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The thirty-ninth session of the United Nations Statistical Commission was convened in New York on 26-29 February 2008. China, France, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States of America of ESCAP membership, participated as Commission members. Other ESCAP members, namely, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, Turkey and Viet Nam attended the thirty-ninth session as observers. United Nations ESCAP was represented by Mr Pietro Gennari, Director of Statistics Division and Ms Davaasuren Chultemjamts, Director of SIAP.

Some key decisions that emerged from the thirty-ninth session of the Statistical Commission are as follows:

• The Commission approved the continuation of the International Comparison Programme (ICP) targeting 2011 as the reference year for the next round. The ICP organizers were requested to consider a suitable strategy to mitigate any difficulties that may arise from the overlap of the ICP reference year with the conduct of population censuses in many countries. The Commission endorsed a closer link between ICP and OECD-Eurostat Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) Programme and supported the objective of a full coverage of GDP aggregates in order to ensure better comparability and to support national accounts development in the countries.
• The Commission adopted, in principle, Volume 1 of the Updated System of National Accounts as the international standard for national accounts statistics and affirmed the role of the System of National Accounts (SNA) as the integrating framework in economic statistics. The review of the update will continue for an additional two-month period, until 30 April 2008. United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) recently sent the directors of all national statistics offices a letter outlining the review process and inviting them to provide substantive comments on the Updated SNA. The main purpose of the review is for stakeholders to examine the conceptual coherence and consistency of the SNA with the recommendations on the 44 issues adopted by the Commission in 2007, including the related classifications. Another pending decision is the title of the Updated System of National Accounts. The two proposed titles are: (i) “System of National Accounts 1993 (Rev. 1)” to convey that the basic principles of SNA 1993 are still valid and (ii) “System of National Accounts (2008)” to highlight that accounting principles were updated to reflect major economic developments since 1993. Countries are thus invited to indicate their preference for the title of the document. The pre-edited version of Volume 1 will be made available following the incorporation of comments provided throughout the review process. National accounts issues, including programmes of capacity building and training to implement the Updated SNA, will be discussed at the Joint Eurostat-UNSD Conference on National Accounts in the Context of Development Account Cooperation on 6-8 May 2008 in Luxembourg. The Intersecretariat Working Group on National Accounts (ISWGNA) will present the implementation strategy of the Updated System of National Accounts at the next session of the Statistical Commission in 2009.
• The Commission adopted the “International Recommendations on Distributive Trade Statistics 2008;” the “International Recommendations for Industrial Statistics 2008,” and the “International Recommendations on Tourism Statistics 2008.” The Commission also agreed to the proposed implementation plans for these recommendations. Regional training workshops in order to facilitate the implementation of the recommendations will be organized in cooperation with the concerned Regional Commissions.
• The Commission requested that UNSD submit to the fortieth session, a revised set of recommendations on international merchandise trade statistics including guidelines on data compilation and dissemination within the framework of integrated economics statistics.
• The Commission encouraged UNSD to continue its initiatives such as joint data collection agreements in order to reduce reporting burden for the countries to support UNSD's data collection and dissemination activities. The Commission also congratulated UNSD for the development of the data portal UNdata, which is a single entry point designed to search all UN databases.
• The Commission asked the Inter-Agency Expert Group (IAEG) on MDG indicators to submit at the fortieth session a set of recommendations on statistical capacity building to foster the production of development indicators. The Commission also asked the IAEG and other concerned organizations to improve the quality of MDG indicators, especially for Goal 8, through methodological and technical refinements. The IAEG is requested to present an analysis of data availability and data discrepancies between national and international datasets on MDG indicators at the next Commission session in 2009.

In this year's session of the Statistical Commission, the Economic Commission for Africa reported on the region's statistical development. Next year, it will be the Asian and Pacific region's turn and ESCAP is in charge of preparing a report and an exhibition highlighting the region's statistical achievements and needs. All ESCAP members will be invited to take part in the exhibition presenting their national statistical development issues, statistical events and publications. This is an important opportunity for ESCAP members to raise statistical concerns that are critical for their countries and for the region as a whole. ESCAP Statistics Division hence encourages all member countries to attend the fortieth session of the UN Statistical Commission on 24-27 February 2009!

ESCAP Statistical Newsletter is introducing a new section “Voices of the Region” which will feature an interview with a staff member from a national statistics office in Asia and the Pacific. The first one of these interviews was conducted in March 2008 with Mr Toga Raikoti, Manager of Coordination and Development Division at the Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics (FIBOS) in the context of the Microdata Management Project, Accelerated Data Programme Asia and the Pacific implemented by ESCAP.

ESCAP: Fiji recently collected data for the population and housing census and is now in the process of capturing and processing the data. How did it go?

Mr Raikoti: Yes, it went well. We were supposed to conduct the census in 2006, but due to political problems, it was moved to 2007. But it went smoothly and it is the first time we used two new technologies: digital scanning of the questionnaires and GPS mapping.

ESCAP: Based on your experience in Fiji would you recommend the use of scanning for data entry and GPS to other national statistical offices in the region conducting censuses?

Mr Raikoti: Yes, both were very effective. By using GPS, we didn't miss any households, and they are certainly easier to find. Of course, urban areas are always less demanding for enumeration, but with GPS technology, we were able to reach all households in rural areas as well.

ESCAP: Moving to the ESCAP Microdata Management project, why did the Bureau of Statistics decide to join the project? Why is it important in Fiji? Mr Raikoti: Microdata management, especially documentation and archiving of data, are the major problems here. Survey reports are currently the only form of “documentation” that we have. With high staff turnover, it's difficult to train new staff; so documentation of previous studies is especially important.

ESCAP: What are some strengths and weaknesses in Fiji in terms of management of microdata from surveys and censuses?

Mr Raikoti: Well, the weakness is, as I said, the documentation; we have been very poor in documenting surveys. The strength is in archiving data. We make regular back-ups here, and send copies to the Fiji Archives department. So, we have the microdata stored, but documentation is our weak point.

ESCAP: Could you tell us a little about dissemination of microdata? Are there any particular challenges in making microdata available for researchers at the Bureau of Statistics?

Mr Raikoti: For the most recent household surveys we conducted, there was a stronger demand for microdata from academics and research institutions, but there is no official regulation or policy in Fiji for providing microdata. We need to develop our policy, revise the Statistical Act, and have a standard agreement with data users. I know that this issue is one of the 10 Principles of Statistics promoted by the UN and we have not done much in this area.

ESCAP: Any final words of advice for other NSOs in the region on microdata management, and especially microdata dissemination?

Mr Raikoti: You really need a formal policy first, so that you won't risk losing the integrity and confidentiality of the data. One of our experiences, being involved in the Microdata Management project, is that microdata dissemination policy is an area that needs improvement.

SIAP conducted a one-week in-country course on Census of Agriculture (CA) in Ulaanbaatar Mongolia on 17-21 December 2007. The training was designed to improve national capacity to conduct the Census of Agriculture in Mongolia as preparation for the 2010 round. Twenty participants, most of who were from the provinces and districts, attended the course.

The topics covered in the course included: (i) planning the agriculture census; (ii) harmonizing the CA statistics with other official statistics; (iii) harmonizing the scope of CA with other national development policies and programmes, e.g. MDGs and food security initiatives; and (iv) using CA to provide benchmark indicators of rural development and other indicators such as gender, poverty and infrastructure.

SIAP, with the technical support of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), successfully conducted a distance-learning course on “Introduction to the System of National Accounts” for Lao PDR and Viet Nam on 18 and 21 February 2008. The course was designed to familiarize the participants with the basic concepts and the structure of 1993 System of National Accounts Framework and was delivered in four separate sessions. Fifteen official statisticians from each country followed the course taught from Tokyo Japan by SIAP faculty member Mr A.C. Kulshreshtha.

More training activities are planned in the field of national accounts, which is a capacity building priority for many countries in the region. In addition, more distance-learning courses are going to be organized by SIAP in cooperation with JICA.

With the rapid development of information and communication technology (ICT) producing ICT statistics is becoming an important area of work for national statistics offices. The Asian and Pacific region is also increasingly interested in building capacity to produce ICT statistics. In response to this demand, SIAP, in collaboration with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the United Nations Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (APCICT) organized a training course on “Production of Statistics on the Information Economy” in Incheon, Republic Of Korea on 18-22 February 2008. Twenty-four participants from sixteen Asian and Pacific countries participated in this week - long course.

The training brought together statisticians to discuss all the steps involved in the production and dissemination of ICT statistics; ICT use in enterprises; the link between the indicators and ICT policy-making ; and related international initiatives. The course materials were developed by UNCTAD based on the Manual for the Production of Statistics on the Information Economy. The course included lecture sessions, discussions and hands-on exercises. F ormal evaluations, administered each day, demonstrated significant improvement in knowledge and understanding of the subject matter by the participants.

Mr Pietro Gennari, Director, Statistics Division
Ms Davaasuren Chultemjamts, Director, SIAP

New York, United States of America, 26-29 February 2008: To represent United Nations ESCAP at the thirty-ninth session of the United Nations Statistical Commission. Mr Gennari also attended a number of side meetings during his mission, including the Steering Committee Meeting for the Development Account Project “Interregional Cooperation on the Measurement of Informal Sector and Informal Employment,” where the project status in the three implementing regions and the project's data collection strategy were discussed.

Mr Pietro Gennari Director, Statistics Division

Tehran, Iran (Islamic Republic of), 28-29 January 2008: To participate in the first meeting of the Heads of National Statistical Offices (NSOs) of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member countries, organized by the Statistical Centre of Iran in collaboration with the ECO Secretariat. The conference was attended by the directors and high-level managers of the NSOs from the eight member countries, and representatives from five regional and international organizations, including the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. The meeting adopted the ECO Framework of Cooperation and Plan of Action in Statistics, which identifies the priority areas for cooperation and provides a road map for future regional initiatives in the field of statistics. A network of NSOs as a temporary mechanism for decision making was established in the meeting, pending more institutional arrangements.

Mr Pietro Gennari ECO Heads of National Statistics Offices Meeting— Tehran, Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Ms Margarita Guerrero, Consultant, Statistics Division

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 17-24 February 2008: To discuss any necessary adjustments in data collection operations under the Development Account Project "Interregional Cooperation on the Measurement of Informal Sector and Informal Employment" and to highlight any data quality issues based on the first quarter data received from Mongolia (collected July-September 2007). Ms Guerrero during this mission clarified details of survey administration in Mongolia and discussed key data editing issues in order to ensure that the desired estimates of the contribution of the informal sector into employment and GDP would be attained.

Colombo, Sri Lanka, 22-31 January 2008: To monitor the national implementation of the global Development Account Project "Interregional Cooperation on the Measurement of Informal Sector and Informal Employment." The Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) is the implementing agency of this project in Sri Lanka. Ms Guerrero worked with the DCS project staff to finalize the modifications to the Labour Force Survey (Phase I) questionnaire and to design the questionnaire for the HUEM ( H ousehold U nincorporated E nterprises with at least some M arket production) Survey (Phase II). Issues such as survey coverage and details of project implementation were also discussed during this mission.

Manila, Philippines, 12-20 January 2008: To monitor the national implementation of the global Development Account Project: "Interregional Cooperation on the Measurement of Informal Sector and Informal Employment." The National Statistical Office (NSO) is the main project partner and is in charge of data collection in the Philippines. During this mission, Ms Guerrero worked closely with NSO project staff in order to revise the informal employment questions and the module to identify h ousehold u nincorporated e nterprises with at least some m arket production (HUEMs) and informal sector enterprises which are all integrated into the Labour Force Survey (Phase I). Ms Guerrero and NSO project staff also worked on designing the questionnaire of the HUEM Survey (Phase II). Sampling design options and the project implementation plan were also discussed.

Mr Daniel Clarke, Assistant Regional Project Coordinator, Statistics Division
Ms Sara Duerto-Valero, Project Officer, Statistics Division

Suva, Fiji, 3-14 March 2008: To survey microdata practices in Fiji and to conduct training for staff of the Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics (FIBOS) on the IHSN Microdata Management Toolkit under the Microdata Management Project, Accelerated Data Programme Asia and the Pacific. The mission was joined by Mr Scott Pontifex from the Statistics and Demography Programme of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community in order to explore possibilities for expanding project activities to other ESCAP member countries in the Pacific sub-region. Through consultations with management at FIBOS and other relevant ministries, the mission team developed recommendations for a work plan towards improved microdata management practices in the Fiji Islands.

Mr Jan Smit, Regional Project Coordinator, Statistics Division
Ms Sara Duerto Valero, Project Officer, Statistics Division
Ms Imae Ann Mojado, Project Officer, Statistics Division

Manila, Philippines, 4-15 February 2008: To survey microdata management practices in the Philippines and to conduct a training workshop on the IHSN Microdata Management Toolkit under the Microdata Management Project, Accelerated Data Programme Asia and the Pacific. During the first week of the mission the project officers conducted training on the Microdata Management Toolkit attended by participants from the National Statistical Office (NSO). The departments represented in the training included Industry and Trade Statistics, Vital Statistics, Business and Services Statistics, Information Technology Operations, Civil Registration, Statistical Sampling and Operations, Databank and Information Services, Demographic and Social Statistics, Economic Indices and Indicators, Income and Employment, and Census Planning and Operations.

During the second week of the mission, meetings were held with the NSO Administrator, the Chiefs and other staff members of the Household Statistics Department and Information Resources Department to discuss the current microdata management practices in the Philippines and to identify priority areas for possible project assistance.

Microdata management training participants and instructors — Manila, Philippines

Mr Jan Smit, Regional Project Coordinator, Statistics Division
Mr Eric Hermouet, Statistician, Statistics Division
Mr Daniel Clarke, Assistant Regional Project Coordinator, Statistics Division

Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic, 4-8 February 2008: To survey microdata management practices in Lao PDR and to conduct a training workshop on the IHSN Microdata Management Toolkit under the Microdata Management Project, Accelerated Data Programme Asia and the Pacific. The mission team conducted consultations with the Department of Statistics (DOS) of Lao PDR in order to identify the current microdata management practices in the country and to discuss project customization in order to respond to the country's needs. Mr Hermouet did a thorough review of the data security practices at DOS.

Between 6 and 8 February, Mr Clarke conducted training on microdata documentation and archiving with the IHSN Microdata Management Toolkit. Training participants included staff from DOS and from relevant ministries such as the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farming.

Mr Jan Smit, Regional Project Coordinator, Statistics Division
Mr Daniel Clarke, Assistant Regional Project Coordinator, Statistics Division
Mr Antonin Cœur-Bizot, Project Assistant, Statistics Division

Hanoi, Viet Nam, 21 January-1 February 2008: To survey microdata management practices in Viet Nam and to conduct a training workshop on the IHSN Microdata Management Toolkit under the Microdata Management Project, Accelerated Data Programme Asia and the Pacific. During the first week, Mr Smit and Mr Clarke conducted consultations with several departments of the General Statistics Office (GSO) in order to identify the current microdata management practices in Viet Nam and discuss the project implementation plan. Additional meetings were held with staff from the Ministry of Health, which also contributes to official data collection activities in Viet Nam.

During the second week, Mr Clarke and Mr Cœur-Bizot trained participants from GSO and from line ministries, including the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, on microdata documentation and archiving using the IHSN Microdata Management Toolkit. Two staff members from UNICEF Viet Nam also participated in the training sessions.

SIAP participants observe Japanese Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) field operations

The participants of the Third Group Training Course in Modules on Fundamental Official Statistics went on a scheduled field trip between 29 January and 1 February 2008. All thirty-three official statisticians from twenty-seven countries visited Hyogo and Okayama prefectures in two separate groups.

During the field study, the participants had the opportunity to learn about the technical aspects of the FIES such as sampling as well as the logistics of conducting the survey. They were also able to closely observe the survey operations by visiting a respondent household.

For more information on the field study please visit http://www.unsiap.or.jp/

• Mr Jose Ramon Albert, Senior Research Fellow, Philippine Institute of Development Studies
• Ms Estrella Domingo, Assistant Secretary General, National Statistical Coordination Board Philippines
• Ms Patricia Alexander, Regional Gender Coordinator, UNDP Regional Center in Colombo, Sri Lanka

The Mongolian Foreign Minister, H.E. Sanjaasuren Oyun, visited SIAP in Chiba on 7 March 2008 during her official mission to Japan. Minister Oyun was briefed by Director Chultemjamts on SIAP's activities and its contribution to the statistical capacity building in developing countries of the region, including Mongolia. Minister Oyun also visited classes and addressed SIAP students. H.E. Mr Rentsendoo Jigjid, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Japan Mr Yasuyoshi Ichihashi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Mongolia and several other officials accompanied the Minister.

SIAP staff with the visiting Mongolian delegation and the Japanese officials—Chiba, Japan

The list of future events is provided for coordination purposes only. The list is incomplete and events, dates and venues may change. Please do not publish or disseminate the list without confirming the latest information with the Statistics Division or SIAP, as appropriate. Note that not all meetings are intended for all countries.

The following list of future events has been compiled, for coordination purposes only, on the basis of information available to the Statistics Division as of 25 March. Readers are strongly advised to verify the correctness with the indicated organizers. Events, dates and venues may change. Please do not republish or disseminate the list.