum calorific needs as determined by nutrition
surveys and other instruments differed between
and within countries.
58. Concern was raised about
the normative criteria by which poverty status
was often determined at the national level,
resulting in the non-comparability of international
estimates. The Committee heard that the United
Nations Statistical Commission's Working Group
on International Statistical Programmes and
Coordination had agreed with the conclusion
of the Task Force on the Measurement of Poverty
that it was not the function of the Statistical
Commission to develop international standards
for the definition of poverty; rather, such
work should be left to individual countries.
59. The Committee noted that
most discussions of poverty estimation centred
on the measurement problem. An aspect that was
equally important but most often overlooked
was the level of disaggregation at which measures
of poverty levels were made. Urban-rural disparities,
as well as smaller geographical level disaggregations
provided examples that should be given due importance.
The Indonesian experience of using the results
of poverty studies to identify poor communities
was noted. In that connection, it was stressed
that there was a need for a continuous dialogue
between users and producers of poverty statistics,
a process that would lead to the production
of statistics that were more relevant for poverty
alleviation programmes.
60. The representative
of the Economic Commission for Latin America
and the Caribbean shared some information about
the initiatives that were being pursued in the
area of poverty estimation. Those involved creation
of an expert group on poverty measurement and
the organization of a seminar in Santiago, with
participation from all regions including ESCAP.
The main objective was to produce a synthesis
of world experience on the subject through state-of-the-art
papers, with the aim of improving the methodology
of poverty estimation.
3. Critical problems
in economic statistics
61. The Committee had before
it document E/ESCAP/STAT.10/7/Add.3. It noted
that the appendix to that document contained
a report by the Expert Group on Critical Problems
in Economic Statistics on its meeting held in
New York in October 1995, updated to reflect
discussions at the Working Group on International
Statistical Programmes and Coordination in April
1996. The Expert Group had been constituted
by the Statistical Commission to study issues
and problems related to users' confidence in
the economic statistics produced from official
sources.
62. The Committee recognized
that the Expert Group had correctly emphasized
the need for greater user confidence in official
statistics in which coverage, timeliness, periodicity
and reliability played a critical part. In reviewing
the issues raised by the Group, the Committee
considered that the term "good behaviour" should
relate to good practices. It agreed that there
was room for improvement in the compilation
systems and other methodologies employed in
official statistics.
63. The Committee welcomed
the establishment of various ad hoc groups to
undertake in-depth studies on statistical issues.
It cautioned, however, that such groups, being
independently constituted, with distinct emphases
and constituencies, might tend to be academic
and research-oriented rather than representing
broader subject or country interests of official
statisticians. The Committee was advised that
the Statistical Commission was now in the process
of registering and approving the terms of reference
of each of those ad hoc groups, which would
also be required to circulate their findings
widely.
64. The Committee noted that
the International Comparison Programme (ICP)
was under review to ascertain whether it could
achieve its aim of producing estimates, comparable
across countries in real terms, for the gross
domestic product and its main aggregates. The
review would also consider the feasibility of
including ICP requirements in normal national
price collection regimes. It noted that the
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD) had engaged a consultant to review its
purchasing power parity programme. The results
of that review would be available in 1997. The
Committee noted that the usefulness for economic
analysis of measures of comparative price levels
both nationally and internationally was beyond
question, and that ICP had a definite role in
that regard.
65. The Committee noted that
the issues listed in the Expert Group report
were those considered important at that meeting.
It felt that among other issues warranting attention
were the measurement of productivity and compilation
of data on output, wealth, inflation, and short-term
indicators. The Committee also felt that consideration
of the informal sector, which remained a largely
unrecorded element of most economies, should
be extended to include "shadow" and other underreported
sectors of the economy. The Committee noted
that SDDS, which had been initiated by IMF,
might be difficult for some countries to meet
and welcomed the fact that IMF had devoted resources
to assist some countries to meet such standards.
4. Science and Technology
Indicators
66. In considering document
E/ESCAP/STAT/7/Add.4, the Committee commended
the quality of the paper. It recognized that
a number of recent developments had taken place
in the design of science and technology indicators,
in particular those of OECD. It noted that the
original OECD indicators on science and technology
had been supplemented by a number of manuals
which took into account new approaches, particularly
by the private sector. Those approaches emphasized
the complex relationships between marketing
and design and engineering, which could be utilized
by developing countries of the region, if properly
adjusted to local conditions.
5. Environment statistics
67. The Committee agreed that
document E/ESCAP/STAT.10/7/Add.5 had taken the
right steps in the development of environment
and resource accounting, in terms of starting
with the practical approach of accounting for
the natural resources rather than pollution
and environmental degradation. The environmental
accounts drew attention to the role of statisticians
in planning and decision-making for sustainable
development.
68. Concern was expressed,
however, on the proper application of "environmentally
adjusted net domestic product (EDP)" considering
the incomplete nature of the estimates when
other resources were not accounted for. The
usefulness of monetarizing the physical resource
account was also questioned. The Committee discussed
issues concerning the methodology for estimating
stocks and degradation. In that regard, the
use of household surveys and the strategy of
developing regional estimates were noted.
F.
Statistical implications of the outcome of the
Cairo, Copenhagen and Beijing global conferences
69. The Committee had before
it the secretariat paper entitled "Statistical
implications of the outcome of the Cairo, Copenhagen
and Beijing global conferences" (E/ESCAP/STAT.10/8).
It also heard of statistical work linked to
various task forces charged with following up
those conferences.
70. A number of countries
raised questions on the appropriateness and
definition of certain indicators included in
the Minimum National Social Data Set (MNSDS)
proposed by the Expert Group on the Statistical
Implications of Major United Nations Conferences,
set up by the United Nations Statistical Commission.
The Committee noted, however, that the main
concern of the Expert Group had been to strengthen
social statistics infrastructure in national
statistical offices, as a means of achieving
the goals of the international forums; MNSDS
thus represented a means rather than an end.
71. The Committee noted that
MNSDS was designed primarily to guide policy
development and decision-making in the countries
themselves. Consultation with users was thus
an essential part of the process of deciding
on an appropriate set of national indicators.
Several countries emphasized the importance
of introducing MNSDS cautiously, as it should
not be seen as being imposed on national statistical
offices, the way SDDS had been perceived by
some countries. It noted that resources for
development of social indicators were not easy
to obtain, despite increased political awareness.
In some instances it might be important to stress
that MNSDS was only a minimum set and not sufficient
to measure fully the achievement of the goals
of the various social programmes of action.
The Committee expressed concern, however, that
the demand for statistics had not always been
accompanied by a corresponding provision of
resources needed to produce those statistics.
72. One positive effect of
the summits and the resultant MNSDS had been
to raise the status of social statistics and
indicators. It was important to ensure that
a manageable set of social indicators was compiled
regularly and that such indicators were responsive
to annual changes in the social situation. The
Committee agreed that it should focus on how
to proceed in developing national infrastructure
and MNSDS. It endorsed the idea that some countries
should be selected in which to conduct pilot
studies, and welcomed the information that potential
donors had been identified by the United Nations
Statistics Division for that purpose.
73. Countries also emphasized
the importance of population and housing censuses
in providing essential social statistics, and
noted the need for training workshops for the
2000 round of censuses.
G.
Issues relating to the Statistical Institute
for Asia and the Pacific, including the report
of the Governing Board
74. The Committee had before
it two documents: E/ESCAP/STAT.10/9, the report
of the Governing Board on its first session,
held in Tokyo from 11 to 13 March 1996, and
E/ESCAP/STAT.10/9/Add.1, the report on the second
session, held in Bangkok on 20 and 21 November
1996. The Committee was informed of some of
the emerging issues and subject areas requiring
more focused attention and of the collaborative
arrangements that the Institute had entered
into with governments and international organizations
in the conduct of country outreach programmes
and country and regional workshops.
75. The Committee noted that
pursuant to the adoption by the Commission of
resolution 51/1 of 1 May 1995 on the Statute
of the Statistical Institute for Asia and the
Pacific, the Institute had acquired the status
of a subsidiary body of ESCAP and was operating
under the guidance of the Governing Board.
76. It also noted that the
Task Force established under the mandate of
the Governing Board at its first session to
chart a new direction for the Institute had
met in Tokyo on 28 and 29 October 1996, and
that its report had been submitted to the Governing
Board at its second session. The Governing Board
had endorsed the thrust of the report and accepted
the recommendations of the Task Force. It requested
the Director of SIAP to pursue the implementation
of the recommendations, and to report to the
Board in six months on the progress made on
the new initiatives.
77. The Committee noted that
the implementation of the above recommendations
would depend very much on the availability of
financial resources and the establishment of
an efficient system of staffing arrangements,
including short-term experts, staff on secondment
from member countries and experts on a non-reimbursable
loan basis.
78. The Committee welcomed
the increase in contributions to the Institute
from China, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Republic of
Korea, Singapore and Thailand, as well as the
resumption of financial support from Australia,
and called for increased contributions in cash
and in kind from other members and associate
members, as well as new contributions from those
countries which had not been contributing to
SIAP.
79. The Committee noted that
the programme support of the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) on human development
indicators would be phased out by the end of
1996 and that the evaluation report on that
programme had recommended continuing collaboration
between the host Government of Japan and UNDP
in support of SIAP training programmes. In expressing
its thanks to the Government of Japan for the
generous support given to the Institute, the
Committee also considered continued UNDP assistance
to be crucial.
80. Many representatives expressed
their gratitude to the Institute for the benefit
that their staff had received from the training
it provided. They welcomed the new direction
and role that the Institute would embark on.
The point was made, however, that any expanded
programmes of SIAP should be additional and
complementary to, and not in replacement of,
any activities undertaken by ESCAP.
H.
Issues relating to information technology applications
and information resource management, and review
of public sector computerization activities
in the region
81. The Committee had before
it the secretariat document "Issues in computerization
in the public sector" (E/ESCAP/STAT.10/10).
It recalled clause eight of its terms of reference,
in which the mandate to review computerization
in the public sector was broadly defined and
not restricted to statistics.
82. The Committee agreed that
information technology reforms were often best
started from a review of managerial issues and
organizational structures. It appreciated the
secretariat's action on its earlier recommendation
to organize a seminar on information technology
management for senior-level decision makers
in the public sector, and hoped that the planned
project would be funded. The Committee asked
the secretariat to examine other modalities
that could be used in sensitizing government
officials to the importance of adopting information
technology. Those might include task forces
and informal expert groups to set up guidelines
to assist statistical offices and other government
departments to adopt strategies and best practices
in the use of various information technologies;
ministerial-level consultations to alert politicians
to the widening gap between the potential and
actual use of information technology; various
arrangements to assist countries to exchange
expertise bilaterally; identification and provision
of consultants to assist governments in developing
their information systems; and cooperation between
international agencies and the private sector.
In that regard, it welcomed the availability
of experts in the United Nations Statistics
Division for ad hoc consultancies. The Committee
strongly urged the secretariat to start disseminating
its documents, data and services through the
World Wide Web of the Internet.
83. Welcoming the recent appointment
of a programme officer in public sector computerization,
the Committee recognized that the resource base
of the secretariat was still dwarfed by the
scope of public sector computerization and the
speed of information technology evolution. It
was therefore important to define a sharp focus
to the secretariat's work in that field. The
Committee noted that the ESCAP secretariat and
the United Nations Statistics Division had long
been providing assistance in computer applications
in the field of statistics, particularly related
to population censuses and surveys.
84. The Committee recorded
the members' urgent need for technical advisory
services in several fields of information technology,
most notably in networking and telecommunications,
but also noted that the secretariat staff had
extremely limited possibilities of providing
advice on those or other individual technologies.
The short life cycle of software and hardware
was of great concern. Keeping offices technologically
up to date was therefore costly and required
continuous training of staff at all levels.
85. The Committee took note
of the recommendations of the Expert Group Meeting
to Review Computerization Development in the
Public Sector, which had been held in December
1995. As it was obvious that the secretariat
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