The First Meeting of the
Working Party on the Application of New Technology
to Population Data
Bangkok, 24-26 September
1997
STAT/WPA.1/L.2
29 August 1997
ENGLISH ONLY
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE
PACIFIC
Working Party on Application of New Technology
to Population Data
First Meeting
24-26 September 1997
Bangkok
Annotated Provisional
Agenda
1.
Opening of the
meeting.
Suitable arrangements
will be made in due course.
2.
Election of
officers.
A Chairperson and
a Rapporteur will be elected from among the members
of the Working Party to officiate at the meeting.
3.
Adoption of
the agenda.
The provisional agenda
will be adopted with whatever changes are deemed
necessary.
4.
Introduction
to the project.
The Working Party
will be introduced to a broad view of the UNFPA
funded project Application of New Technology in
Population Data Collection, Processing, Dissemination
and Presentation, RAS/96/P12" implemented by the
Statistics Division of ESCAP, under which the
Working Party has been formulated. Members and
observers are invited to provide comments and
recommendations regarding various aspects of the
project in general. Details of each project activity
anticipated will be discussed in the subsequent
agenda items. A secretariat note (STAT/WPA.1/1)
will provide an overview of the project document
as approved by UNFPA in 1996 and subsequently
revised.
5.
Terms of reference
of the Working Party.
A secretariat document
(STAT/WPA.1
/2) will provide the background for deliberations
on this item. The Working Party is invited to
discuss and adopt its own terms of reference to
enable it to assume an effective role in the implementation
of the project and to make active contributions
to the project outputs and activities.
6.
Recent developments
in the application of information technology (IT)
to population data collection, processing and
dissemination.
Invited papers on
the topic will be presented by the members of
the Working Party, reviewing country experiences
with information technology (IT) applications
in population data collection, processing and
dissemination. The impact of new technologies
on statistical operations, the benefits drawn
and issues encountered will also be discussed.
The papers will also identify areas with potentials
for transfer of technology and/or exchange of
information to facilitate the application of technology
in developing countries. Discussions will also
be held on possible contributions by the members
of the Working Party, their offices and other
parties in the project activities.
7.
Development
and implementation of applications for population
data:
Selection of three countries to develop
and implement three separate fields of IT
applications.
Criteria for selecting consultants for
each field of IT application
As envisaged in the
project, three pilot developing countries will
be identified for implementing various applications
already successfully used by more advanced countries.
These applications may be implemented through
adaptation, refinement or other means involving
technology transfer. The Working Party will discuss
various population data collection, processing,
analysis and dissemination aspects and identify
those where effective IT applications would provide
tangible gains for developing countries. It will
make recommendations on the criteria for selecting
pilot countries, the applications to be adopted,
tested and on their development as a product for
use by other countries. The role of the consultants,
their selection and possible contributions by
the members of the Working Party will also be
discussed. The secretariat will prepare a paper
STAT/WPA.1/4
to assist discussions on the item. Papers have
also been invited from some selected members of
the Working Party.
8.
Work plan of
the Working Party on:
Guidelines, training packages, newsletter
and reports on each application.
Meetings of the Working Party.
The project activities
include the development of guidelines on an effective
application of IT for population data capture,
processing, analysis, presentation and dissemination,
taking into account latest developments in computer
and communication technologies, including CAPI,
CATI, GIS, databases and the Internet. The Working
Party is invited to discuss and decide the number
of guidelines to be produced, their focus, contents,
medium for distribution, as well as the roles
of the consultants and the members of the Working
Party. The Working Party will also discuss the
proposed training packages and the contents of
the newsletter. A secretariat paper (STAT/WPA.1/5)
will provide information on the work plan of the
project.
9.
Discussion of
recommendations for the secretariat and member
countries.
The Working Party
will discuss and formulate a set of recommendations
arising from the meeting. These recommendations
will be included in the report on the meeting
to be prepared and distributed after the meeting.
10.
Other matters.
The Working Party
may raise any other matters not covered under
the above items.
11.
Adoption of
major recommendations.
The Working Party
will adopt its major recommendations as earlier
formulated in agenda item 9.
