The ESCAP Statistics Division report on “Regional statistical development in Asia and the Pacific” was discussed at the fortieth session of the Statistical Commission held in New York on 24-27 February 2009. The report provided the Commission with an overview of recent progress in statistics development among countries in the Asia and Pacific region and identified the main challenges and opportunities for statistical capacity-building. The important role of bilateral and multilateral development partners in continuing their support for statistical development, and the need for improved coordination amongst them, was emphasized in the report.

The report highlighted that countries of the Asia and Pacific region differ considerably in their level of statistics development and in their specific needs for capacity-building. The more developed national statistical systems have continued to evolve over recent years. Many have sought to further strengthen the leadership role of national statistical offices and improve the overall effectiveness of national statistical systems. They have also explored innovative use of information and communications technology (ICT) to develop central national data networks or integrated systems of official statistics that make full use of data from censuses, surveys and administrative sources. Still others have taken the initiative to promote easier public access to data, including microdata, and the effective use of statistics for policy debate and discussions. More details are available from country papers submitted at the twelfth East Asian statistical conference: http://www.stat.go.jp/english/info/meetings/eastasia/page05.htm

The report underscored that despite enormous political, financial and technical challenges, most developing countries in the Asia and Pacific region have made important progress towards a stronger national statistical system. Many have strived to address the legal provisions for national statistical systems by establishing new or amending existing statistical laws and acts; they have also made tremendous efforts to improve the technical capacity in both data collection and dissemination. While Central Asian countries have confronted the demanding institutional and methodological requirements for shifting from a centrally planned system to a market economy, some least developed countries have started to build (as in the case of Timor-Leste) or rebuild (as in the case of Afghanistan) their basic national statistical capacity. Pacific island countries have also made impressive strides in the positive direction under some of the most unique constraints (see E/ESCAP/CST/INF/5)

The Commission expressed appreciation for the report, appraising it as “comprehensive and highly informative”. A record 29 delegations and observers made interventions during the Commission discussion for this single item.

The Commission noted the rapid progress in statistical development in the region, including improvements in the Pacific, but also recognized that some countries still require significant assistance in capacity development – especially the small island developing states, landlocked and least developed countries of the region. The Commission urged ESCAP to continue work to strengthen and coordinate work on statistical capacity, to improve sharing of best practices and to increase advocacy activities. It also recognized with appreciation the excellent work done by SIAP in the region and requested that SIAP intensify its efforts in statistical capacity building.

The Commission welcomed the re-establishment of the Committee on Statistics, recognizing its importance as a "bridge" between the region and the global statistical system.

The full text of the ESCAP report to the Statistical Commission may be accessed at http://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/doc09/2009-15-ESCAP-E.pdf

The report on the fortieth session of the Statistical Commission may be accessed at http://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/doc09/DraftReport-Final.pdf

The session was attended by 33 delegations, including many at the highest Government Statistician level, some at ministerial rank. Eighteen United Nations bodies and intergovernmental agencies and several other observers also attended the session, bringing the total number of participants to 118.

The meeting was inaugurated by H.E. the Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Sub-Lieutenant Ranangrak Suwanchawee, on behalf of the Royal Thai Government. The Minister recognized the importance of statistics for the economic and social development of Thailand and their crucial role in planning, monitoring and evaluating Government policies.

The Deputy Executive Secretary and Officer-in-Charge, a.i., of ESCAP, Mr. Shigeru Mochida delivered a welcome statement that drew attention to the Committee not only as a forum for discussing statistics development priorities in the region, but also as a platform for sharing good practices. At the opening, Mr. Paul Cheung, Director, United Nations Statistics Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, noted that with the revitalization of the ESCAP Committee on Statistics, all five United Nations regions had distinct high-level bodies dealing with regional statistics development.

The Committee reviewed a wide range of major issues relating to statistics in the Asia-Pacific region including: statistical development, regional cooperation and capacity building, gender statistics, economic statistics, vital statistics, measuring the progress of society statistics, and programme planning for the Statistics Division, ESCAP.

The Committee decided to establish a bureau to assist in performing functions of the Committee between biennial formal sessions. Decisions were also made on the composition, role and functioning of the Bureau.

The Committee elected the following officers to the Bureau:

Recognizing an urgent need to improve economic statistics, the Committee decided to develop a regional action plan towards this end, with a governance structure. It recommended that a technical advisory group be set up to provide guidance to the Bureau and the secretariat on related methodological issues.

The Committee also recommended actions in the areas of: statistical development, regional technical cooperation and capacity building; vital statistics, measuring progress of societies and programme planning.

The Committee endorsed the work programme outputs proposed by the secretariat for 2010-2011, with a recommendation to reflect, as appropriate, any work to be undertaken with regard to coordination of the implementation of the action plan on economic statistics, vital statistics and measuring the progress of societies.

The Committee expressed appreciation for the secretariat's statistical development programme. The contribution of statistical training by SIAP towards capacity building in countries of the region was particularly noted. The Committee recommended that SIAP strengthen its training programme, including in the areas of research and analysis, and distance learning. It also recommended that member countries increase financial support for SIAP, particularly through higher cash contributions.

An exhibition on "Statistical Achievements of the Asia-Pacific" and a side event were organized in conjunction with the session. The exhibition, based on contributions from 31 members and associate members of ESCAP, was also shipped to New York where it was displayed at the 40th session of the United Nations Statistical Commission (24-27 February 2009). The contributions were of an impressive quality from both artistic and substantive perspectives.

At the well-attended side event on coordinating support for statistics development in Asia and the Pacific, participants posed a challenge to ESCAP: to provide mechanisms and tools that would improve the coordination of regional and national technical cooperation interventions in the area of statistics.

The second session of the ESCAP Committee on Statistics is tentatively scheduled for early December 2010.

Further details on the first session of the ESCAP Committee on Statistics are available from http://www.unescap.org/stat/cst/1/

The Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP, Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, in the course of her mission to Japan, undertook a fist visit to SIAP at its premises in Makuhari IT-led Industrial District in Chiba on Friday, 20 March 2009. The Executive Secretary was accompanied by the Deputy Executive Secretary, Mr. Shigeru Mochida, and IT officer, Ms. Atsuko Okuda.

In her meeting with SIAP staff members, the Executive Secretary expressed her warm appreciation of their contributions to building the statistical capability of developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region. SIAP's outstanding performance had resulted in its high standing among member States. The Executive Secretary fully recognized and appreciated that central to SIAP's success were SIAP's unique location in Japan and the continuous support that it received from the Government of Japan.

The Executive Secretary, in her guidance to the SIAP faculty, emphasized the continued need of many Asia-Pacific developing countries for further support in building their statistical capacity. In particular, the Executive Secretary drew attention to the Commission's recognition of the fundamental role of official statistics in evidence-based policy- and decision-making. Furthermore, enabling member States to acquire strong technical capability in tracking national progress towards achieving development goals, including the MDGs, was a special area of focus for SIAP attention, as member States strove to protect development gains in the wake of the unfolding global economic crisis.

The Executive Secretary emphasized the importance of SIAP staff members, under the leadership of its Director, to embrace the strengthened emphasis on team work - through fostering better mutual understanding with colleagues in the ESCAP secretariat in Bangkok, as well as in the regional United Nations system. This would form a firm foundation of coordination and collaboration for the delivery of even better services to member States.

In her briefing for the Executive Secretary, the Director of SIAP, Ms. Davaasuren Chultemjamts, echoed member States in underscoring the critical importance of the reestablishment of the Committee on Statistics in 2009, following a hiatus of seven years; the success of its inaugural session in early February augured well for the Committee as the most important Asia-Pacific regional intergovernmental forum for the promotion of official statistics, as well as the strengthening of ESCAP's role in building the capacity of ESCAP members and associate member states in official statistics. The Executive Secretary was also briefed on the activities, performance and planned strategies of the Institute. The Director stressed the importance of contributions from the Government of Japan, not only the financial and administrative support provided, but also Japan 's advanced knowledge and skills in official statistics.

The Executive Secretary also met the Senior Official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the cooperating agency of the Government of Japan for the Institute. The Executive Secretary expressed her gratitude to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications for its generous and continuous support and sought its further cooperation. The Senior Official reciprocated the sentiments of the Executive Secretary, expressing his wish to continue the cooperation.

A short tour of the Institute left the Executive Secretary much impressed by its modern and clean office facilities and layout in the setting of a well-designed industrial and commercial complex with tall metallic buildings and green gardens.

A Regional Adviser on Statistics is available to carry out short-term advisory missions upon request of and at no charge to governments. The available advisory services cover a wide range of social and economic statistics. For more details please go to: http://www.unescap.org/stat/advise.asp

ESCAP hosted two parallel meetings in Bangkok during 10 - 11 March 2009, these were meetings of the inter-agency Task Force on Statistics of International Trade in Services and of the inter-agency Task Force on International Merchandise Trade Statistics.

The inter-agency Task Force on International Merchandise Trade Statistics discussed, among other topics, the revision process of the International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Concepts and Definitions, Revision 3 which is based on results of worldwide consultations. The meeting was informed that over 1000 comments from national statistical offices and other stake holders had been received during the worldwide consultations, exceeding all expectations. A virtual meeting of the Expert Group on International Merchandise Trade Statistics was held during 5 - 26 November 2008 to discuss the results of this worldwide consultation. The Task Force concluded that the virtual meeting was a success and consequently virtual meetings should be used more often as a more cost-efficient alternative to conventional meetings. The Task Force also noted that Custom Departments were focusing on strategic products, and that they did not have the resources to inspect every item of container trade. Fewer and fewer customs officers were assigned to verifying customs data, but more resources were being put into enforcement (which included checking for illegal drugs). In addition, it was difficult to trace transfer pricing because it was difficult to systematically question the reported value.

The current priority of the Task Force on Statistics of International Trade in Services was to drive forward the revision of the Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services (MSITS) according to the agreed timetable, with the aim of submitting it for approval to the UN Statistical Commission and to publish it in 2010. The Task Force reviewed the comments from the world-wide consultation on the draft manual and considered the subsequent revisions. The Task Force also discussed the need for compilation guidelines for the revised manual. Other subjects discussed by the Task Force, included the discussion on promoting trade in services statistics in emerging and developing countries, addressing data quality, historical consistency and international comparability of trade in services statistics.

A joint meeting of both Task Forces was held on 12 March 2009 which discussed the cross-cutting issues affecting goods for processing, intra-firm trade and software. The joint efforts aimed at ensuring that, in the revision of the International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Concepts and Definitions and of the Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services, cross-cutting issues affecting goods and services would be treated in a clear way and the different conceptual frameworks in the two areas of statistics would be aligned as much as possible.

For nearly a decade, ESCAP has worked to improve data on disability through strengthening the capacity of national statistical offices in the region. The Statistics Division, in collaboration with the Washington Group, recently organized a training workshop on cognitive and pilot testing in the context of disability statistics. The workshop was held in Bangkok during 16-20 February 2009. The meeting brought together senior statisticians from Cambodia, Fiji, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Mongolia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. These countries are participating in the UN Development Account project for the 'Improvement of Disability Measurement and Statistics in Support of the Biwako Millennium Framework and Regional Census Programme'.

Delegates were trained in the skills required for the qualitative research and analysis of cognitive field testing. The primary purpose of this type of field test is to investigate how well questions perform when asked of survey respondents. Cognitive testing ensures that surveys effectively capture the intent of their questions. Results derived from cognitive tests provide useful information in terms of detecting potential sources of response error prior to pilot testing. Results also help interviewers to better understand the type of data being collected.

During the training, experts highlighted the differences between cognitive testing and pilot testing and the distinct purposes of these two types of field tests. Cognitive testing is qualitative in nature and involves in-depth interviews focusing on how respondents interpret the questions and how they arrive at their answers. In contrast, pilot tests provide quantitative information and the results are usually intended to be generalized to an entire population.

Participants gained the knowledge that they would need to undertake cognitive and pilot testing in their respective countries over the coming months. The workshop also provided participants with a critical opportunity to share their knowledge and experience in disability measurement. Thus, the meeting served a wider purpose of promoting the adoption of the WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, and of improving data collection on disability in line with the Biwako Millennium Framework of Action in Asia and the Pacific and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

For further information please visit our website www.unescap.org/stat/disability/ or contact Andres Montes at montesa@un.org

The Statistics Division, in collaboration with the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), organized the Regional Workshop on Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Monitoring in Bangkok from 14 to 16 January 2009. The workshop aimed to:

1. Review reporting mechanisms for MDG data;
2. Establish strategies to reduce and reconcile data discrepancies between national and international databases; and
3. Provide participants with skills for improving sub-national data and using administrative records as data sources for the MDG indicators.

Discrepancies between data reported in national and international databases - and even within countries - are a source of confusion for data users and can undermine the credibility of international databases, including the international MDG database. To openly discuss and develop solutions to these issues, the Workshop brought together statisticians from 30 countries in the region and representatives from international agencies, including: ADB, UNDP, UNICEF, WHO and the World Bank.

Presentations from the international agencies highlighted use of a range of adjustments to ensure that the national-level data are internationally comparable. They described the need for international definitions; the details of adjustments, models applied to the national data and even the impact of applying UNDP population data.

A number of recommendations for both international and national agencies emerged from the Workshop discussions and small group sessions, including the need for:

1. International agencies to be transparent concerning the methods that they used and to inform national agencies of any adjustments made to the data.
2. International agencies to use all available sources of national data and to provide feedback to countries when data quality was found to be inadequate.
3. National agencies to improve data quality, including metadata collection.
4. National agencies to coordinate with international agencies on data reporting, including national data reconciliation processes.

Prior to the Workshop, survey questionnaires were sent to national statistical offices to collect information on the coordination of national statistical systems and on mechanisms for reporting in general to international agencies, and specifically on data used for MDG indicators. This information was used during the Workshop to develop strategies to reduce and reconcile discrepancies between international and national MDG data.

For further information, including results of the survey, go to http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Host.aspx?Content=Capacity/Bangkok.htm

The Fourth Group Training Course in Modules on Fundamental Official Statistics was conducted as a Tokyo-based regular programme jointly organized by the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Nineteen participants from 15 Asia-Pacific and African countries successfully completed this 6-month long course.

The course is designed to train junior-level government statisticians who have basic knowledge of official statistics and have been working for three to five years in national statistical organizations, or other Government agencies that carry out statistical functions. The course aims to equip participants with skills, techniques and knowledge of different aspects of: statistical methods of analysis and survey methodologies; national accounts and economic statistics; and demographic and social statistics (including MDGs).

Project work was another important component of the course. Participants conducted two different types of experimental sample surveys. In conducting these "mini" surveys, participants learnt first hand about all stages of statistical production from planning and organization, designing the sampling frame, questionnaire design, data collection, data checking and editing, tabulation, analysis, through to the compilation of a final report. From this experience, participants learnt how to tackle difficulties that could arise during survey implementation.

An important aspect of the course was to train trainers. Participants developed action plans to impart their new knowledge and skills to colleagues in their home organizations after the completion of the course.

The performance of all participants was encouraging and several were outstanding. This year's Raymond T. Bowman Prize, the prize awarded to the best participant for his/her performance in class work and group activities, went to Mr. Manoj Kumar Mishra from India.

The Closing Ceremony for the course was conduced on Friday, 13 March at SIAP in Chiba, Japan. Representatives of the diplomatic community and supporting ministries of the Government of Japan attended. Among them were the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other organizations, including the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Institute of Developing Economies (IDE-JETRO).

Toward the end of the ceremony, Mr. Md. Dilder Hossain from Bangladesh delivered a farewell speech on behalf of all the participants. Mr. Hossain spoke of the strong determination of participants and of their high appreciation for SIAP:

"We regard SIAP as the 'storehouse of knowledge'. If any trainee intends to gain, he/she can definitely do so immensely from SIAP. It is an institute of exploration and attainment from which one can not only learn, but also apply knowledge in the practical field by actively participating in 'Project Work'. This remarkable way of learning, has paved our knowledge for the long life... We believe that the lessons we learnt will lift us to the peak of success. We are firmly determined that we will utilize this knowledge at the utmost level for the development of our countries."

Mr. Hossain also expressed his gratitude for having been given the opportunity of being trained in Japan:

"We will never forget Japan, where we have experienced friendship, sincerity, honesty, incredible advancement and use of technology in every aspect of human life, and the extreme commitment to the environment. These experiences will definitely help us to promote our countries."

SIAP conducted a country course on Millennium Development Goal (MDG) indicators in Palau with financial assistance from ADB to promote the use of administrative data sources for statistical purposes, in particular compiling MDG-related indicators for use in monitoring progress towards achieving the Goals.

The course was designed principally for statisticians involved in the compilation of indicators for monitoring MDGs, particularly those related to education, health and vital statistics. Course topics included:

Introduction to the MDGs, targets and indicators;

• Use of standard definitions and classifications relating to MDG indicators;
• MDG indicator compilation and hands-on exercises using country administrative data;
• MDG reporting by countries;
• Use of administrative data systems on education, health and vital registration for policy making;
• Group work on strategies for improving administrative data (education, health and vital registration);
• Use of DevInfo (user module) for disseminating MDG indicators.

Nearly 30 participants completed the five-day course. Representatives from ministries of finance, health, education, communication, tourism, environment and rural development and the Palau Community College attended the course. Participants showed keen interest in acquiring knowledge on the subject and in improving their statistical literacy. The Vice- President and Finance Minister, Mr. Kerai Mariur, inaugurated the course and emphasized the relevance and importance of MDGs to the country's development. It was his first day in office as the Minister in the new administration. It was very encouraging for the participants in their deliberations.

A SIAP faculty member and an ADB Statistician delivered the lectures, assisted by two local resource persons: Mr. Dennis Oiluich, Head of Statistics in the Office of Planning and Statistics, Koror, and the ADB National Consultant Mr. Rinehart.

he participants' evaluation and speeches during the closing ceremony indicated that they had all gained good knowledge from the course. ADB showed keen interest in involving SIAP in its capacity-building programs. This was the final course jointly conducted by SIAP and ADB under the ADB RETA 6356 project.

Under SIAP's outreach training programme, the Country Course on Introduction to STATA Software was held in Ulaanbaatar during 12-16 January 2009. The course was conducted in collaboration with the ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) and upon the request of the Ministry of Social Welfare and Labor of Mongolia.

A total of 21 participants attended the course. They were from the Ministry and its affiliated departments, NGOs, Mongolian Employer's Federation, National Statistical Committee and UNDP in Mongolia.

The course was held to prepare participants for the IPEC ILO training course on survey data analysis which was expected to be conducted at the end of January 2009. By the end of the course, trainees were expected to have the skills for carrying out statistical data analysis using STATA. The course covered essential topics such as: "getting started with STATA"; basic commands for data manipulation, analysis and creation of graphs; the creation of "Do-file" and "Log-file"; and the use of "ado-files".

The course was conducted through lectures with PowerPoint presentations, hands-on practical exercises using data and discussions on practical exercises (questions, answers and clarification ).

The lecturers were delivered in Mongolian, as were hard copy versions of all course materials. Translation of lecture notes was arranged by the Ministry, while translation of exercise tasks and all other administrative documents was undertaken by the SIAP lecturer.

The end-of-course evaluation indicated that most participants found the course very useful and over half indicated that the course was very relevant to their work.

There is a huge demand for training courses in data analysis among official statisticians in line ministries and other government agencies, including the National Statistical Office.

The list of future events is provided to facilitate coordination. The list may be updated and events, dates and venues may change. If you wish to use any item on the list, please confirm the latest update with the ESCAP Statistics Division (SD) or SIAP, as appropriate. Please note that in most cases, meetings and training courses are designed to address the needs of groups of countries with particular needs.

The following list of future events has been compiled to facilitate coordination only, on the basis of information available to the Statistics Division as of 30 March 2009. Events, dates and venues may change. Readers are strongly advised to verify details with the organizers indicated. Please do not disseminate the list. The calendar of statistical meetings in Asia and the Pacific is maintained on the ESCAP web site http://www.unescap.org/stat/meet/events_Asia_Pacific.asp

PARIS21 is maintaining event calendars for Africa and Asia at http://www.paris21.org/pages/events/all-events/list/

Manila, Philippines, 23-27 March 2009

Purpose: To work with the National Statistics Office of the Philippines on 1-2 Survey data editing, estimations and tabulations.

The mission was conducted upon request from the National Statistics Office for technical assistance on analyzing the 1-2 Survey data on informal employment and informal sector collected in the Philippines. During the mission, the data checking and editing process in the Philippines was reviewed with additional specifications recommended by ESCAP. In addition, detailed discussions on survey documentation, estimation procedures and tabulations were held. The mission also revealed significant interest in informal employment and informal sector data from various governmental and non-governmental institutions in the country, indicating the need for the regular collection of such data. Side meetings were held with colleagues from the Asian Development Bank and Community-Based Monitoring System on ongoing and possible future collaborative projects.

Istanbul, Turkey, 23-24 March 2009

To represent ESCAP at the Fourth SPECA Project Working Group (PWG) Meeting on Statistics and Evaluation meeting of the StatCapCA project held in Istanbul, 23-24 March 2009 (ECE-led United Nations Development Account project “Strengthening the Statistical Capacity of Central Asian Countries to Monitor the Progress toward the Millennium Development Goals”). The level of discussions was good at this meeting attended by representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Eurostat and the project evaluator also attended. The meeting discussed, amongst other things;

• An evaluation report of the above ECE-led Development Account project, including details of the evaluation, challenges and lessons learnt;
• Ongoing and planned capacity building activities of ECE and ESCAP; and
• The progress of represented statistical offices.

Manila, Philippines 17-19 March 2009

Purpose: The Officer-in-Charge, Statistics Division, represented the Executive Secretary of ESCAP at the Forum on the Impact of the Global Financial Crisis, held in Manila on 17 February 2009, and organized by the Poverty and Economic Policy (PEP) Research Network. The half-day forum addressed the international dimension of the financial and economic crisis, its impact on developing countries, transmission channels and policy options for governments.

The Officer-in-Charge also actively participated as a resource person, in the Technical Workshop on Monitoring and Mitigating the Impact on Poverty of the Global Financial and Economic Crisis, held in Manila from 17 to 19 February 2009, organized by the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) Network. This furthered the CBMS-ESCAP partnership initiated and forged by the Executive Secretary.

The Officer-in-Charge met with Dr. Randy Spence, Director of Economic and Social Development Affiliates; Dr. Celia Reyes, CBMS Network Leader and PEP Network Co-Director; and Ms. Sonomi Tanaka, Principal Social Development Specialist, ADB, to discuss possible joint activities with the CBMS Network in monitoring the impact on progress towards the MDGs of the global economic crisis.

Hanoi, Viet Nam, 2-4 March 2009 and Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 9-11 March 2009:

Purpose: To provide technical support for the formulation and pilot implementation of economy-wide and sectoral-wide eco-efficiency indicator (EEI) development. Eco-efficiency indicators are one of the five tracts of Green Growth - the new economic growth paradigm for Asia and the Pacific.

At the request of the ESCAP Environment and Development Division, the Statistics Division staff member provided "hands-on" technical assistance to both countries. In Cambodia, technical guidance and expertise were provided for the formulation of EEI, including the identification, selection, and formulation of candidate indicators. In Viet Nam the staff member reviewed, oversaw and provided feedback on the pilot implementation of EEI. Both missions involved intensive review and assessment of available environmental indicators, identification of country-specific EEI, provision of technical inputs and recommendations on data quality issues, data collection and presentation.

The EEI technical working groups in both countries came from the Ministries of Environment, Planning, Mines and Energy, and the Government Statistics Office. The SD staff member provided advice to both working groups on how to move forward in the formulation and implementation of selected EEI.

New York, United States of America, 24-27 February 2009:

Purpose: to participate in the 40th session of the Statistical Commission and related side event. One of the main highlights of the mission was Ms. Fu's presentation to the Statistical Commission under the agenda item 3L - "Regional statistical development in Asia and the Pacific". After an introduction of the report by Ms. Fu, 29 delegations and observers made interventions - a new record for a single item at the Commission as announced by the Chairman. Almost all delegates expressed appreciation for the report, assessing it as a "thoroughly comprehensive and extremely informative" document. They welcomed the re-establishment of the ESCAP Committee on Statistics and recognized its importance as a "bridge" between the Asia-Pacific region and the global statistical system. Many countries acknowledged the value of ESCAP's work in promoting statistics development and the contribution of SIAP.

Another important highlight of the mission was the first meeting of the Bureau for the ESCAP Committee on Statistics. The Bureau discussed a number of items in follow-up to the first session of the Committee. The Bureau made a number of decisions, including in the area of: vital statistics; regional action plan for the development of economic statistics; procedures for the election of future Bureau members; coordination of statistical capacity building activities in the region; and feedback on the first session of the Committee on Statistics.

During the mission the ESCAP representatives also participated in the meeting of the steering group on the Development Account: Informal Sector and Informal Employment and many other side events.

More information on the 40th session of the Statistical Commission is available from: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/commission_40th_session.htm

New Delhi, India, 16-20 February 2009:

Purpose: To participate in the DevInfo Master Trainers Meeting organized jointly by UNICEF and UNDG. The primary focus of the meeting was to test and review the soon to be launched version 6 of the DevInfo software. DevInfo is a free of charge statistical data dissemination software developed by UNICEF. It has been endorsed as the solution of choice to compile data for the monitoring of progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and is used for that purpose by a number of United Nations Country Teams and National Statistical Offices in the region.

The new version of DevInfo incorporates a redesigned interface and much improved speed performances with larger datasets. It introduces some new functionalities for the exchange of data between databases using the SDMX standard. The meeting identified a number of technical problems, or bugs, in the new version and suggested some adjustments. Those changes are currently being implemented allowing the launch of the final DevInfo version 6 package by the second quarter of 2009.

Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic, 22-23 January 2009:

Purpose: To participate as keynote speaker at the workshop on 'Drafting Disability Action Plans in Lao PDR' organized by the Lao Disabled People's Association (LDPA).

The primary objective of the meeting was to raise awareness of the need for data collection on disability statistics to improve policy making. The meeting was attended by senior officials of seven Ministries in Lao PDR. The Ministries have been requested to prepare action plans on specific activities oriented towards supporting the rights of persons with disabilities. The workshop contributed to the sharing of good practices in the use and analysis of data on disability, and in improving senior officials' understanding of the need for better data as part of the work related to the Ministries' actions plans.

Brian Carisma joined the Statistics Division in February 2009 as Statistics Assistant in a temporary capacity. Previously, Brian worked for the Environment and Development Division as Consultant to the Eco-efficiency Indicators Project. Brian graduated with a Masters in Urban Environmental Management from the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand, and is presently pursuing a second Masters, this one in Environmental Science Policy and Management under the Erasmus Mundus Programme of the European Union.

• Mr. Ian Mac Auslan, Consultant, Social Policy Oxford Policy Management Ltd., United Kingdom
• Mr. Matsatoshi Sato, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to ESCAP, Embassy of Japan, Bangkok