E/ESCAP/STAT.11/6
7 September 1998
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Committee on Statistics
Eleventh session
24-26 November 1998
Bangkok

1. ORGANIZATION OF THE SESSION
   1. Opening of the session
   2. Attendance
   3. Election of officers
   4. Agenda
2. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE SECOND SESSION OF THE GOVERNING BOARD
3. REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF SIAP
4. REPORT ON INITIATIVES TAKEN TO CHART THE NEW DIRECTION OF SIAP
5. PROGRAMME OF WORK AND RESOURCE MOBILIZATION FOR 1998/99
6. REVIEW OF THE DRAFT ANNUAL REPORT OF THE GOVERNING BOARD TO THE COMMISSION
7. OTHER MATTERS
8. ADOPTION OF THE REPORT

I. ORGANIZATION OF THE SESSION

A. Opening of the session

1. The third session of the Governing Board of the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP) was held in Tokyo on 15 and 16 October 1997.

2. On behalf of the Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the meeting was opened by the Director of the Statistics Division of ESCAP who read out the message of the Executive Secretary. The Executive Secretary expressed his appreciation of the Governing Board's valuable contribution to the work of SIAP in providing useful guidance in framing its work programme. Drawing the attention of the Board to the need for reliable statistics for informed and sound policy-making, he stressed that the role of SIAP as a regional training centre had to expand appropriately to meet the statistical capability-building needs of the developing Asian and Pacific economies. Moreover, the work programme of SIAP would need to be refocused to address emerging issues of importance in statistics, particularly those identified in the United Nations-sponsored global summits of the 1990s.

3. Along with the increasing demand for official statistics and greater emphasis on the quality of the data in terms of accuracy and timeliness, data users were searching for simple summary statistics and key indicators. There was growing reliance by policy makers on micro-statistics relating to particular areas, sectors and groups vis-à-vis consolidated national-level statistics. It was important to apply information technology to statistical work and to develop fresh approaches to statistics in a world experiencing globalization of production processes.

4. The Executive Secretary requested the Governing Board to deliberate on measures to enhance the financial soundness and stability of SIAP, in view of the resource constraints being encountered by the United Nations system. He also asked the Board to encourage all members and associate members of ESCAP to support the Institute in cash or in kind. He expressed his sincere thanks to those countries of the region that provide financial support to SIAP and asked them to consider increasing their contributions.

5. The Executive Secretary expressed his deep appreciation and gratitude to the Government of Japan for being the generous host of the Institute and, in particular, to the Management and Coordinating Agency (MCA) for its constructive and helpful role in the organization and implementation of SIAP training programmes. Noting that any reduction in assistance to SIAP by the Government of Japan could have an adverse impact on the Institute's training programmes, he asked the Governing Board to urge the Government of Japan through MCA to restrain, to the extent possible, implementation of the cut in the budget for SIAP programmes and activities. 6. The Executive Secretary expressed his deep appreciation to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for its strong financial support of SIAP, which has been a crucial factor in making the Institute's outreach programme effective and visible. He also thanked other international organizations and agencies, particularly the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), for resource support for SIAP training programmes and activities.

B. Attendance

7. The session was attended by representatives of the following members of the Governing Board: Australia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Singapore and Thailand.

8. The chairperson of the Committee on Statistics and representatives of ESCAP attended the session.

9. Representatives of the following members and associate members of ESCAP attended the session as observers: Federated States of Micronesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Macau, Philippines and Viet Nam.

10. Representatives of the following United Nations agencies participated as observers: FAO and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

11. A representative of the Pacific Community (SPC) also attended as an observer.

C. Election of officers

12. The Board elected the following officers:

• Chairperson: Mr Tim Skinner (Australia)
• Vice-chairperson: Mr Takanobu Negi (Japan)

D. Agenda

13. The session adopted the following agenda:

1. Opening of the meeting.
2. Election of officers.
3. Adoption of the agenda.
4. Matters arising from the second session of the Governing Board.
5. Report of the Director of SIAP.
6. Report on initiatives taken to chart the new direction of SIAP.
7. Programme of work and resource mobilization for 1998/99.
8. Review of the draft annual report of the Governing Board to the Commission.
9. Other matters.
10. Adoption of the report.

II. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE SECOND SESSION OF THE GOVERNING BOARD

(Agenda item 4)

14. The Governing Board noted that one issue had arisen from its second session, held in November 1996, namely the directive to the Director of SIAP to initiate consultations with the Government of Japan, member countries, UNDP, and other relevant multilateral, regional and subregional organizations to follow up the recommendations adopted at the second session. The Board noted that appropriate action had been taken on that issue and decided to discuss it under the agenda item 6.

III. REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF SIAP

(Agenda item 5)

15. The meeting had before it the report of the Director of SIAP contained in document STAT/SIAP/GB(3)/2. The Director summarized the activities of the Institute since the second session of the Board.

16. The Board was informed that since November 1996 the Institute had conducted nine training activities in Tokyo: (a) a group training course in practical statistics (33 participants from 31 countries); (b) a group training course in automatic data-processing for trainers (23 participants from 23 countries); (c) a group training course in analysis and interpretation of statistics (12 participants from 12 countries); (d) a course/workshop on sample design for household and establishment surveys (21 participants from 20 countries); (e) two group training courses in practical statistics for officials of Cambodia (5 participants each); as well as three special individual programmes for one participant from Macau in national accounts; four participants from Viet Nam on national accounts and two participants who were already in Japan for a 2-day course on an introduction to Excel for statistical use.

17. Under the Institute's outreach programme, the Director informed the meeting of the following four activities carried out since November 1996 under UNDP/SIAP project RAS/92/005: (a) a training mission to Cambodia, to assist the National Institute of Statistics, Cambodia to design and train statisticians in the selection of a sample for the Cambodia socio-economic survey, 1997; (b) a training mission to Brunei Darussalam, to assist the statisticians in developing a sample design for the household income and expenditure survey 1997, as well as to provide training on the procedures and the main concepts of the survey and the methodology of the construction of the Consumer Price Index and price collection procedures; (c) a country course in China in sample design for household and establishment surveys; and (d) a country course in Maldives on basic statistics.

18. Regarding the programme of work, the Board was informed that the Institute was currently conducting in Tokyo the Eighth Training Course in Practical Statistics with 33 participants from 28 countries, in which the curriculum had been streamlined and new topics incorporated. The planned outreach programme for 1997 included a subregional course on sample design for household and establishment surveys for the Pacific island countries, held at Suva in November, and a similar course for countries with economies in transition, held at Bangkok in December.

19. Concerning institutional matters, the Director informed the Board that a detailed report on initiatives taken to chart the new direction of SIAP had been submitted under agenda item 6.

20. In relation to financial matters, the Director noted with appreciation the contributions from member countries to the institutional budget of SIAP and, in particular, the resumption of the contribution of the Islamic Republic of Iran and a new contribution by Vanuatu. He welcomed the increase in contributions from Brunei Darussalam, India and the Philippines. He also brought to the Board's attention that annex II in document STAT/SIAP/GB(3)/5 should be updated to take into account the contribution of Fiji for 1995 and 1996 which had just been received.

21. The Director pointed out that the contribution of the Government of Japan continued to constitute the bulk of the overall cash contributions. However, since any reduction in assistance to SIAP by the Government of Japan could have an adverse impact on the Institute's training programmes, he asked the Board to consider urging the Government of Japan through MCA to restrain, to the extent possible, implementation of the cut in the budget for SIAP programmes and activities. The Director also touched upon the issue of countries that had been receiving assistance from SIAP on a sustained basis but made no contribution, and requested the Board to consider urging those countries that had not made pledges at the fifty-third session of Commission, as well as those that had not made any cash contributions to SIAP, to do so.

22. The Director informed the Board that UNDP had approved the SIAP programme on establishing and strengthening national capability in data collection/compilation and statistical analysis required in the preparation of national human development reports for the region. An initial sum of about US$ 600,000 for a three-year period beginning in November 1997 had just been approved, and UNDP had also agreed to a review for additional funding once the activities were under way.

23. The Governing Board deliberated intensively upon the issues mentioned in the Director's report, and made several useful suggestions. The Board appreciated the work done by SIAP and noted that the Director had implemented several of the recommendations made by the Governing Board at its second session, particularly those relating to the inclusion of new topics in the training programmes of SIAP and to consultation with member governments and relevant multilateral/regional organizations on expanding collaboration and cooperation in the implementation of SIAP activities. 24. With regard to the ongoing SIAP programme of Tokyo-based courses, the Governing Board agreed on the following guidelines:

1. Regarding the eligibility conditions for participation in SIAP courses, it was pointed out that since the region was very heterogeneous, age limits should not be overriding criteria in the selection process. Although the Director had explained that the age limit differed with courses and was imposed to induce a measure of homogeneity in the background of participants, it was agreed that, depending upon the circumstances, some flexibility could be adopted in special cases;
2. The specialized topic component of the course on interpretation and analysis could be made more focused, as it would facilitate the nomination process in the beneficiary countries by enabling identification of those officials who would be best suited to take advantage of the course;
3. On courses organized through institutional funds, SIAP could try to relocate such courses outside Tokyo, to countries in which costs were relatively lower. In that context, some countries, notably Indonesia and the Philippines, had offered collaborative arrangements with their national training facilities and institutes. It was noted that ESCAP facilities at Bangkok could also be utilized. The Board endorsed the proposal, since increasing cost-efficiency in the conduct of courses could raise participation and make it possible to organize a larger number of courses;
4. Training of trainers should receive special attention in SIAP activities owing to its potential of having a compounding effect in developing national capability-building.

25. In addition, the Governing Board made the following suggestions:

1. The six-month course on practical statistics could be structured into two modules, with a three-month first semester at an elementary level for junior statisticians and a three-month second semester at a relatively more advanced level in which the more experienced statisticians could join later. That would suit the special needs of many countries, particularly those that could not release staff for a long period, and might also permit a larger number of statisticians to benefit from SIAP training;
2. SIAP should consider, at an appropriate time, the issue of reducing the number of long-term fellowships and increasing the participation in short-term courses. In that regard, the Board noted that at its past sessions there had been much support for the six-month training course in practical statistics. Furthermore, there was strong support at the current session for continuing the six-month course for smaller countries, such as the Pacific island countries, where adequate training facilities were lacking and there was an acute problem of staff turnover;
3. The SIAP training programme could become more effective and beneficial if training was imparted on the basis of sectors, for example, industrial statistics, agricultural statistics and so on; (d) Since data collection in the emerging areas was an important but difficult task, SIAP could initiate training in that regard;
4. SIAP could try to develop the distance learning mode to spread the impact of its training by reaching a larger number of recipients; in the age of rapid advances in information technology the benefits could be large.

26. The Board welcomed the proposal of SIAP to organize, subject to obtaining the requisite funds, advanced-level seminars on contemporary issues, including the timeliness of statistics, Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) and General Data Dissemination System (GDDS) for senior officials of national statistical organizations.

27. The Governing Board also discussed the SIAP outreach training programme and provided the following guidance:

1. In specialized country courses, neighbouring countries could also be invited to participate, in order to conserve resources. Conversely, in training courses organized by national statistical offices, neighbouring countries could be invited with SIAP providing for the expenses of their participation or under technical cooperation among developing countries (TCDC) and other funding arrangements;
2. SIAP could draw upon regional expertise and expand the scope of its activities. Such an approach would also allow for the exchange of experience, which should be useful;
3. The outreach programme should be, as far as possible, tailored to country-specific training needs; in that regard, a suggestion was made that SIAP could conduct special studies to identify the major deficiencies existing in the statistical systems of the member countries;
4. For countries of the region, the following were important areas for training by SIAP through its outreach programme: designing and conducting socio-economic surveys, creating databases processing/analysing data, improving the quality of statistics, generating national accounts, and processing foreign trade data;
5. The representative of UNICEF briefed the Board on the work of his organization and indicated there were areas especially relating to women and children whereby SIAP and UNICEF could benefit by jointly undertaking programmes at the country level;
6. The representative of FAO mentioned the benefit of the collaboration with SIAP in conducting a joint regional training activity on data for food security in Cambodia. He further added there were areas where FAO had the expertise, such as in food security and nutrition, which SIAP could utilize in implementing its outreach programmes.

28. The meeting was informed that, in addition to SIAP outreach activities, members could benefit from ESCAP and ESCAP/UNFPA regional advisory services in the national accounts and demography fields. In addition, ESCAP could arrange for short-term advisory services in specific areas if the requesting governments provided the terms of reference of the technical assistance sought.

29. On the issue of the possible reduction in future funding for SIAP from the Government of Japan owing to its overall reduction of official development assistance, it was suggested that the most effective way of impressing upon the Government to consider refraining from doing so, was to ensure that SIAP training continued to have a demonstrated and positive impact on the statistical systems of the recipient countries. The representative of the Government of Japan assured the Board that the financial stability of SIAP was important to the statistical development of developing countries of the region, and that the collaborating host agency, that is, MCA, would exert its best efforts to minimize the financial cut, if any, relating to SIAP.

30. In the context of strengthening the financial basis of SIAP, the Governing Board decided that the chairperson should issue reminders to those ESCAP members and associate members who had not made any financial contribution to SIAP and those who were contributing below the level of contribution recommended by the Commission, particularly if they had been receiving assistance from SIAP on a sustained basis. The multilateral and regional agencies/organizations should also be approached for contributions in cash and/or in kind to enable SIAP to extend its programme activities.

31. The Governing Board placed on record its appreciation and gratitude for the contribution in cash and in kind of the Government of Japan to SIAP. The Board also thanked the governments which had made cash contributions to SIAP for their generosity and urged them to consider increasing their contributions in future. The Board gratefully acknowledged the continued strong programme support of UNDP to SIAP, and thanked FAO for its collaboration with and resource support for SIAP.

32. On the issue of mobilizing additional funding for SIAP programme activities, the Board discussed a suggestion to seek the support of the private sector. It was noted that although private sector foundations and non-governmental organizations could possibly be approached for such support, a cautious stance was advisable, particularly to ensure that there was no breach of the financial rules and regulations of United Nations and the Government of Japan. The Board suggested that the Director should consult with the concerned authorities prior to initiating any action.

33. Other suggestions aimed at expanding the resource base of SIAP included the offering of participation in SIAP courses to the private sector on a fee-paying basis, and the creation of a revolving fund for SIAP, the earnings of which could be used to finance SIAP activities.

IV. REPORT ON INITIATIVES TAKEN TO CHART THE NEW DIRECTION OF SIAP

(Agenda item 6)

34. The Governing Board had before it document STAT/SIAP/GB(3)/3 containing a report on initiatives taken to chart the new direction of SIAP.

35. The Director informed the Board of the modifications introduced in the current year to the curricula of two Tokyo-based courses: the six-month course in practical statistics and the two-month course in analysis and interpretation of statistics. The collaborative arrangements for resource support with ESCAP, FAO, UNEP, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the East-West Centre, Hawaii were touched upon.

36. The Board was informed of details regarding the development of a homepage on the Internet with the assistance of the Government of Japan, and of its contents.

37. The Board was provided with details of the favourable and positive outcomes of consultations held by the Director with some of the national statistical offices on proposed collaborative partnerships, particularly with Australia, Macau and Singapore, as well as discussions with several international and regional organizations/agencies on the issues of obtaining funding, technical expertise and training materials. The Board was also apprised of current collaboration with ESCAP, UNDP and the World Bank.

38. The Governing Board, in discussing the document, noted with appreciation the offers of collaboration made by the representatives of Indonesia and the Philippines for the conduct of SIAP courses at their respective national training institutes. The representative of the Republic of Korea explained that although the Republic of Korea was supportive of such collaboration, it was too early to make any firm commitment since statistical training facilities would be established only in the year 2000.

39. The Board was supportive of restructuring the Tokyo-based courses, particularly the six-month group training course in practical statistics, given the large part of SIAP in-house resources it absorbed. The Board noted the support for the current courses from some developing countries in the Pacific region. The Board felt a module approach to the course might provide a solution.

40. None the less, the Board recommended that the issue of restructuring SIAP courses should be viewed in a positive way and in totality. It acknowledged that the financial situation would have a bearing on the extent and timing of such restructuring. It was suggested that SIAP should be geared to change in a gradual way, with the changing needs of national statistical offices in a region that was dynamic and experiencing change. In that context, the Director brought to the Board's attention that the feasible approach was to introduce small changes in the short term and prepare to respond to the restructuring in the medium term.

41. The Board noted the views of the representatives of FAO, UNICEF and the Pacific Community on the issues raised in the report, particularly on the ongoing activities relevant to the work programme of SIAP, the possibilities of future collaboration with SIAP, and offers of supplementary resource support for SIAP training activities in national capability-building instatistics.

42. The Governing Board reiterated its gratitude to UNDP for its very timely and generous support to SIAP under its sixth intercountry programme funding cycle, and recommended that SIAP should seek avenues to supplement the impact of activities to be implemented through that project by obtaining regional expertise. In that context, and as part of a long-term strategy, the Board recommended that SIAP should embark on developing collaborative arrangements within the region. The representative of Australia offered to provide technical expertise to SIAP, if required.

43. The Governing Board concluded its discussion on the agenda item by commending and supporting the Director of SIAP for the initiatives taken by him since the last session of the Governing Board towards developing collaborative partnerships with the national statistical offices and relevant international/regional organizations/agencies for the implementation of SIAP training activities. In that regard, the Board noted with appreciation the several positive outcomes of the Director's initiatives, as detailed in his report. The Board also requested the Director of SIAP to provide an interim report to the Board after six months on the progress made in that regard.

V. PROGRAMME OF WORK AND RESOURCE MOBILIZATION FOR 1998/99

(Agenda item 7)

44. A draft programme of work for 1998/99, as contained in document STAT/SIAP/GB(3)/4 was presented to the Governing Board.

45. The Board was informed that the programme of work for 1998/99 would include three general Tokyo-based group training courses in which participants would be invited from a cross-section of the region's developing economies, and one group training course specifically for Cambodia. Although in the document the course/workshop on sample design for household and establishment surveys, which was funded from the institutional budget of SIAP, was reflected as a Tokyo-based course, that course/workshop would be organized outside Japan to conserve funds in line with the Governing Board's approval under agenda item 5 at that meeting. The Board was also informed that the savings so effected would be utilized by SIAP to organize additional training courses/workshops with collaboration with national statistical offices and training institutes.

46. The Director informed the Board that SIAP would continue to facilitate individual training courses relevant to development of statistics in the region. Such courses would be conducted on special requests received from national statistical offices for the training of their staff in specialized areas, and supported by sponsoring agencies.

47. Regarding the outreach programme of SIAP, the Board was informed that implementation of the three-year UNDP-funded project on establishing and strengthening national capability in data collection/compilation and statistical analysis required in the preparation of national human development reports which should commence in November 1997 would be under way and would be implemented through a mix of activities at the national, subregional and regional levels.

48. Other outreach activities in 1998 would include a national training course in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, to be conducted in Vientiane and funded by the national UNDP office, on poverty and other social indicators. In addition, in collaboration with and funding by the World Bank, a course on survey preparation and sample design would be organized in Cambodia. The Board was also informed that should funding be secured by ESCAP, the preparatory work would commence in 1998 for the conduct of an advanced-level regional seminar in 1999 on strategies for increased efficiency in the collection, processing and analysis of official statistics, particularly in emerging areas to meet statistical needs and challenges in the year 2000 and beyond.

49. The Board took note of the statement of the representative of the Government of Japan that the size of the JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency)-funded Tokyo-based courses in 1998/99 would eventually depend on the actual budget allocation, which would be known only by the year-end of 1998. The Board, accordingly, advised the Director to negotiate with the Government of Japan to restructure the courses, if it became necessary to do so in the light of the budgetary allocations.

50. The Board suggested that since the UNDP/SIAP project had several elements in common with the proposed national training course, to be held in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, SIAP resources could be maximized by funding the participation of other countries from the UNDP/SIAP project on national human resources indicators.

51. On the issue of new topics to be addressed in SIAP training programmes, there was general agreement on introducing gender statistics, environmental statistics, statistics relating to the informal sector, and socio-economic indicators of development. However, on the proposal to include satellite accounting, which was a subject of growing importance, one view was that it should be treated as an element of the 1993 system of national accounts (SNA 1993). The representative of FAO mentioned that a course on agricultural statistics could be introduced within the framework of SNA 1993 and include satellite accounting under it. It was also brought to the attention of the Board that work was undertaken on two other areas of satellite accounting in the region, namely human capital and tourism. 52. The discussions on the agenda item concluded with the observation by the Board that long-term programme issues were very important, and should always be kept in view in deciding upon the content of the Tokyo-based and outreach courses of SIAP. It was also suggested that SIAP could consider devoting a small part of its admittedly meagre resources to research work, primarily focused on keeping abreast with the most recent developments in those areas that were included in the curricula of SIAP courses.

VI. REVIEW OF THE DRAFT ANNUAL REPORT OF THE GOVERNING BOARD TO THE COMMISSION

(Agenda item 8)

53. The meeting had before it document STAT/SIAP/GB(3)/5 on the draft annual report of the Governing Board to the Commission.

54. The Director informed the Board that the report was in draft form and had been prepared in a format, following the procedure in the past, to reflect all activities that were programmed to be completed by April 1998. In the light of discussions at the third session, the draft would undergo some changes and it was hoped that members of the Governing Board would be provided with the revised draft report for comments before it was submitted to the Commission.

55. Introducing the document, the Director remarked that the first section concerned courses conducted during the year by SIAP and its outreach programme, while the second section was the more substantive part of the report, covering initiatives undertaken to chart the new direction of SIAP. Both parts had been discussed by the Board. Changes would occur in the draft of the second section, mainly with regard to the collaborative arrangements, some of which should be concluded with the governments and organizations, as well as on account of the proposal to conduct the institutionally- funded courses away from Tokyo. Another amendment in the draft would be in the UNDP programme where further details would be provided on the schedule of courses and on the activities under the project.

56. The draft of the next major section on the work programme and resource mobilization would also require some revision, particularly in respect of the new initiatives. On the financial status, the revenue indicated was likely to increase by the time the report was revised to take account of new contributions and of countries that had not pledged at the fifty-third session of the Commission. The last section would contain the report on the third session of the Governing Board, and would essentially reflect the gist of the Board's deliberations and recommendations.

57. The Governing Board recognized that the draft report would have to be revised to reflect the discussions at the third session, and suggested that the revised draft be sent to the members of the Governing Board in a way that would give it at least 2-3 weeks to study the document and make comments. One section of the document which the Board felt would certainly require strengthening was the third section on key issues calling for action by the Commission or brought to its attention. The Board felt that that was an extremely important section since it was through that part of the report that the attention of the Commission could be drawn to the work of the Governing Board. The section provided the opportunity for the Governing Board to signal to the Commission what was important for SIAP and to call for appropriate action and guidance by the Commission.

58. Under the third section, the Governing Board suggested that an indication should be provided to the Commission of the difficulties being encountered by the Government of Japan in maintaining its contribution to SIAP at the prevailing level, and the implications of the possible cutback in the contribution to the work programme of SIAP. Another important issue for the attention of the Commission was that of seeking additional funding for SIAP programme activities from non-traditional sources, including private sector funded foundations, taking care to inform the Commission that all aspects of such endeavours from the viewpoint of the financial rules and regulations of the United Nations and the Government of Japan would be ascertained prior to any action being taken.

59. The Board also suggested that any specific responses by SIAP to recommendations of the Commission or the Committee on Statistics should go back to the Commission for information.

60. Regarding the issue of including a list of SIAP alumni on its homepage, the Governing Board suggested a reconsideration since the list would not serve any useful purpose unless the most current information on the whereabouts of the past participants was provided. In addition, even if the current information was obtained, it would have to be updated continually, and that would impose a burden on the scarce resources of SIAP.

61. Regarding the second section, the Board recommended that an introductory paragraph should be added to explain and summarize the initiatives undertaken by the Director since the second session of the Governing Board. That would enable the Commission to understand better the new developments and to readily identify the departures from past procedures. The Board also suggested that the outreach programmes of SIAP should be put under a separate heading so that it could be examined easily by the Commission.

62. The Board drew attention to recent developments in statistics in the region, such as the proposed International Monetary Fund training institute/facility in Singapore for training in national accounts and balance of payments, and the meeting of ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) heads of national statistical offices. It was suggested that SIAP should develop collaborative arrangements with those institutions and take advantage of the training materials developed for those initiatives while drawing up its own training programmes. SIAP could, given its wider membership, even play a proactive role by providing bridging services between those new initiatives and country requirements.

63. The Board recommended that SIAP and the Statistics Division of ESCAP should take note of the training needs arising from activities of the various "city groups" established in recent years, which had focused on one particular aspect of statistics in an emerging field. Such an initiative would also facilitate SIAP in the preparation of its training programmes for the economies of the region in new and challenging areas of statistics.

64. Lastly, with regard to financial statements, the Governing Board recommended that the various components should be presented in a way that the distinction between its three main sources of financial support, namely, the institutional budget, the in-kind contribution by the host government including JICA, and the programme support of UNDP, were clearly seen. While appreciating the difficulties in preparing such statements, the Board advised that some rethinking should be done on how the statements were presented to the Commission, since the lumping together of funds from all sources and in-kind support was likely to give the false impression that SIAP had access to a large funding programme. The Board took the view that presentation in a detailed and transparent manner of the total resources of SIAP and their utilization, although a difficult task, would enable better appreciation of its rather delicate financial foundation.

VII. OTHER MATTERS

(Agenda item 9)

65. The Board decided that its next regular session would be held at Bangkok in 1998 for three working days immediately preceding the session of the ESCAP Committee on Statistics. Members of the Governing Board would be informed of the dates after they were decided upon.

VIII. ADOPTION OF THE REPORT

(Agenda item 10)

66. The Governing Board adopted the report of its third session on 16 October 1997.