E/ESCAP/STAT.11/18
24 September 1998
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Committee on Statistics
Eleventh session
24-26 November 1998
Bangkok

1. The Committee will elect three members to its Bureau after the substantive deliberations of the eleventh session. These three members will join Mr Asthana (India), Ms Davaasuren (Mongolia) and Mr Cheung (Singapore) whose terms in the Bureau will last until the end of the twelfth session in 2000. The elected members will serve a four-year term in the Bureau, ending in 2002. The Committee will elect a Chairperson, four Vice-Chairpersons and a Rapporteur from among the Bureau's new composition. This note explains the history of the Bureau and the current election procedure. The terms of reference of the Bureau are attached as annex II. Document E/ESCAP/STAT.11/2, the report of the Bureau, gives an idea of the work of the Bureau between Committee sessions.

2. At its tenth session, in 1996, the Committee on Statistics took a number of decisions that enhanced the role of its Bureau. It revised the Bureau's terms of reference, and also decided to increase the size of the Bureau to six members and to set the term of office of Bureau members at four years. To ensure continuity in the Bureau's work, it was further agreed that three members of the Bureau would be retired every two years. The Committee recognized that some transitional measures needed to be adopted at its tenth session, and it was decided that, as an interim measure, the four members of the Bureau at that time should continue to serve until the end of the eleventh session of the Committee. Together with the three new members elected at the tenth session, the Bureau thus currently comprises seven members:

3. Also at its tenth session, the Committee felt that it was desirable to have a representative in the Bureau from all five ESCAP subregions, but saw that it would be necessary to apply that principle flexibly. Annex I shows the origin of the office-holders in the Committee on Statistics and its predecessor bodies from 1951 to 1996. Table 1, organized by subregions as currently delineated by ESCAP, shows the frequency of election by country or area for the Committee sessions since 1974¹ and, in parentheses, for all meetings since 1951. The number of Committee sessions attended since 1974 appears in the last column. In reading this table, it should of course be borne in mind that the present members and associate members have joined the Commission at widely differing dates.

4. The Committee, at its tenth session, reaffirmed that Bureau members were representatives of members and associate members of ESCAP and were not serving in their personal capacity. At that time, however, the Committee did not pronounce on the question of possible re-election to the Bureau after the completion of a four-year term. This point is therefore still open. The Committee may wish to note that in Europe, where the Conference of European Statisticians meets annually, the practice is that Bureau members can be elected for up to four successive two-year terms, that is, eight years in all, after which there must be a break in service. The Chairman of the Conference, however, can serve for only two successive two-year terms.

5. The secretariat stands ready to assist the Committee in the consultative process leading to the election of Bureau members. The election is scheduled as the first item of business on the afternoon of Thursday, 26 November, prior to the consideration of the Committee's draft report.

Table 1. Frequency of election of office-holders in the Committee on Statistics by country or area since 1974

Note: Figures in parentheses refer to meetings since 1951.
^a/ Shared responsibility at one meeting.
^b/ USSR prior to 1991.
^c/ Shared responsibility at two additional meetings.
^d/ Shared responsibility at one additional meeting.

Annex I

ORIGIN OF THE OFFICE-HOLDERS IN THE COMMITTEE ON STATISTICS AND ITS PREDECESSOR BODIES, 1951-1996

^a/  Host country.
^b/  As head of the drafting committee.
^c/ Office-holder not a statistician.

Annex II

TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE BUREAU OF THE COMMITTEE ON STATISTICS

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. To take up any other matter as may be assigned by the Committee.

¹ Including the session of the Committee on Development Planning and Statistics in 1989.