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1. Opening of the session
Suitable arrangements will be made in due course.
2. Election of officers
A Chairperson, two Vice-Chairpersons and a
Rapporteur will be elected from among the national
delegations to officiate at the Committee session.
3. Adoption of the
agenda
The provisional agenda will be adopted with
whatever changes are deemed necessary.
4. Review of statistical
and public sector computerization activities
in the regionp
The Committee will broadly review the developmental
activities of the secretariat and the countries
in the field of statistics, as well as the work
of international agencies having significant
statistical activities in the region. The secretariat
will prepare a comprehensive paper (E/ESCAP/STAT.9/1)
(E/ESCAP/STAT.9/1.AD1)
(E/ESCAP/STAT.9/1.AD2)
on its activities since the eighth session of
the Committee on Statistics, held at Bangkok
in November 1992, highlighting work done in
the area of statistical information services,
including the development of the ESCAP Statistical
Information System (ESIS) and the United Nations
Economic and Social Information System (UNESIS),
and the promotion of statistical development
activities including publications, technical
meetings and advisory services. Work in the
field of government computerization will also
be covered. The paper will contain information
on the present regular budget and extrabudgetary
resource situation of the secretariat in statistics,
and will contain some analysis of the secretariat's
work in statistics by function and subject.
It will also deal with significant matters arising
at the annual sessions of ESCAP. It is expected
that an addendum to E/ESCAP/STAT.9/1 will be
issued to present the results of the evaluation
of the new United Nations Population Fund technical
support services arrangements called for by
the Committee and subsequently by the Working
Group of Statistical Experts. The report of
the Working Group of Statistical Experts on
its eighth session, held at Bangkok in November
1993 (E/ESCAP/STAT.9/2),
which contains a number of recommendations for
action, will also be before the Committee.
The Committee will also hear short (5-7 minutes)
statements from country participants on major
innovations achieved in the statistical field,
and the problems and constraints faced. These
statements will generally be based on country
papers, of which sufficient copies for distribution
as conference room papers should be provided
by country delegations. The United Nations specialized
agencies and other international organizations
undertaking statistical work in their spheres
of responsibility will be invited to brief the
Committee on their regional activities and future
plans through information papers, supplemented
as necessary by brief statements.
The South Pacific Commission held the Ninth
Regional Conference of Pacific Statisticians
at Noumea in September 1993, at which several
issues relevant to statistical development in
the Pacific island countries were discussed.
The report of the Conference, E/ESCAP/STAT.9/3,
will form part of the documentation for this
item. The Committee will review the activities
of the Statistical Institute for Asia and the
Pacific (SIAP) through a report (E/ESCAP/STAT.9/13)
from the Project Manager/Director on statistical
capability-building through training of personnel.
The Committee will also be asked to take note,
through a secretariat document (E/ESCAP/STAT.9/4),
of the principal deliberations of the United
Nations Statistical Commission at its twenty-seventh
regular session held in New York in February-March
1993, and at its special session held in New
York in April 1994. The paper will inter
alia make reference to developments which
the Committee will consider under other items
of the agenda, including material relevant to
the functioning of the Committee itself as a
result of the review of the international statistical
system being carried out by the Statistical
Commission.
5. The terms of reference
and functioning of the Committee on Statistics
A secretariat paper
(E/ESCAP/STAT.9/5) will provide the background
to the deliberations on this matter, which at
the Committee's request was discussed by the
Working Group of Statistical Experts at its
eighth session. The Statistical Commission has
recommended that the regional conferences of
statisticians such as the Committee on Statistics
should play an enhanced role in the international
statistical system in such areas as the development,
implementation and monitoring of statistical
standards and methodologies, and have greater
involvement in the coordination of technical
cooperation activities in statistics in their
respective regions. As well as being asked to
consider certain changes to its terms of reference,
the Committee will review a series of suggestions
that might enable it to assume an enhanced role,
should the Committee accept to do so. In addition
to commenting on the terms of reference, the
report of the Working Group of Statistical Experts
on its eighth session
(E/ESCAP/STAT.9/2) includes a number of
suggestions concerning the Bureau of the Committee
and the Committee's responsibilities.
6. Issues relating to
the development of statistics, including those
in support of the themes of the Commission
An omnibus secretariat paper (E/ESCAP/STAT.9/6)
(E/ESCAP/STAT.9/6.AD1)
will describe progress and issues relating to
the development of a broad range of statistics,
and will attempt to cover these areas from both
the producers' and users' viewpoints. In the
field of economic statistics, the 1993 System
of National Accounts (SNA), the International
Comparison Programme (ICP), and statistics on
services will be accorded prominence. A paper
invited from Malaysia (E/ESCAP/STAT.9/7) (E/ESCAP/STAT.9/7.CO1)
will concentrate on the statistical requirements
for investment data, with specific reference
to that country. In the area of demographic
and social statistics, issues relating to the
development and improvement of such areas as
gender statistics, human development indicators,
population statistics and the measurement of
poverty will be highlighted. An invited paper
from Sri Lanka (E/ESCAP/STAT.9/8) will cover
the statistical issues involved in monitoring
social and human development goals. The secretariat
paper (E/ESCAP/STAT.9/6)
will also cover progress and issues in the development
of environment and energy statistics, including
indicators of sustainable development, and environmental
and natural resource accounting. A paper invited
from Indonesia (E/ESCAP/STAT.9/9)
will cover certain of these issues from the
perspective of that country.
(E/ESCAP/STAT.9/20)
7. Development of
national statistical services and capabilities
A secretariat paper (E/ESCAP/STAT.9/10)
(E/ESCAP/STAT.9/10.CO1)
will cover various issues in these areas, including
data dissemination, data processing, geographic
information systems, and the use of electronic
data interchange and electronic communications
in general. It will also touch on issues relating
to user-producer interaction in the field of
statistics. Two invited papers will cover the
sub-items to this agenda item. A paper from
the Philippines (E/ESCAP/STAT.9/11)
will deal with in-service statistical training
in the context of human resources development,
and a paper prepared by Fiji (E/ESCAP/STAT.9/12)
will highlight the use of administrative records
for statistical purposes, with particular reference
to small island countries.
8. Issues relating
to SIAP, including progress towards a more durable
institutional framework
By its resolution 50/5 of 13 April 1994 on
the status of the Statistical Institute for
Asia and the Pacific, ESCAP recommended that
SIAP should acquire the legal status of one
of its subsidiary bodies as of 1 April 1995.
A note by the secretariat (E/ESCAP/STAT.9/14)
will describe the considerable progress made
in providing SIAP with a more durable institutional
framework, and will include for the Committee's
consideration a draft statute for the Institute.
The Committee's recommendations in this regard
will form the basis for further legislative
action on SIAP at the fifty-first session of
the Commission in 1995.
9. Computerization in
the public sector
The secretariat will prepare a paper (E/ESCAP/STAT.9/15)
on progress and issues in the area of public-sector
computerization. The Committee will also consider
two invited papers, one from India on computing
for development purposes (E/ESCAP/STAT.9/16)
and another from Singapore on information infrastructure
(E/ESCAP/STAT.9/17).
10. Programmes of work,
1994-1995, and 1996-1997, in statistics, including
an integrated presentation of ESCAP and SIAP
work
A secretariat note (E/ESCAP/STAT.9/18)
will supply the Committee with a progress report
on the implementation of the 1994-1995 programme
of work and present the draft programme of work
in statistics for 1996-1997. The Working Group
of Statistical Experts, at its eighth session,
noted the responsibility of the Committee on
Statistics to act as the focus of regional statistical
development and agreed that it was useful to
have an integrated presentation of programmes
of work in the region for various agencies.
A separate paper (E/ESCAP/STAT.9/19)
will provide an experimental presentation of
the programme of work of the Statistics Division
and other divisions of ESCAP and of SIAP over
the period 1994-1995.
(E/ESCAP/ACPR910)
11. Other matters
The Committee will consider a draft agenda
for its tenth session in 1996. 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
in depth by it if appropriate. The Committee
may also wish to identify topics to be considered
by a working group of experts on government
computerization, in the event that the secretariat
is able to convene such a meeting.
The Committee may also raise any other matters
not covered under the above items.
12. Adoption of the
report
The Committee will adopt its report for submission
to the Commission at its fifty-first session
in 1995.
13. List of the participants
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