| Committee on
Statistics, 12th session |
| Bangkok,
29 November - 1 December 2000 |
E/ESCAP/STAT.12/L.2
14 September 2000
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION
FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
Committee on Statistics
Twelfth session
29 November-1 December 2000
Bangkok
|
| Annotated
Provisiona Agenda |
| 1.
Opening of the session |
| Suitable
arrangements will be made in due course.
The Bureau elected at the eleventh session of
the Committee on Statistics will preside in the
same capacity. |
| 2.
Adoption of the agenda |
| The
provisional agenda will be adopted by the Committee
with whatever changes are deemed necessary. |
| 3.
Overview of significant global and regional issues
in official statistics |
| The
Committee will review developments in official
statistics over the past year which may have significant
implications for national statistical offices
in the region. The review, in a note by
the secretariat (E/ESCAP/STAT.12/1),
is organized largely along subject-matter lines.
It covers topics raised at a number of forums,
including the 2000 sessions of the United Nations
Statistical Commission, the Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the Administrative
Committee on Coordination Subcommittee on Statistical
Activities. Activities of some of the city
groups are also reported. |
| 4.
Appropriate use of indicators to measure social
and economic progress |
| The
Committee will discuss two distinct aspects of
indicators in relation to the measurement of progress.
With regard to the first aspect, a note by the
secretariat (E/ESCAP/STAT.12/3)
summarizes progress in the harmonization and rationalization
of development indicators in the context of the
follow-up to major United Nations conferences,
and describes plans for further work in response
to resolutions of the Economic and Social Council.
On the second aspect, the United Nations Statistical
Commission, at its 2000 session, decided to set
up a group of experts to study concerns expressed
about the accuracy of the statistics and indicators
appearing in the Human Development Report 1999
published under the aegis of the United Nations
Development Programme. The report of the
"Friends of the Chair" of the United Nations Statistical
Commission is reproduced in an information paper
(ESCAP/STAT.12/INF.1). |
| 5.
Statistics on the informal sector |
| Issues
relating to statistics on the informal sector
will be discussed by the Committee on the basis
of an invited paper (E/ESCAP/STAT.12/2)
from the Central Statistical Organisation, Ministry
of Statistics and Programme Implementation of
India, which includes a summary of the main issues
raised at the fourth meeting of the Expert Group
on Informal Sector Statistics (Delhi Group).
A supplementary note by the secretariat (E/ESCAP/STAT.12/4)
highlights some specific data collection issues
concerning the informal sector. |
| 6.
Statistics on the information society |
| The
Committee will discuss the item on the basis of
three invited papers. Document E/ESCAP/STAT.12/5
describes the strategy for information technology
and telecommunications statistics that is being
evolved at the Australian Bureau of Statistics
(ABS). A second ABS paper (E/ESCAP/STAT.12/6)
discusses experience in using electronic data
reporting to capture statistical information from
providers. The third paper (E/ESCAP/STAT.12/7)
describes the efforts made by the Korea National
Statistical Office to develop indicators for the
measurement of the emerging digital economy. |
| 7.
Statistical classifications: implementation status
in the region |
| A
note by the secretariat (E/ESCAP/STAT.12/8)
will provide the basis for the Committee's discussions
on this item. It summarizes the main developments
in the field of international classifications
over the past year and provides the results of
a secretariat survey on the status of implementation
of selected classifications in the region. |
| 8.
The International Comparison Programme: prospects
for a regional comparison |
| An
invited paper from the World Bank (E/ESCAP/STAT.12/9)
will examine a possible basis for further work
on purchasing power parity surveys in the region,
for consideration and discussion by the Committee. |
|
9. Reports for the attention
of the Committee:
- Report of the Bureau,
including implementation of the recommendations
of the Committee at its tenth and eleventh
sessions
- Report of the Working
Group of Statistical Experts
- Report on major statistics
activities of regional and international institutions
- Reports concerning
the Statistical Institute for Asia and the
Pacific, including the reports of the Governing
Board
|
| In
undertaking its statutory function of reviewing
statistical developments in the region, the Committee
will have a number of reports before it for information.
The Bureau will give a summary report (E/ESCAP/STAT.12/11)
of its activities since the eleventh session of
the Committee, supplemented by an oral report
by the Chairperson. Implementation of the
outstanding recommendations of the Committee's
previous sessions will be covered. The Committee
will have before it the report of the Working
Group of Statistical Experts on its eleventh session
held in November 1999 (E/ESCAP/STAT.12/10)
and the reports of the Governing Board of SIAP
on its fifth and sixth sessions in 1999 and 2000
(E/ESCAP/STAT.12/12
and 13).
It will also review the activities of the secretariat
since the eleventh session of the Committee (E/ESCAP/STAT.12/14),
as well as the recommendations of the Pacific
Community's Twelfth Regional Conference of Statisticians
(E/ESCAP/STAT.12/15). |
| Under
this item, all members and associate members of
the Commission have been invited to submit country
papers, focusing on major innovations achieved
in the field of statistics, and challenges and
constraints faced. At least 80 copies for
distribution as room papers should be provided
in advance by country delegations. International
and regional organizations have also been invited
to submit concise room papers on their statistical
activities for the Committee's information. |
|
10. Programme matters:
- Changes to the programme
of work, 2000-2001
- Changes to the draft
medium-term plan, 2002-2005
- Outline of the draft
programme of work, 2002-2003
- Consideration of alternative
formats of the work programme
- Treatment of information
technology in the programme and conference
structures of the secretariat
|
| The
Committee will review programmatic matters on
the basis of a secretariat paper (E/ESCAP/STAT.12/16).
In addition to giving its views on any changes
to the programme of work in statistics, 2000-2001
the Committee is invited to review the statistics
component of the medium-term plan for the period
2002-2005, and provide guidelines on the draft
programme of work for 2002-2003. Additional
notes by the secretariat (E/ESCAP/STAT.12/17
and 18)
respond to requests from the Working Group of
Statistical Experts to examine the possibility
of presenting the programme of work in different
formats, and on the proposed treatment of information
technology, particularly public-sector computerization,
within the programme and conference structures
of the secretariat. |
| 11.
Review of the functioning of the Committee under
Commission resolution 53/1 of 30 April 1997 |
| At
its eleventh session, the Committee decided to
attempt to improve on its organization at the
twelfth session, and to evaluate the number of
days required to conduct its business effectively.
A short note by the secretariat (E/ESCAP/STAT.12/19)
is intended to aid the deliberations of the Committee,
and presents some options for its consideration. |
| 12.
Other matters |
| The
Committee will consider other matters not covered
elsewhere in the agenda. It will also be
invited to assess the need for an additional meeting
of the Working Group of Statistical Experts and
to assign topics to be considered by it, if appropriate. |
| 13.
Election of the Bureau |
| On
the basis of consultations carried out during
the session, the Committee will elect three Bureau
members for a four-year term, to join those existing
members whose term of office expires in 2002.
A short note by the secretariat (E/ESCAP/STAT.12/20)
provides information on the election procedures. |
| 14.
Adoption of the report |
| The
Committee will adopt its report, for submission
to the Commission at its fifty-seventh session. |
|
