Statistical Newsletter Published: 22 December 2011

Fourth Quarter, 2011

Intergovernmental and expert dialogue

o Meeting of the Working Group on the Regional Coordination of Statistical Training (WG-RCST), New Delhi, 10-11 October 2011

o Seminar on developing the capacity to produce economic statistics, including national accounts in accordance with the 2008 SNA, in the Asia and the Pacific region, Bangkok, 10-13 October 2011

o Effective use of statistical data for policy analysis and advocacy in Asia and the Pacific: Building on success, Bangkok, 24-26 October 2011

o First meeting of the Steering Group for Agricultural Statistics , ADB Headquarters, Manila, 21-23 November 2011

o Tenth Management Seminar for the Heads of National Statistical Offices in Asia and the Pacific , Chiba, Japan, 7-8 December 2011

o The Seventh session of the Governing Council of Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific , Chiba, Japan, 8-9 December 2011

Capacity development

o Building a gender-sensitive information and statistical system in local government in anticipation of the

pilot Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) initiative, Penang, Malaysia, 17-21 October 2011

o Technical advisory service on producing MDG-related disaggregated statistics , Mongolia, 28-30 November 2011

Training

o SIAP launches its new e-learning training course

o Timor-Leste country workshop to conduct in-depth analysis of census micro data using REDATAM , Dili, 3-7 October 2011

o Sub regional Training /Workshop on analysis and dissemination of population and housing census data with gender concern, Dhaka, 9 – 13 October 2011

o Regional Training Course on System of National Accounts 2008 , Greater Noida (near Delhi), India, 17–22 October 2011

o Country Course/workshop on Analysis and Dissemination of Population and Housing Census Data with Gender Concern, Bandung, Indonesia, 24-28 October 2011

o Field trip to Shimane and Yamaguchi to study the Japanese Family Income and Expenditure Survey , 26-28 October 2011

o Employment and Health – Gender Statistics Workshop and advisory service on the development of a statistical database on gender-related issues for Timor-Leste, 25-28 October 2011

Collaboration

o Expert Group on National Quality Assurance Frameworks (NQAF) , New York, 28-30 September 2011

o National Transfer Accounts: Understanding generational economy , Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 6-9 December 2011

o 20th Meeting of the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on MDG Indicators (IAEG) , Manila, 17-18 October 2011

o 2011 International Conference on MDGs Statistics , Manila, 19-21 October 2011

o Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) , Thailand floods 2011

o International technical workshop on “Knowledge, Tools and Lessons: Informing the Design and Implementation of Food Security Strategies in Asia”, Kathmandu, 14-18 November 2011

o Workshop on Environment Statistics for the Low income countries of South-East Asia , Hanoi, 5-7 December 2011

Calendar of forthcoming meetings

New faces in Statistics Division

Visitors to ESCAP Statistics Division

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Intergovernmental and expert dialogue

 

Meeting of the Working Group on the Regional Coordination of Statistical Training (WG-RCST), New Delhi, 10-11 October 2011

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) of the Government of India hosted the meeting in New Delhi / Greater Noida (UP) on 10-11 October 2011. ESCAP, as the secretariat of the WG, provided financial support and SIAP was responsible for the technical issues of the meeting. The main purpose of the meeting was for the WG-RCST to start discussions on the proposed strategy for the coordination of statistical training programmes in Asia-Pacific. A total of 18 participants from nine countries, namely India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Malaysia, Philippines and Russian Federation attended the meeting. The Working Group recognised that proper coordination of the training activities of the national, regional and international agencies and the donor agencies would help meet the training needs in a number of ways – ranging from assessment of the training needs to effective sharing of training materials and resource persons. The Working Group agreed to recommend a set up of a regular forum for coordination of training; Establish a network of training providers; Each expert group on statistics of ESCAP (like the ones on “core economic statistics” or “vital statistics” or “gender statistics”) may be urged to devise a training programme as a part of the implementation strategy specifying a curriculum, training materials and means of sharing resource persons; The training needs survey may be made on a regular feature - once in two years. The Working Group would carry out a survey among the NSOs and development partners to assess the extent of gap between the needs and availability of statistical training in the region.

 

Seminar on developing the capacity to produce economic statistics, including national accounts in accordance with the 2008 SNA, in the Asia and the Pacific region, Bangkok, 10-13 October 2011

The Seminar was co-organized by ESCAP Statistics Division and the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) as a part of an on-going coordinated regional effort for the improvement of economic statistics   initiated by the Committee on Statistics in 2009. It was attended by 44 participants from 25 Asia-Pacific countries and 4 development partner agencies, as well as 15 resource persons and ESCAP staff.

The objectives of the seminar were to introduce the global implementation programme for the System of National Accounts 2008 (2008 SNA) and supporting statistics and its implementation tools, and develop, inline with the decision of the Committee on Statistics at its second session in 2010, an implementation plan for theRegional Programme for the Improvement of Economic Statistics in Asia and the Pacific (referred to hereinafter as the “Regional Programme”). The seminar brought together members of the Steering Group for the Regional Programme on Economic Statistics (SGRPES) and other experts to facilitate a broader consultation on the implementation plan to ensure that it meets priorities and needs of countries in the region.

The Seminar consisted of two parts. During the first part participants were provided with an overview of the global initiatives for the implementation of the 2008 SNA and tools for developing a national implementation plan for the 2008 SNA within the framework of improving economic statistics. During the second part participants reviewed the draft implementation plan for the Regional Programme and formulated recommendations on its specific components. The participants also discussed the overall strategy for the finalization of the regional implementation plan and the role of the Steering Group. In that context members of the Steering Group discussed and agreed on their work plan.

The Seminar concluded with a session on the way forward which brought the results of the two parts together. The participants agreed that the plans for implementing the 2008 SNA and the Regional Programme are consistent and mutually reinforcing, and implementation plans for the 2008 SNA should be incorporated into the regional implementation plan and national strategies for the development of statistics (NSDS). During the final session participants also agreed to the immediate next steps for moving forward with the development and execution of the implementation plan for the Regional Programme. These were:

develop a comprehensive implementation plan for the Regional Programme by early 2012;

initiate activities in 2012, mainly aimed at raising awareness via advocacy of the importance of economic statistics and the Regional Programme at the national and regional level;

conduct a comprehensive region-wide assessment results of which, in conjunction with in-country assessments, should be used to develop comprehensive national action plans for the improvement of economic statistics.

More information about the Seminar is available at: http://www.unescap.org/stat/econ/seminar-Oct2011/index.asp.

 

Effective use of statistical data for policy analysis and advocacy in Asia and the Pacific: Building on success, Bangkok, 24-26 October 2011

This workshop follows up on an earlier high-level consultation under an ESCAP/ADB/UNDP tripartite partnership programme to obtain guidance on developing a strategy of strengthening this aspect of the capacity of national statistical systems in Asia and the Pacific. Since February 2011, a number of countries and development partners took up the task of piloting a framework of identifying and documenting good practices in the use of statistical data for policy analysis and advocacy. This workshop was organized to take stock of the experiences and facilitate the planning of concrete measures of taking this work forwards. During the three-day workshop that took place from 24 to 26 October 2011 in Bangkok, participants critically reviewed the experiences of countries and development partners in piloting the draft framework in view of changes to be made in order for the document to be used as a guide for documenting good practices. They also provided guidance to ESCAP on developing a regional knowledge base of “what works” in terms of using statistical data for policy analysis and advocacy.

More information on the workshop is available at: http://www.unescap.org/stat/meet/data-use-Oct2011/index.asp.

 

First meeting of the Steering Group for Agricultural Statistics, ADB Headquarters, Manila, 21-23 November 2011

As part of the on-going coordinated regional effort for the improvement of agriculture and rural statisticsinitiated by the Committee on Statistics at its second session in 2010, the ESCAP Statistics Division co-organized with the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO RAP) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) the First meeting of the Steering Group for Agricultural Statistics   (henceforth referred to as “Steering Group”).

The event was attended by members of the newly established Steering Group and other experts representing 15 countries and 7 international organizations. The objective of the meeting was to facilitate the consultation on the development of a Regional Implementation Plan for Asia of the Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics (henceforth referred to as “regional implementation plan”).

The meeting results in a consensus among the Steering Group on the broad strategy and outline of the regional implementation plan. Specifically Steering Group members and other experts discussed and formulated recommendations on: required intervention needs; assessments; approach; outline; strategy for grouping of countries; objectives and outcomes; activities; implementation and funding arrangements including governance; and work plan and strategy for the formulation of the implementation plan.

The Steering Group decided to establish three sub-groups to guide the development of the training, research and technical assistance components. The Steering Group set its self a goal of formulating recommendation on the governance structure by August 2012. The Steering Group further agreed to act, until permanent governance arrangements are in place, as a “Steering Committee” for the implementation of Global Strategy to enable implementation in 2012 and flow of funds from the global to regional and country level.

From Statistics Division, Rikke Munk Hansen and Artur Andrysiak attended the Meeting, presenting a number of agenda items, facilitating group discussions and providing support to the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Steering Group.

More information about the Seminar is available at: http://www.unescap.org/stat/agri-stat/1st-meet-Nov2011/index.asp.

 

Tenth Management Seminar for the Heads of National Statistical Offices in Asia and the Pacific, Chiba, Japan, 7-8 December 2011

The heads of national statistical offices in Asia and the Pacific gathered together to attend their Tenth Management Seminar in Makuhari, Chiba city, on 7 and 8 December 2011, to discuss important management challenges facing national statistical systems - the need to modernize their business in order to effectively address the priorities and benefit from emerging opportunities.

The seminar was organized by SIAP, in collaboration with the ESCAP Statistics Division and with the support from the International Statistical Institute (ISI), World Bank and the Government of Japan. Around 40 participants from 25 ESCAP member countries and 5 international organizations attended the seminar. At the opening session, Ms Haishan Fu, Director of Statistics Division, ESCAP, made her welcoming remarks, as the representative of the seminar organizer. Mr Takao Ito, Director General for Policy Planning (Statistical Standards) delivered his opening statement representing the host country of the seminar.

This year's theme/sub-title of the seminar was “Shifting from ‘stove-pipe' data producer to ‘information service' provider”. Under this theme, a session for keynote speech, 4 plenary sessions and one group discussion sessions were organized. The keynote speech was given by Mr Brian Pink, Australian statistician and the Chairperson of ESCAP Committee on Statistics. Titles of the four sessions were: 1) Modernization of statistical information system: Review of global and regional initiatives; 2) Modeling Statistical Business Process: New concepts and recent experiences; 3) Meeting new expectations of users: integrated statistical products; and 4) Meeting evolving needs of data users: microdata dissemination. During the group discussion, participants were divided into three groups and each group was given one of the following specific topics for discussion: 1) initiating a national transformation process for official statistics: Advocating on the issue; 2) transformation process: enhanced regional cooperation: establishing a regional coordination mechanism; and 3) Supporting transformation process: capacity needs and capacity building. The seminar documents and other information on the seminar are available at SIAP webpage: http://www.unsiap.or.jp/training/ms10_index.php.

 

The Seventh session of the Governing Council of Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific, Chiba, Japan, 8-9 December 2011

The seventh session of the Governing Council of SIAP was held at its premises in Chiba, Japan, on 8-9 December 2011. The session was attended by 43 people, including 13 officials representing all nine members of Governing Council: Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Republic of Korea and Thailand, 23 representatives from 18 member and associate member States and seven representing international organizations as observers.

At the opening session, Mr Shun-ichi Murata, Deputy Executive Secretary of ESCAP, delivered opening address. Mr Takao Ito, Director General for Policy Planning (Statistics Standards), Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications – the representative of the host government of Japan – made a welcome speech to the participants. The sessions were chaired by Mr Trevor Sutton, Deputy Australian Statistician - the representative from Australia

Mr Shun-ichi Murata expressed his deepest appreciation to the host Government of Japan for its unwavering financial and logistic support provided to SIAP in 2011 despite the enormous challenge of reconstruction following the massive damage and loss caused by the unprecedented Tsunami in March 2011.

The Council reviewed the institute's responses to the matters arising from the sixth session of the council, progress in the implementation of the work plan since the sixth session of the council, administrative and financial status and work plan of the institute for the academic year 2012. After the intensive discussion, the council made fundamental recommendations to improve SIAP training programme and its financial situation. Full report of the meeting will be on the SIAP webpage in due course.

The meeting documents and other information on the Council meeting are available at SIAP webpage:http://www.unsiap.or.jp/about_siap/gc7.php.

 

Capacity development

 

Building a gender-sensitive information and statistical system in local government in anticipation of the pilot Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) initiative, Penang, Malaysia, 17-21 October 2011

The advisory mission carried out by Ms Margarita Guerrero, ESCAP regional advisor on statistics, was requested by the municipality councils of Seberang Perai (MPSP) and Penang Island (MPPP) was made in connection with preparatory assessments for a pilot gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) initiative that is expected to be implemented from 2012-2014 in collaboration with Good Governance and Gender Equality Society (3Gs-Penang) and Women's Development Research Centre (KANITA), Universiti Sains Malaysia. The objectives of the mission were:

To assess whether the local statistical systems of the municipalities meet international standards, especially for its gender sensitivity and gender responsiveness and

To recommend ways in which the local statistical systems can be improved so that the municipalities can design effective and efficient services delivery systems that are responsive to the gender-based needs of their communities, with specific reference to the gender-responsive budgeting initiative

During the mission, technical staff were able to enhance their appreciation of the importance and needs for statistics for their planning and programming through group discussions. Furthermore, discussion of results of and recommendations based on the assessments, presented in a seminar which was attended by about 35 participants, advocated for support and action to improving the local government statistics especially gender statistics.

 

Technical advisory service on producing MDG-related disaggregated statistics, Mongolia, 28-30 November 2011

The technical advisory mission carried out by Mr Arman Bidarbakht Nia from Statistics Division of ESCAP was requested by national statistical office (NSO) of Mongolia, under the capacity building project on “Strengthening the capacity of national statistical systems in Asia and the Pacific to produce disaggregated statistics in support of achieving the MDGs”. The main objectives of the mission were:

To brief the country teams and the national consultant with the project activities, and provide them with technical assistance in launching the project activities

To ensure the availability of the required resources (census and survey micro-data, manuals and reports, essential expertise, etc)

Briefing and discussion meetings with the members of the country teams enhanced mutual understanding about every stage and activity under the project components and ensured the availability and accessibility of all resources required to launch project activities. ESCAP will continue its technical support to the NSO of Mongolia in producing MDG-related disaggregated statistics.

 

Training

 

SIAP launches its new e-learning training course

SIAP has launched a new e-learning training course on the Introduction to System of National Accounts to selected countries for the duration of two months from November 2011, using newly developed SIAP-Tokushima Univercity e-learning system. The system is an internet based self learning system developed by Tokushima University, a national university in Japan. It is a part of SIAP training programme on official statistics, supplementing its regular Tokyo-Metropolitan-Area (TMA) based training courses and outreach programme. This new system was first proposed in the SIAP Strategic Plan 2010-2014 endorsed by the SIAP Governing Council at its fourth session held in 2008. Through this new system, participants can receive SIAP training in their country, at their office, or anywhere where internet is accessible. They do not need to travel to Japan, where SIAP has its HQ. They may receive our training service anytime at their convenience. It would attract more potential trainees to participate in this programme. An image of the system is shown below.

This e-learning system is currently open only to limited number of officials from national statistical offices on SIAP invitation. The Institute will improve its e-learning service to enable participation of wider range of stakeholders, both producers and users of official statistics in this programme.

 

Timor-Leste country workshop to conduct in-depth analysis of census micro data using REDATAM, Dili, 3-7 October 2011

Twenty three producers and users from central and local offices of National Statistical Directorate (NSD), line ministries and UNFPA local office attended the workshop to discuss on analysis and dissemination of their own 2010 Population and Housing Census. The workshop also served to strengthen cooperation across NSS in the country. Jointly organized by

SIAP, UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Office and NSD of Timor-Leste, the workshop was held in Dili, Timor-Leste from 3 to 7 October 2011. Mr Hiroshige Furuta, Course Director cum Lecturer/ Statistician, SIAP and Mr K.A.P. Siddhisena, SIAP consultant cum Professor, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, guided participants through a range of learning and practical exercises in the analysis and dissemination of census data. The workshop consisted of lectures on in-depth analysis of the selected fields, such as demography, migration, employment, housing characteristics, etc. along with practical exercises on analysis method of their census micro dataset using REDATAM Process+SP application. Dissemination through Internet and GIS-based analysis and dissemination were also discussed. Participants conducted group work on “Plan thematic analysis of census data and prepare outline of monographs”, compiled relevant cross tables from census micro dataset and made presentations at the end of the course.

 

Sub regional Training /Workshop on analysis and dissemination of population and housing census data with gender concern, Dhaka, 9 – 13 October 2011

SIAP conducted the Sub regional Training/Workshop on Analysis and Dissemination of Population and Housing Census Data with Gender Concern in Dhaka, Bangladesh with collaborative assistance from UNFPA Asia Pacific Regional Office and the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) of the Government of Bangladesh. It was conducted for 5 days and included 20 sessions which covered following topics: demographic analysis, migration, housing characteristics, aging and disability, gender focus analysis, introduction to REDATAM, use of GIS in data dissemination, practical exercises for developing indicators, group work to conduct thematic analysis and country presentations. The workshop brought together participants from National Statistical offices (NSOs) from Bangladesh and Maldives, and several other government and non government organizations from Bangladesh. In total there were 27 participants.

The main aim of this sub-regional training/workshop was to provide knowledge and skills to better analyze and disseminate population and housing census data and to improve the use of census data in decision making. In terms of improving the user producer relationships and communication strategies, the workshop helped data users to better understand how statisticians conduct the census and produce outputs using different ICT tools, especially how the data is analyzed and disseminated using REDATAM software. Through interaction between data producer and user groups the group workshop sessions helped statisticians from BBS to understand how they should present and communicate statistics enabling users to utilize these data effectively in their work. While the participants demonstrated their keen interest in acquiring knowledge on the topics included and improving their skills BBS paid much attention to the course since it was the first sub regional level course conducted in Bangladesh on

statistics with plenty of stakeholder groups on development of the country participating.

 

Regional Training Course on System of National Accounts 2008, Greater Noida (near Delhi), India, 17–22 October 2011

SIAP, in collaboration with the Central Statistical Institutional Organisation (CSO), India, conducted a Regional Training Course on the 2008 System of National Accounts from 17 to 22 October 2011 at the National Academy of Statistics Administration (NASA), in Greater Noida (Near Delhi). The main objective of the course was to strengthen the capacity of national statistical offices in implementing the recommendations of the 2008 SNA and reviewing the current compilation practices for improving the quality and coverage of national accounts statistics of the respective countries. A total of 18 participants – 11 from host country India and 7 from other member countries – attended the training course. From India, seven participants were from the Central Statistical Office (CSO) and four from State Directorates of Economics and Statistics – the agencies responsible for compiling regional (sub-national) accounts. All these participants were selected by the CSO, India. The other seven participants were selected by SIAP from among the nomination forms received from different member countries. They were from: Afghanistan, Bangladesh (2), Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines and Thailand. A majority of the participants (72 %) stated that the course was at an advanced level. The course content was found to be ‘useful' by all and ‘very useful' by more than 80% of the participants. But, about 55 % of the participants found the duration of the course too short. A majority of the participants thought the course was relevant to their work. The course materials/handouts were assessed positively by the participants, most of them (78%) rating them ‘very good' and the rest as ‘good'.

 

Country Course/workshop on Analysis and Dissemination of Population and Housing Census Data with Gender Concern, Bandung, Indonesia, 24-28 October 2011

SIAP conducted a Country Course/workshop on Analysis and Dissemination of Population and Housing Census Data with Gender Concern in Bandung, Indonesia with collaborative assistance from UNFPA Asia Pacific Regional Office and the National Statistics Office (Badan Pusat Statistics-BPS) of the Government of Indonesia. Workshop was conducted for 5 days and included 18 sessions which covered topics on demographic analysis, migration, dousing characteristics, aging and disability, gender focus analysis, REDATAM practical using Indonesian census data for 2010, use of GIS in data dissemination and group work to conduct thematic analysis and presentations.

The workshop brought together 27 participants from BPS and several other government and non government organizations from Indonesia. The main aim of this sub-regional training/workshop was to provide knowledge and skills to better analyze and disseminate population and housing census data and to improve the use of census data in decision making. The workshop helped data users to better understand how statisticians conducted the census and produce outputs using different ICT tools, especially how the data is analyzed and disseminate using REDATAM software. Through interaction between data producer and user groups the group workshop sessions helped statisticians from BPS to understand how they should present and communicate statistics enabling users to utilize these data effectively in their work.

 

Field trip to Shimane and Yamaguchi to study the Japanese Family Income and Expenditure Survey, 26-28 October 2011

SIAP conducted a field study trip for the participants of the Second Group Training Course in Production and Development of Official Statistics in Support for National Development including the Achievement of MDGs from 26 to 28 October 2011 as part of the curriculum of the four month training course. All 30 participants/official statisticians from 14 countries visited, in two separate groups, Shimane and Yamaguchi prefectures, both in a south-western island of Honshu, the biggest island in Japan. The field study trip expanded participants' learning through active hands-on experience and knowledge about statistical service in local government, increased participants' knowledge and understanding of Japanese Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES); and advanced technologies and historical/cultural heritage of Japan.

During the visit to the Local Government Office, the senior officials of the statistical offices of the local governments explained the organization, responsibilities, and main statistical activities of both prefectures including data collection process of FIES. All participants were able to learn that the close collaboration between central and local governments is a paramount factor in producing high quality and timely statistics in Japan. Visits to sample households to meet the respondent households and observe how monthly income and expenditure data are recorded in a family account book were a very exciting

moment for the participants.

 

Employment and Health – Gender Statistics Workshop and advisory service on the development of a statistical database on gender-related issues for Timor-Leste, 25-28 October 2011

As part of the ADB/ESCAP collaboration on regional capacity development technical assistance for promoting evidence-based policy making for gender equity in the Pacific, Ms Margarita Guerrero and Mr Eric Hermouet from Statistics Division of ESCAP conducted a country mission to Timor-Leste to provide training and advice on the development of a statistical database on gender-related issues. A 2.5 days training was delivered on gender indicators with a focus on Gender-Based Violence indicators and the use of DevInfo databases. The training, organized by the Secretary of State for the Promotion of Equality (SEPI), drew participants from gender focus groups established in various line ministries by SEPI. An action plan was set up in place for the further development of a GenderInfo database for Timor-Leste. ESCAP will continue its technical support to Timor-Leste for developing a gender-related statistical database.

 

Collaboration

 

Expert Group on National Quality Assurance Frameworks (NQAF), New York, 28-30 September 2011

In response to a request by the United Nations Statistical Commission at its forty-first session in 2010, a working group was established to develop a Template for a Generic National Quality Assurance Framework (NQAF) and the draft Guidelines to accompany the Template. All the work of the working group, composed of representatives from 17 countries and nine agencies and international organizations, has been conducted via e-mail since August 2010. The main purpose of the first meeting of the working group, organized by United Nations Statistics Division on 28-30 September in New York, were:

To discuss and agree on the template for a generic national quality assurance framework and its accompanying guidelines with selected tools, examples and best practices;

To further develop the expert group's glossary of currently used quality terminology;

To finalize the mapping of the NQAF template to existing frameworks, including IMF's Data Quality Assessment Framework (DQAF) and the European Statistical System's Code of Practice, and the template based on Statistics Canada's quality assurance framework as presented in its 2010 report to the UN Statistical Commission.

Ms Margarita Guerrero from ESCAP Statistics Division represented ESCAP in the meeting. More detailed information on the working group on NQAF and relevant documents are available in the UNSD website:http://unstats.un.org/unsd/dnss/QualityNQAF/nqaf.aspx. 

 

National Transfer Accounts: Understanding generational economy, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 6-9 December 2011

In response to growing demand for documenting and assessing the socio-economic implications of changing population age structures in developing countries, the United Nations Population Division, in cooperation with ESCWA, ECLAC and ESCAP, is implementing a Development Account project titled “Strengthening capacity of national policy analysts in the social and economic sectors of developing countries in the production and use of National Transfer Accounts” for the period of 2011-2013. Yanhong Zhang from the Statistics Division attended an expert group meeting organized by the United Nations Population Division in Belo Horizonte, Brazil on 6-7 December 2011 to review a draft manual of NTA intended to be used as a resource for training.

While in Belo Horizonte, Yanhong Zhang also attended a global meeting of the global NTA research network on 8-9 December 2011. Led by researchers at University of Berkeley and East-West Center in the United States of America and with participation of research teams in over 30 countries, the National Transfer Accounts (NTA) project aims to develop a system to measure, analyze and interpret macroeconomic aspects of age and population aging in a manner consistent with National Income and Product Accounts.

More information about NTA is available at: http://www.ntaccounts.org/

 

20th Meeting of the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on MDG Indicators (IAEG), Manila, 17-18 October 2011

The IAEG on MDG Indicators is responsible for the development and analysis of methods, standards and data for the assessment of trends towards the MDGs at national and international levels. It also reviews international and national initiatives for technical cooperation with countries to enhance their statistical capacity to supply data for the MDG indicators. During its 20th meeting, the IAEG reviewed the activities carried out by the United Nations Secretariat and international agencies and defined how to address remaining requests from member states. Some other topics discussed during the meeting were the monitoring issues considering the current discussions on the preparation of a Post-2015 development agenda, the MDG data structure definition for SDMX, the Handbook on MDG Indicators and updates on new measurement issues for a number of indicators. Harumi Shibata Salazar represented ESCAP in the meeting.

 

2011 International Conference on MDGs Statistics, Manila, 19-21 October 2011

The 2011 ICMDGS had the objective of assessing the implementation of the recommendations of the 2007 ICMDGS by the countries and international organizations as well as how countries have reacted to recent developments such as the expanded MDG indicators and the discrepancies between international and national data. Countries and international organizations used this forum to present their most recent developments and implementations.

Some of the recommendations from the 2011 ICMDGS are to address all unresolved issues in the application of standard definitions and methodologies for the compilation of the MDG indicators by international agencies; to ensure the full involvement of the statistical community in the setting of targets and indicators for MDGs beyond 2015; and to improve the compilation of metadata in countries and their accessibility by users.

Harumi Shibata Salazar represented ESCAP in the meeting and delivered two presentations on “Challenges in the Pacific region with data collection and harmonization” and “Challenges faced by the Asia-Pacific countries”.

The full information of the ICMDGS is available at the following website:http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Host.aspx?Content=Capacity/manila.htm

 

Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA), Thailand floods 2011

From 7-25 November 2011 a rapid Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) for the floods in Thailand was carried out by international agencies under the lead of the World Bank in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and other government agencies of Thailand.

The PDNA is a combination of a Damage and Loss Assessment (DaLA, methodology developed by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in 1972 and aims to capture damages and losses, which together make up the total effect of the economic impact of a disaster) and economic recovery and reconstruction needs assessment. The objective of the PDNA is to guide the post-disaster recovery and reconstruction strategy.

This assessment captured the impact of the floods on different subsectors such as, among others, housing, health, education, transport, telecommunications and tourism. The focus was on the 26 provinces severely affected by the floods since October 2011. As of 25 November 2011, the total economic damages and losses due to the floods in Thailand is estimated around 1.4 trillion baht, being the biggest damages and losses in the manufacturing sector. As a consequence, the real GDP will fall and recover in 2014 and the GDP growth will be reduced by 1.2% this year before recovering in 2012.

The Statistics Division (SD) and the Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division (IDD) from ESCAP conducted the assessment of the damages, losses and needs of the telecommunication sector.

 

International technical workshop on “Knowledge, Tools and Lessons: Informing the Design and Implementation of Food Security Strategies in Asia”, Kathmandu, 14-18 November 2011

The workshop brought together stakeholders from research, policymaking, academic, and programmatic communities in Asia to review and share state of the art knowledge, practical lessons, and tools for supporting agriculture and food security strategies in Asia (Central, East, South, Southeast Asia and Pacific Islands). Organized by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Nepal's Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS), and supported and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the workshop aimed to raise awareness of the need for greater cross country learning, dialogue, and sharing of knowledge and information, experiences and capacities – by providing participants with the opportunity to learn what others are doing in the region, approaches and tools, and successful practice in addressing common challenges and identifying key knowledge gaps. Mr Yanhong Zhang from the Statistics Division attended the workshop and presented on pilot work at ESCAP to promote good practices in the use of statistical data for policy analysis and advocacy.

More information about the workshop is available at: http://www.resakss-asia.org/.

 

Workshop on Environment Statistics for the Low income countries of South-East Asia, Hanoi, 5-7

December 2011

Environment statistics are imperative for informed decision making and for environmental sustainability in the future. Statistics identify threats and opportunities for investment. The workshop on Environment Statistics for the Low income countries of South-East Asia on 5-7 December 2011 in Hanoi brought together representatives from National Statistical Offices and Ministries of Environment of Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam to discuss these issues. The conference was organized by UNSD (United Nations Statistics Division) and the Government of Viet Nam.

Ms Eszter Horvath, Chief, Environment and Energy Statistics Branch, UNSD, provided participants with an overview of the topic, including a look at the compilation and use of the environment statistics. Ms Jillian Campbell of ESCAP and Mr Jinhua Zhang of the UNEP regional office for Asia and the Pacific provided a synopsis of environment statistics in South-East Asia. Country participants presented a summary, by country, of national practices, challenges in compilation, statistical needs and data usage.

This was the first meeting in the region that brought together statisticians and environmental experts from multiple countries to share experiences in the area of environment statistics. This workshop highlighted the need for improving capacity in the area of environment statistics, a need that was also noted by the ESCAP Committee of Statistics in the strategic goal that “all countries in the region by 2020 have the capability to provide an agreed basic range of population, economic, social and environment statistics”. The need for better environment statistics has been acknowledged at the global level be the UNSC decision to revise the Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics (FDES) and the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA). At the UNSC in February 2012, the revised FDES will be presented to the UNSC with an accompanying recommended core set of environment statistics.

 

Calendar of forthcoming meetings

 

The calendar of all international meetings related to official statistics in Asia and the Pacific is maintained athttp://www.unescap.org/stat/meet/events_Asia_Pacific.asp.

 

Date Organizer Meeting Venue

2012

16 January - 16 March

SIAP SIAP/JICA 2nd Group Training Course in Analysis, Interpretation and Use of Official Statistics (Social Statistics)http://www.unsiap.or.jp/

Chiba, Japan

23 January - 23 SIAP SIAP/JICA Area-focused Training Course in Integrated Economic Statistics, Chiba,

March including SNA, for Central Asian Countrieshttp://www.unsiap.or.jp/

Japan

26 February ESCAP/SD Partners for Statistics Development in Asia and the Pacifichttp://www.unescap.org/stat/

New York

26 February ESCAP/SD Bureau of ESCAP Committee on Statistics http://www.unescap.org/stat/

New York

5-9 March UNWTO, ESCAP/SD

UNWTO Statistics Capacity Building Workshop http://www.unescap.org/stat/

Bangkok

3 days between 16-20 April

ESCAP/SD Practical workshop on the secure microdata dissemination; Internet technology for data collection and dissemination; GIS application for data dissemination http://www.unescap.org/stat/

Moscow

May - July SIAP SIAP/JICA 3rd Group Training Course in Application of Information Management and Related ICT for Official Statistics http://www.unsiap.or.jp/

Chiba, Japan

4-8 June ESCAP/SD Workshop on MDG Indicators Methodology http://www.unescap.org/stat/

Bangkok

June ESCAP/SD Working meeting of the Technical Advisory Group on Social Statistics http://www.unescap.org/stat/

Bangkok

17-19 September

ESCAP/SD Training Workshop on the preparation and use of National Transfer Account (NTAs)http://www.unescap.org/stat/

Bangkok

Third Quarter ESCAP/SD Consultative meeting to develop a framework for core gender statistics for Asia and the Pacifichttp://www.unescap.org/stat/

Bangkok

August - December

SIAP SIAP/JICA 3rd Group Training Course in Production and Development of Official Statistics in support for National Development including the Achievement of MDGs http://www.unsiap.or.jp/

Chiba, Japan

December ESCAP/SD Expert group meeting on “Options for and approaches to modernizing national statistical information systems to fully meet client needs” http://www.unescap.org/stat/

Bangkok

December ESCAP/SD Committee on Statistics, Third session Bangkok

http://www.unescap.org/stat/

December SIAP, ESCAP/SD

The Eighth session of the Governing Council of Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacifichttp://www.unsiap.or.jp/

Bangkok

December ESCAP/SD Partners for Statistics Development in Asia-Pacifichttp://www.unescap.org/stat/

Bangkok

December ESCAP/SD High-level Meeting on the Improvement of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacifichttp://www.unescap.org/stat/

Bangkok

 

New faces in Statistics Division

 

Ms Pratima Poonam Mathews has been working as a Communications Consultant for over 15 years, taking up assignments of writing, editing, publishing, web content development, research and documentation on issues of social development for various international organizations. She has also taken up assignments of communications strategy development and brand identity-image gap issues. She's a postgraduate and has been living in Bangkok for the last four years.

 

Ms Ma Tianjiao joined SD as an intern on 15 November 2011. She's a postgraduate student in Khon Kaen University, Thailand, majoring in Thai Language. Tianjiao assists other staffs in their administrative work. Her role in SD work involves assisting in preparation for meeting, translating documents, working with forms and questionnaire for surveys, and so on. Tianjiao believes the diversity of work she's engaged in enriches her knowledge and experience.

 

Visitors to ESCAP Statistics Division

 

Mr Ronald Luttikhuizen, Senior economist/statistician, World Bank Mr Douglas Brooks, Assistant Chief Economist, Asian Development Bank

Mr Neil Dourmashkin, EU Consultant, European Union

Ms Denise Carlton, Australian Bureau of Statistics

Ms Roksana Khan, Australian Bureau of Statistics

 

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