Statistical Newsletter

Published: 1 July

2009

esolution 65/2 Regional technical cooperation and capacity-building in statistics development in Asia and the Pacific

Monitoring Food Insecurity in the Asia-Pacific Region

Capacity Building

Statistics Division Meetings/Training Workshops

o The Informal Sector and Informal Employment Workers Matter

o Workshop on Estimating HUEM (Household Unincorporated Enterprises with At Least Some Market Production) and Informal Sector Value Added Using “1-2” Survey Data, Bangkok, 25-27 May 2009

o Workshop on Informal Employment and Informal Sector Data Analysis, Tabulations, and Country Reports, Bangkok, 28-29 May 2009

Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP) Training Workshops o Fifth Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communications

Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official StatisticsJapan, 11 May – 10 July 2009

o Country Course on Demographic Statistics o Distance-learning training course on “Introduction to STATA”, Bangladesh,

China, Mongolia and Thailand, 20 and 23 April, 2009.o ESCAP/SIAP/UNIDO Workshop on Empirical Analysis to Support the

Formulation of Viable Policies for the Sustainable Economic and Industrial Development, Chiba, Japan, 6-10 April 2009

o Country Training Course on Survey Design, Poverty Analysis and Data Dissemination, Chiba, Japan, 23–27 March 2009

Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP) Meetings o SIAP and UNFPA working together on 2010 Round Population Census o SIAP strengthens partnership with Tokyo International University

Calendar of forthcoming meetings: o Meetings and training courses of ESCAP Statistics Division and SIAP o Other forthcoming statistical meetings in the ESCAP region

Publications and data releases, April – June 2009

Missions undertaken by staff

Staff movement

Visitors to ESCAP Statistics Division

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The sixty-fifth session of the Commission, Bangkok, 23-29 April 2009The sixty-fifth session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific was held in Bangkok from 23 to 29 April 2009.

The session was attended by 48 members and associate members, bringing together ministers and senior officials from the ESCAP membership to discuss the challenges before Asia and the Pacific and to propose a coordinated response. The session was also attended by representatives from: five other countries, seven offices of the United Nations Secretariat, 11 United Nations bodies, five specialized agencies,

six intergovernmental organizations and 16 non-governmental organizations.

The session was structured in two segments: a senior officials segment (23 to 25 April 2009), consisting of the Committees of the Whole I, II and III, and the Working Group on Draft Resolutions, and a ministerial segment (27 to 29 April 2009).

The sixty-fifth session was held against the backdrop of an economic crisis, food/fuel price volatility and climate change --- a triple threats that could roll back development gains. The implications of these for the Asia-Pacific region were therefore high on the agenda of the Commission as members discussed ways of dealing with the crises.

The Commission session also included an ESCAP tribute to Thailand via an audio-visual presentation commemorating 60 years of ESCAP's presence in Thailand, 1949 -2009.

 

Senior Officials' SegmentThe senior officials' segment of the sixty-fifth session was opened by the Executive Secretary of ESCAP. The senior officials' segment discussed the following agenda items:

Review of issues pertinent to the subsidiary structure of the Commission; Special Body on Least Developed and Landlocked Developing Countries; Management issues; Work of the ESCAP regional institutions; Activities of the Advisory Committee of Permanent Representatives and Other Representatives Designated

by Members of the Commission;

Dates, venue and theme topic for the sixty-sixth session of the Commission.

Of particular relevance to statistics in the Asia and the Pacific was the discussion under the 'Review of issues pertinent to the subsidiary structure of the Commission: Statistics'

Under the agenda item on "Statistics", the Commission considered document E/ESCAP/65/13 on "Report of the Committee on Statistics on its first session". The Commission expressed general support for the recommendations of the first session of the Committee on Statistics. Some delegations observed that the inaugural session of the Committee on Statistics had been particularly successful in terms of attendance, substantive outcomes and organization.

The Commission noted that the Bureau of the Committee and the ESCAP secretariat had already initiated preparatory work on implementing several of the specific recommendations adopted by the Committee on Statistics on its first session, including those related to technical assistance to member States.

The Commission recognized that SIAP played a significant role in the development of statistical capacity in the region. Some delegations requested that the Institute increase its activities in the Pacific, as well as its cooperation with national training institutes and subregional organizations in developing and delivering training modules. The Commission noted offers from some national training institutes and regional organizations to collaborate with SIAP in that regard.

Finally, some delegations stressed the importance of sharing statistical information, including information to serve the functioning of other ESCAP Committees.

Under the agenda item on "Work of the ESCAP regional institutions", the Commission considered document E/ESCAP/65/26 on "Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacificinstitutions.

The Commission was informed of the ESCAP secretariat's full commitment to supporting the work of its five regional institutions and noted their strong potential to become leading centres of excellence in their respective fields, particularly in capacity-building, technology transfer and knowledge sharing.

The heads of each of the regional institutions provided an overview of the achievements of their respective institutions in 2008 and highlighted the outcomes of the recently concluded sessions of their Governing Councils. The Director of SIAP informed the Commission that during 2008, SIAP had assisted 57 countries in strengthening their statistical capacity, particularly in fundamental aspects of official statistics.

 

Special Body on Least Developed and Landlocked Developing Countries;

 

The senior officials' segment included a special high-level discussion on "The food-fuel financial crisis and climate change: addressing threats to development" on the impacts of the triple crises on the least developed countries (LDCs), land-locked developing countries (LLDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS).

The panel drew the attention of the Commission to issues associated with the crisis, actions taken by the Governments to

mitigate their impact, and the way forward, especially in the area of regional cooperation. The key message from the discussion was that regional cooperation was essential for supporting the poorest and most vulnerable countries in Asia and the Pacific in their response to the triple threat of food-fuel volatility, the economic crisis and climate change.

 

Dates, venue and theme topic for the sixty-sixth session of the Commission

 

During the senior officials' segment, the Commission decided on the dates, venue and theme topic for its sixty-sixth session. In that respect, the Commission welcomed the generous offer of the Government of the Republic of Korea to host the sixty-sixth session and decided that it would be held in Incheon, Republic of Korea, in April or May 2010. The actual dates would be decided in consultation with the Advisory Committee of Permanent Representatives and Other Representatives Designated by Members of the Commission.

The theme topic for the sixty-sixth session of the Commission shall be:

Addressing challenges in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals:

Promoting a stable and supportive financial system; Green Growth or environmentally sustainable economic growth, including through technology and

financing.

 

Ministerial Segment 

The Chairperson of the sixty-fourth session, H.E. Mr. Kim Jong-hoon, chaired the opening of the ministerial segment of the sixty-fifth session. Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP, delivered the message of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and her own welcome statement. H.E. Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva, Prime Minister of Thailand, delivered the inaugural address and inaugurated the ministerial segment of the sixty-fifth session.

Highlights of the ministerial segment included the Ministerial Roundtable on the session theme of "Sustainable agriculture and food security in the Asian and Pacific region" (27 April 2009) and the High-level Panel on Economic Crisis (28 April 2009).

 

Ministerial Roundtable on "Sustainable agriculture and food security in the Asian and Pacific region" (Theme topic of 65th Commission session)

 

The ministerial round table featured ministers from Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Myanmar and Papua New Guinea. Discussants included Dr. Heyzer of ESCAP, Dr. David Nabarro, Coordinator of the Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis under the chairmanship of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and Dr. Ursula Schaefer-Preuss, Vice-President of the Asian Development Bank.

Dr. Anton Apriyantono, Minister of Agriculture, Indonesia, reiterated his country's call for a second "Green Revolution" - based upon environmental-friendly technologies and intensified efforts to promote clean water, nutrition and health.

Maj. General Htay Oo, Minister for Agriculture, Myanmar, pointed out the vulnerability of developing countries: "Although Myanmar is a country with a food surplus, it is certainly not immune to the effects of the global economic crisis, climate change and natural disasters," the Minister said, citing as an example Cyclone Nargis which struck his country last year. 

Mr. Mashiur Rahman, Advisor to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, echoed his fellow panelists, calling for more investment in agriculture: "Cooperation in agricultural research and technology development needs to be strengthened," said Mr. Rahman, "specifically in developing new varieties, hybrids and breeds, natural resources management techniques, as well as in cooperation in new sciences such as remote sensing for weather and flood forecasting." 

Speaking of how the region could work together to improve food security by improving policy coordination, Mr.Liu Jieyi, China's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, called for efforts to be made "to set up an Asia-Pacific food security guarantee system that integrates early warning, surveillance and monitoring, macro regulation and emergency relief."

In their discussion, panellists agreed that agriculture could serve as an engine of growth for many developing countries; as the source of economic livelihood for billions of people in Asia-Pacific and around the world, it should be put back at the top of the political agenda.

 

High-level Panel on the Economic Crisis

 

A high-level panel on the economic crisis was held on the morning of Tuesday, 28 April. Dr. Heyzer moderated the panel. The speakers included H.E. Mr. Kim Jong-hoon, Minister for Trade, Republic of Korea, Executive Secretaries of three United Nations Regional Commissions (Africa, Asia and the Pacific and Europe), as well as, Mr. Martin Khor, Executive Director of the South Centre - a Geneva-based intergovernmental

organization of developing countries.

"The Asia-Pacific region has shown remarkable resilience to this crisis," said Dr Heyzer in her opening remarks. "This is due, in large part, to the wide-ranging regulatory reforms taken by countries in our region since the 1997 economic crisis." However, that resilience has been eroded under the strain, noted Dr Heyzer, and there are some critical issues that the region needed to address.

"One is to guard against trade protectionism. An early conclusion of the Doha round and more intraregional integration would provide new impetus to economic recovery," Dr. Heyzer cautioned. Dr. Heyzer also called for more stable currency exchange rates in the region to prevent competitive devaluation in the face of declining exports. It is important to intensify regional coordination and policy coherence, Dr. Heyzer pointed out, so that "economic recovery evolves in line with a more sustainable and inclusive process of economic growth."

The panel agreed that the current global economic crisis provided a good opportunity to address some long-term issues in the Asian and Pacific region.

 

Resolution 65/2 Regional technical cooperation and capacity-building in statistics development in Asia and the Pacific. 

At its sixty-fifth session, the Commission adopted six resolutions. Of particular relevance to statistics in the Asian and Pacific region was Commission resolution 65/2 sponsored by the Government of Japan on "Regional technical cooperation and capacity-building in statistics development in Asia and the Pacific". The complete text of the resolution is presented below.

 

Review of issues pertinent to the subsidiary structure of the Commission: Statistics

 

(Agenda item 2 (h))

Resolution on ' Regional technical cooperation and capacity-building in statistics development in Asia and the Pacific'

Sponsored by: Japan

Co-sponsored by: China, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Republic of Korea and Thailand  

The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific,

Recalling its resolution 61/2 on the statute of the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific,

Recalling also its resolution 62/10 on strengthening statistical capacity in Asia and the Pacific,

Recalling further its resolution 64/1 on the restructuring of the conference structure of the Commission, by which it re-established the Committee on Statistics as the highest-level intergovernmental body concerned with statistics in Asia and the Pacific,

Recognizing that the Committee on Statistics, which brings together all the chief statisticians from the countries and areas in Asia and the Pacific, is the recognized and appropriate regional forum to discuss and coordinate all matters related to statistics development,

Welcoming the revitalization of the Committee on Statistics,

1. Takes note of the report of the Committee on Statistics on its first session1 and the report of the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific;2

2. Requests the Executive Secretary to continue to assist members and, as appropriate, associate members in strengthening their statistical capacity, in accordance with Commission resolution 62/10;

3. Takes note of the appreciation of members and associate members for technical cooperation and capacity-building activities in statistics development in Asia and the Pacific carried out by the secretariat and the training services delivered by the Statistics Division and the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific in promoting national statistical capacity-building in the region;

4. Expresses appreciation to the members and associate members that have provided financial support to the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific;

5. Encourages members and associate members to implement paragraph 20 of the annex to Commission resolution 61/2 and, where appropriate, to increase financial support to the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific;

6. Notes that the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific will celebrate its fortieth anniversary in 2010 and

encourages members and associate members to contribute to the preparations for this celebration;7. Requests the Executive Secretary to report on the implementation of the present resolution to the

Commission at its sixty-seventh session

More information on the sixty-fifth session of the Commission, including the pre-session documents, press releases and photos may be found at: <http://www.unescap.org/65/>__________

1 E/ESCAP/65/13. 2 E/ESCAP/65/26.

 

Monitoring Food Insecurity in the Asia-Pacific Region(Drawn from technical material contributed to, and Chapter I of, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in Asia and the Pacific, ST/ESCAP/2535)

 

To assess the food insecurity of the Asia-Pacific region, good quality information on food and non-food data is required. Food data include data on deficit in production, fluctuation in production, food prices and aid, a comprehensive information resource guide for food irradiation and trade, and calorie consumption. Non-food data include data on poverty, rural infrastructure, informal labour employment, underweight children, undernourished population, and female literacy.

In Asia and the Pacific, people who are food insecure are largely hidden. Occasionally, food shortages will hit the national headlines. But outside immediate emergencies, food has a much lower public profile. This is largely because achieving 'food security' means not just ensuring that sufficient food is produced, but also that everyone has access to it - and failures of access to food, particularly for the most marginal communities, are largely hidden from public view.

Monitoring Food Insecurity - The simplest way of monitoring food security is to look at outcomes - to count how many people are hungry. For this, there are two principal measures.

People undernourished - The first measure focuses on consumption, typically by estimating the proportion of the population whose food intake falls below the minimum dietary energy requirement of 1,800 calories per day. On this basis, during 2005-2006, on average some 16 per cent of the region's population, 542 million people, were going hungry - and in 2007, as a result of sudden price rises, that number is thought to have increased to 582 million. The greatest problems are in South and South-West Asia where 21 per cent of the population are undernourished. The country with the most acute problems is Afghanistan - where the proportion is more than one third. But, levels of undernourishment are also high - between 20 and 34 per cent - in a number of other countries, including (in descending order of the proportion undernourished) Tajikistan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Pakistan, Armenia, Sri Lanka, India and the Solomon Islands. See the

figure below.

Figure 1: Proportion of people undernourished, by country, Asia and the Pacific, 2003-2005

Disclaimer: The boundaries used in this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.

The dotted line represents approximately the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir agreed upon by India and Pakistan. The final status of Jammu and Kashmir has not yet been agreed upon by the parties.

Source : ESCAP mapping on the basis of the data from FAO, The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2008:

High food prices and food security - threats and opportunities (Rome, FAO, 2008).

Children underweight - The second principal way of monitoring food security is by weighing a sample of children to arrive at the proportion of children who are underweight for their age. Again, the problems are most severe in South and South-West Asia where on average 42 per cent of children are underweight - with the highest figures in Bangladesh, at 47 per cent, and India, at 46 per cent. However, even in South-East Asia, the majority of countries in the subregion have more than one quarter of their children undernourished.

For children, the consequences are potentially fatal because poorly nourished children have low resistance to infection and disease. Across Asia and the Pacific, around 3.8 million children die each year before reaching the age of five, and around half of these deaths, over 1.9 million, are from causes related to malnutrition, poor hygiene

and lack of access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation. This is the equivalent of 10 jumbo jets, full of children, crashing every day and killing all on board.

The global hunger index - Another way of tracking food insecurity is through the 'global hunger index', which is based on a simple average of three indicators: the percentage of the population undernourished; the percentage of under-five children underweight; and the under-five mortality rate. Figure 2 shows that of the Asia-Pacific countries listed in this index, Afghanistan again has the worst score, over 40 per cent, as a consequence of high levels on all three indicators, with Tajikistan second at 26 per cent, with a high score primarily on undernourishment.

Figure 2: Global hunger index in Asia and the Pacific

Note: The GHI is the sum of the components divided by three, so the

percentage for each component indicated in this figure is also one

third of its value.

Source : von Grebmer, K., H. Fritschel, B. Nestorova, T. Olofinbiyi, R.

Pandya-Lorch and Y. Yohannes, Global Hunger Index. The

Challenge of Hunger 2008 (Bonn, Washington, D.C., Dublin,

Deutsche Welthungerhilfe, International Food Policy Res earch

Institute, Concern Worldwide, 2008).

These indicators help build up a picture of malnutrition across the region by country. However, since most food insecure people are usually found in specific provinces or states, it is usually better to consider data at the sub-national level. In Indonesia, for example, rates of child undernutrition range across provinces from 15 to 42 per cent; in India across states they range from 36 to 60 per cent. In addition to mapping food insecurity by region or state, it is also possible to identify food-insecure subgroups. One such subgroup is rural children - who are twice as likely to be undernourished as those living in urban areas. Another is women: in some countries there is a persistent gender bias, as a result of maldistribution within households, which causes women to be at greater risk of undernourishment than men. Other vulnerable groups include migrant workers, tribal peoples, as well as people living with HIV and AIDS.

Data challenges - Statistical information on food security shall be the first line of defence against risks from

food insecurity to safeguard the most vulnerable groups. Limited food security data, especially “micro” level data, constitute a major challenge to, and constraint on, monitoring and assessing risks and vulnerability of people. It is often the case that in poor and highly food insecure areas, there is little statistical information or what is available tends to be dated. Take underweight children as an example: data are missing for nearly all Pacific island states, except Fiji where 7.9 per cent of the population under 5 was underweight in 1993 (United Nations, 2008a). Furthermore, at the time of completion of the ESCAP study, FAO data available in the public domain (FAO’s core database, FAOSTAT, covering cereals, oils and meats available for human consumption) had complete data only up to 2005.

Policy implications - Recognizing the importance of data on food security, and their effective use in promoting evidence-based socio-economic policies, it is imperative to develop a unifying international approach for regular data collection through surveys. There is scope for regional cooperation to help build national systems and technical capacity for identifying food insecurity hotspots and food insecure groups, as well as tracking, collecting, analyzing and disseminating statistics at national and local levels.

The full text of Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in Asia and the Pacific, ST/ESCAP/2535, the theme topic of the Economic and Social Commission on its sixty-fifth session, more details may be accessed at <http://www.unescap.org/65/theme_study2009.asp>.

Concerning agricultural statistics, readers may wish to note that, back-to-back with the 57th Session of the International Statistical Institute (ISI) to be held in Durban, South Africa, during 16 to 22 August 2009, the ISI Satellite Meeting on Agricultural Statistics will be held in Maputo on 13 and 14 August 2009. More details many be accessed at <http://www.fao.org/es/ess/meetings/isi_satellite_meeting_maputo_2009/index.html>

 

Capacity Building 

Statistics Division Meetings/Training Workshops 

The Informal Sector and Informal Employment: Counting Better to Ensure Workers Matter

 

The informal sector represents a fundamental component of the economic structure of many developing countries and countries with economies in transition, and plays an important role in employment creation, production and income generation. Despite their overwhelming importance, the informal sector and informal employment are

inadequately covered in official statistics. Although some progress has been made so far, considerable conceptual and methodological development is still required to fully integrate these into regular economic and social statistics which, in turn, could be effectively used in promoting evidence-based socio-economic policy making.

The Statistics Division of ESCAP is leading the implementation of an interregional Development Account project entitled "Interregional Cooperation on the Measurement of Informal Sector and Informal Employment". Project implementation is by three Regional Commissions of the United Nations, the other two being the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).

The project seeks to address the problems hampering the availability and analyses of data on the informal sector, including employment and contribution to GDP, and informal employment. The project experiments with the "1-2" survey methodology for data collection which is being piloted in five countries in three regions (Asia-Pacific, Western Asia, as well as Latin America and the Caribbean). Through the experimental use of the "1-2" survey methodology, the project not only links country policy needs in terms of data, but also serves to influence a wider global process in a very complex area of work. The methodology used in the project involves two phases.

In the first phase, the labour force survey is used as a tool to collect information on informal employment and some informal sector data items. The data collected through the labour force survey are used to construct a sample frame for a second phase.

The second phase focuses on an enterprise survey with household unincorporated enterprises with at least some market production (HUEMs) as the statistical unit. Thus, through this approach, data are collected on the larger universe of HUEMs. Furthermore, informal sector enterprises which are a subset of HUEMs can be identified according to national definitions and criteria which countries may have outlined.

 

Workshop on Estimating HUEM (Household Unincorporated Enterprises with At Least Some Market Production) and Informal Sector Value Added Using “1-2” Survey Data, Bangkok, 25-27 May 2009

   Workshop on Informal Employment and Informal Sector Data Analysis, Tabulations, and Country Reports, Bangkok, 28-29 May 2009

 

Under the above-mentioned project, the ESCAP Statistics Division designed a series of training events on the design, implementation and utilization of "1-2" surveys. The third and fourth in the series of training events were conducted back-to-back in Bangkok. The first event was the Workshop on Estimating HUEM and Informal Sector Value Added Using "1-2" Survey Data, (25-27 May 2009), and the second was the Workshop on Informal Employment and Informal Sector Data Analysis, Tabulations and Country Reports (28-29 May 2009).

The Workshops brought together national accountants, survey statisticians and data analysts from the five countries that are participating in the Development Account project, i.e., Mongolia, Palestine, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Saint Lucia. Viet Nam was the only non-project country that participated in the Workshops. Viet Nam shared its experience of conducting the "1-2" survey in two cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Colleagues from ESCWA and the Asian Development Bank also participated in the Workshops.

The Workshop on Estimating HUEM and Informal Sector Value Added Using "1-2" Survey Data focused on presenting and discussing project guidelines on the compilation of national accounts. Participants enhanced their technical knowledge and understanding of the conceptual framework of the System of National Accounts production boundary, and on the compilation of national accounts, particularly gross output, intermediate consumption and gross value-added of HUEMs and of the informal sector, including the ap plication of the project guidelines using the "1-2" survey data collected in project countries.

The discussions led to consensus that the concept of HUEMs should be recommended as an international standard to facilitate the study of the informal sector, thereby creating a broader grouping within the household sector that would be internationally comparable and which could facilitate more systematic and exhaustive data collection for national accounting purposes. The group outlined a set of criteria to identify HUEMs, and it would be up to project countries to decide if they wanted to sub-divide HUEMs into formal HUEMs and the informal sector, based on country-specific criteria that they might have.

The Workshop on Informal Employment and Informal Sector Data Analysis, Tabulations and Country Reportswas designed to address issues related to data processing, estimation and analysis, and project implementation. Participants enhanced their understanding concerning the identification of errors, consistency checks, editing and imputations, as well as sampling and weighting for "1-2" surveys. The participants discussed tabulation plans recommended by the project for data dissemination, as well as the principles of survey documentation and the International Household Survey Network (IHSN) Microdata Management Toolkit as a tool to document the "1-2" survey. Project countries were also briefed about the recommended structure for individual country reports which would be an important project output.

These Workshops, organized at a time when all project countries had collected at least some data through the "1-2" surveys, served as a forum for participating countries to learn from the resource persons. The Workshops also provided timely opportunity for project countries to engage in mutual learning by sharing their experiences, problems encountered and lessons learned through the "1-2" survey process. This, in turn, contributed to framing the discussions on concepts, criteria and definitions related to HUEMs, the informal sector and informal

employment. The discussions served as the substantive foundation for participants to make suggestions for future operation of the "1-2" survey, including the questionnaire and survey design and administration.

By the end of the project in December 2009, ESCAP aims to provide a comparative analysis of data from the participating countries and a comprehensive assessment and substantive evaluation of the "1-2" survey methodology and tools. At that stage, a concluding regional- level workshop will be organized to facilitate the sharing of project results and lessons.

For more information please visit <http://www.unescap.org/stat/isie/ws-isie3n4/index.asp> or contact Sharita Serrao through <stat.unescap@un.org>

 

Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP) Training Workshops 

Fifth Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communications Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics, Chiba, Japan 11 May –10 July 2009

 

The two-month Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics that started at SIAP premises in Chiba, Japan, on 11 May 2009, was the fifth in the series. This training course was part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Area (TMA)-based regular programme jointly organized by SIAP and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The course aimed to equip participants with different aspects of ICT and how it could be used to increase productivity at different levels of operation of a national statistical organization, including the production and dissemination of statistics.

The course was opened by Mr. Yoshiaki Kano, Director-General, JICA Tokyo International Centre, Government of Japan. In his welcome address, Mr. Kano stressed the need for statisticians to acquire the latest knowledge

and be able to use ICT in the workplace. Mr. Makoto Shimizu, Director for International Statistical Affairs, Office of Director-General for Policy Planning (Statistical Standards), Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication, Government of Japan, wished the 14 participants from 13 countries (Bangladesh, China, Cuba, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Myanmar, Palestine, Samoa, Swaziland, Tanzania and Thailand) a happy and fruitful stay in Japan during the course.

By the end of the course, the participants shall have been trained on the principles of electronic data processing, management and dissemination, and the technologies available, including the use of some statistical software, such as the Census and Survey Processing System (CS Pro) for data processing. The participants will also have gained the necessary knowledge and skills to become trainers so that they will be able to train other staff members in their organizations or departments and to share their experiences in the use of ICT for statistical operations and to build informal networks. Visits to leading Japanese IT companies and the statistical offices of central- and local-level Government is also part of the course programme in Japan.

 

Country Course on Demographic Statistics, Jakarta, 18 - 22 May 2009

 

The Country Course on "Demographic Statistics" was conducted under SIAP's outreach training programme in collaboration with the Education and Training Centre (ETC) of BPS- Statistics Indonesia. It was held in Jakarta from 18 to 22 May 2009.

The course aimed to help trainees develop skills for carrying out data analysis in demography, and to strengthen the capability of both national and regional statistical officers in Indonesia take part in the estimation of demographic indicators. Course topics included: the scope, objectives and coverage of demographic statistics; the importance and uses of demographic statistics, their data sources and measures; the definitions and use of life tables, their types, components and production.

A total of 25 participants from BPS-Statistics Indonesia and provincial statistical offices participated in the training course. Two types of course evaluation were carried out: knowledge test of participants and end-of-course evaluation. Test results showed that participants had acquired familiarity with concepts and definitions of demographic statistics and in particular improved their knowledge in the construction of life tables and cohort analysis of demographic events. The course content was evaluated highly by participants, with all participants indicating that the course content was "very useful" or "useful". About two thirds of the participants pointed out that the course was very relevant to their work and 96% of them indicated that handouts/course materials were prepared "very good" or "good". All the participants evaluated the lecturer's presentation technique as "very good" or "good" and 84% of the participants assessed her time allocation for discussion as "adequate". Based on the course evaluation and the results of pre- and post-course tests, it may be concluded that the training course was effective and contributed towards capacity building in estimating demographic indicators, including some of the MDG indicators.

 

Distance-learning training course on “Introduction to STATA”, Bangladesh, China, Mongolia and Thailand, 20 and 23 April, 2009.

 

From 20 through 23 April 2009, SIAP conducted a distance-learning training course on "Introduction to STATA" for 22 government statisticians from Bangladesh, China, Mongolia and Thailand. The training course was jointly organized by SIAP, JICA and the respective NSOs of the four participating countries. The course was delivered using the JICA-net network service that directly connects JICA Headquarters in Tokyo with those in overseas countries through videoconference facilities. JICA-net provides a valuable opportunity for developing countries to participate in distance training courses which are being conducted from Japan.

"Introduction to STATA" is a preparatory training programme for the current Group Training Course on Application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics. The distance training course curriculum was designed for official statisticians to introduce to them the use of STATA software for statistical data manipulation and data analysis. The training course aims to improve the skills of developing country official statisticians in the use of statistical software for data analysis and production of high quality statistics to monitor development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The course assists participants in improving their computer skills, particularly their knowledge of STATA, before attending the TMA- based, regional and country courses at SIAP.

The main course objectives were to increase the basic capability of trainees in using STATA software; to provide trainees with the basic skills for carrying out statistical analysis using STATA; and to prepare trainees for further statistical training courses, namely TMA -based, regional and country courses.

The course covered topics such as getting started with STATA; basic commands to inspect datasets; creating and changing variables; labeling indicators; reorganizing datasets; merging and appending datasets, basic commands of statistics; inputting data from a spreadsheet.

By completing the course, participations gained knowledge and skills in using statistical software STATA. The evaluation completed by the participants and their performance during the training demonstrated that all participants successfully learned how to perform basic statistical analysis using STATA.

 

ESCAP/SIAP/UNIDO Workshop on Empirical Analysis to Support the Formulation of Viable Policies for the Sustainable Economic and Industrial Development, Chiba, Japan, 6-10 April 2009

 

The joint SIAP/UNIDO Workshop on Empirical Analysis to Support the Formulation of Viable Policies for the Sustainable Economic and Industrial Development was organized for officials of the Government of Nigerian. Itwas held at SIAP premises, Chiba, Japan, from 6 to 10 April 2009. Fifteen participants from the Federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry and other organizations of Nigeria attended the workshop. The Chairman of the House Committee of Industry, along with seven other members of the Nigerian House of Representatives attended the opening ceremony to celebrate this event underscoring Asian-African cooperation.

The visit of the Nigerian participants to SIAP was organized by UNIDO Nigeria, the West African Regional Center of UNIDO. The week-long programme was organized by SIAP and Mr. Tetsuo Yamada, UNIDO consultant for the workshop and former Chief Statistician of UNIDO. The Institute of Developing Economies (IDE-JETRO), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Government of Japan, as well as the UNIDO consultant and SIAP Faculty members contributed to the Workshop. The purpose of the Workshop was to build the analytical capacity of participants for undertaking policy-oriented empirical country studies to support the consistent formulation of sustainable industrial development and to contribute to the building up of self-sustainable economy.

One main Workshop topic was data analysis for effective industrial policy making. The visit to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan gave the participants insight into how industrial statistics were utilized in Japan. During the visit, participants learned about the key role that detailed data on production and distribution played in providing an accurate picture of the industrial structure and industrial interrelationships, as well as in developing an effective industrial policy.

Other key highlights of the Workshop included a presentation by Mr. Katsuya Mochizuki an expert from IDE-JETRO, a prominent institute in country-specific economic studies for developing countries. On that occasion, participants exchanged views with the expert on policy issues related to the Nigerian oil industry.

 

Country Training Course on Survey Design, Poverty Analysis and Data Dissemination, SIAP, Chiba, Japan, 23-27 March 2009

 

SIAP, in collaboration with the Government of Bangladesh through the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), conducted the Country Training Course on Survey Design, Poverty Analysis and Data Dissemination. The course was held from 23 to 27 March 2009 at SIAP, Chiba, Japan. The Government of Bangladesh provided fellowships to all 10 BBS participants to attend the Course.

The five-day Course was designed by SIAP, in close consultation with BBS. The Course covered the following topics that BBS deemed of importance:

Survey design for household-based surveys, including sampling techniques and issues related to data quality;

Poverty analysis, including concepts and definitions, measuring poverty and income distribution; Application of statistical software STATA to analysis of poverty data; Data dissemination.

The Course methodology consisted of lectures, discussions and hands-on exercises. The main advantage of having training at the Institute was that all SIAP's lecturers/experts delivered lectures on their respective areas of expertise. Mr. Watanabe took charge of 'Japanese Economic Development', Mr. Furuta of 'Survey Design', Mr. De Silva of 'Poverty Analysis', Ms. Gereltuya of 'Application of STATA', and Mr. Hasan of 'Data Dissemination'.

All 10 participants successfully completed the Course and received certificates for course completion. The evaluation indicated that all participants found the Course relevant to their work, and they were satisfied with the Course level and contents. The evaluation of the participants was supported by the results of the pre- and post-Course tests which showed that participants had improved their knowledge and skills in survey design, poverty analysis and dissemination of official statistics.

 

Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP) Meetings 

SIAP and UNFPA working together on 2010 Round Population Census

 

The population census generates essential statistics which, among many uses, also provides information for constructing and monitoring MDG progress.

On 25 May 2009, Ms. Nobuko Horibe, Regional Director, of the Asia and the Pacific Regional Office of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) visited SIAP and met with Ms. Davaasuren, Director, and Mr. Watanabe, Deputy Director of SIAP.

During the meeting, possible ESCAP/SIAP-UNFPA cooperation aimed at assisting developing countries in conducting the 2010 round of the population census in Asia and the Pacific was discussed. At that meeting, it was agreed that SIAP, in collaboration with UNFPA Asia and the Pacific Regional Office, would develop a work programme with a specific project for capacity building for three-years (2009 - 2011) through organizing training activities for developing countries in the Asian and Pacific region.

The following three areas have been identified as training priorities: engendering population censuses; utilizing census data using REDATAM software package to access and use small-area census and other data ; c ensus communication, including pre-census communication.

 

SIAP strengthens partnership with Tokyo International University

 

Since 2001, the Graduate School of Economics of Tokyo International University (TIU) has been cooperating with SIAP in a joint endeavour on training of government officials in developing countries in the Asian and Pacific region. TIU recognizes the quality of SIAP training and accepts into its Graduate School former SIAP participants who hold Government of Japan fellowships.

On 6 April 2001, SIAP and TIU established a mutual cooperation programme by which selected former SIAP participants with outstanding performance would be accepted for entry into the Graduate School of Economics at TIU. In December 2005, TIU signed an agreement with SIAP in which both agreed to coordinate efforts and work together to strengthen human resources in developing countries of the Asian and Pacific region. This agreement will conclude in December 2010.

As a result of this cooperation, 17 former SIAP participants were accepted by TIU. Among them, several graduates with Masters Degrees were accepted for further studies in the TIU PhD programme. These PhD students are working under the supervision of prominent Japanese professors on important socio-economic issues; their research work will contribute to the development of their respective countries.

On 29 May 2009, TIU representatives visited SIAP to discuss the future cooperation between the two organizations and how to further enhance human resource development in Asia and the Pacific. Both parties agreed to work on the new agreement for the coming five years.

 

Calendar of forthcoming meetings 

Meetings and training courses of ESCAP Statistics Division and SIAP

 

The list of future events is provided for coordination purposes only. 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 not all meetings are intended for all countries.

 

Date Organizer Meeting Venue

2009

6 - 10 July SIAPCountry Course on Sampling Designs for Household and Enterprise / Establishment Surveyshttp://www.unsiap.or.jp

Putrajaya, Malaysia

13 July - 11 September

SIAP5th Group Training Course in Analysis, Interpretation and Dissemination of Official Statistics (Economic Statistics)

Chiba, Japan

20 - 24 July SIAPCountry Course on Multivariate Statisticshttp://www.unsiap.or.jp

Colombo

21 July - 18 September

SIAPArea-focused Training Course in Collection and Analysis of Official Economic Statistics for Central Asian and Caucasus Countries

Chiba, Japan

15 - 19 August SIAPCountry Course on Statistical Databasehttp://www.unsiap.or.jp

Tehran

9 - 11 September

UNSD, SD14th session of the Committee for the Coordination of Statistics Activities (CCSA) http://unstats.un.org, http://www.unescap.org/stat/

Bangkok

15 - 16 September

SDMeeting on the Improvement of Vital Statistics and Vital Registration in Asia-Pacifichttp://www.unescap.org/stat/

Bangkok

21 - 25 September

SIAP4th Regional Course/ Workshop on Statistical Quality Management and Fundamental Principles of Official Statisticshttp://www.unsiap.or.jp

Daejeon, Republic of Korea

Third Quarter SDInterregional Workshop for Sharing Results and Project Evaluationhttp://www.unescap.org/stat/

Bangkok

Third Quarter SDExpert Group Meeting on Internet Data Exchange Technologies http://www.unescap.org/stat/

Bangkok

5 October 2008 - 19 March 2009

SIAP5th Group Training Course in Modules on Fundamental Official Statisticshttp://www.unsiap.or.jp

Chiba, Japan

11 - 22 October

SIAPCountry Course on Statistical Data Analysishttp://www.unsiap.or.jp

Male

19 - 23 October

SIAPSub-regional Course on 2010 Population Censushttp://www.unsiap.or.jp

Macao, China

3 - 5 November

SIAP 8th Management Seminar for the Heads of NSOs in Asia and the Pacific

India

http://www.unsiap.or.jp

November SIAP

Sub-regional Workshop on MDG (back-to-back with the 8th Management Seminar for the Heads of NSOs in Asia and the Pacific) http://www.unsiap.or.jp

India

9 - 11 November

SIAPSub-regional Workshop on Challenges in Integrated Economic Statistics and Implementing 2008 SNA http://www.unsiap.or.jp

Putrajaya, Malaysia

16 - 17 November

SIAP5th session of SIAP Governing Councilhttp://www.unsiap.or.jp

Phuket, Thailand

18 - 19 November

SIAP4th Workshop on Forging Partnerships in Statistical Training in Asia and the Pacifichttp://www.unsiap.or.jp

Phuket, Thailand

November SIAPCountry Course on Small Area Estimationhttp://www.unsiap.or.jp

Thimphu

1 - 3 December

SIAPWorkshop on E-Library related topicshttp://www.unsiap.or.jp

Chiba, Japan

December SIAPRegional Course/Workshop on REDATAMhttp://www.unsiap.or.jp

Chiba, Japan

December SIAPSub-regional Course on Gender Statistics http://www.unsiap.or.jp

Tehran

December SIAPCountry Course on Sampling Methods http://www.unsiap.or.jp

Islamabad

Fourth Quarter

SDRegional Workshop on the Measurement of the Informal Sector and Informal Employment http://www.unescap.org/stat/

Bangkok

Fourth Quarter

SIAPSub-regional Course on MDG, Databasehttp://www.unsiap.or.jp

Daejeon, Republic of Korea

Fourth Quarter

SIAP5th Regional Course on Poverty Measurements http://www.unsiap.or.jp

Jakarta

 

Other forthcoming statistical meetings in the ESCAP region

 

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 30 June 2009. Readers are strongly advised to verify the correctness with the organizers indicated below. Events, dates and venues may change. 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/

 

Date Organizer Meeting Venue

2009

6 - 9 July UNSDWorkshop on National Accountshttp://unstats.un.org/unsd/default.htm

New Delhi

9 - 10 July iHEA Sixth Global National Health Accounts Symposium Beijing

23 - 26 October

IARIWIARIW 2009 Special Conference on Measuring the Informal Economy in Developing Countries

Kathmandu

27 - 30 October

OECD 3rd OECD World Forum on Statistics, Knowledge and PolicyBusan, Republic of Korea

 

Publications and data releases, April - June 2009 

Short-term Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 

The online database contains time series data for 31 of the regional members and associate members of ESCAP and is designed to provide up-to-date monthly (or quarterly) data to assess economic trends for countries or areas in the region. The online database covers the period from January 2003 and is updated every quarter.

Published: June 2009A questionnaire for users:http://www.unescap.org/stat/data/statind/short-term-questionnaire.asp   Website

:http://www.unescap.org/stat/data/statind/areaSectorIndicators.aspx

 

Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific 2008 

The second edition of the revised Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific remains an authoritative reference on the socio-economic and environmental development of the Asian and Pacific region from 1990. Through more than 200 key internationally comparable indicators, it compares Asia and the Pacific with the world average and other regions, including Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and North America. It includes 117 reader-friendly charts and descriptive texts on 29 development topics.

Published: April 2009Document No.: ST/ESCAP/2531 Sale No.: E.09.II.F.1ISBN: 978-92-1-120569-5Website: http://www.unescap.org/stat/data/syb2008/Order printed copies: https://unp.un.org/Details.aspx?pid=18821

 

Annual Core Indicators 

The online database contains time series data for selected indicators covering a wide range of issues in relation to the ESCAP secretariat's work: demography, migration, education, health, poverty, gender, employment, economy, government finance, employment, transport and environment.

Among other indicators, this database contains data published in theStatistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific 2008. The time series are generally longer and more complete in the database. Because of different presentation requirements, the indicator names in the database and the Yearbook may be slightly different.

Published: April 2009Website:http://www.unescap.org/stat/data/syb2008/syb2008_web/index.asp

 

Theme Study 2009: Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in Asia and the Pacific 

The impact of food insecurity on the Asia-Pacific region and how to deal with it constitute the focus of an ESCAP study entitled Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in Asia and the Pacific. The study examines the environmental, economic and social challenges that are the roots of the region's food insecurity and suggests a regional framework of action by Governments and the international community in order to create greater food security.

Access to food and not the supply of food is central to food security. Thus, over the short term, Governments need to develop and strengthen social protection programmes. Governments also need to improve the availability of food at the national and local levels. In the medium term, it is critical to support the revitalization of small-scale sustainable food production. This involves ensuring that soils retain vital nutrients and farmers and others protect biodiversity and regenerate natural resources of soil and water. Climate change holds the potential to radically alter agroecosystems in the coming decades and there is already evidence of devastating crop failure. Predictions concerning food production vary. However, even if overall production were to remain high, declines in certain parts of the Asia-Pacific region may be expected. Over the long term, adapting and mitigating climate change impact will have to be a top priority for all countries in the region.

Published: April 2009Document No.: ST/ESCAP/2535Sale No.: E.09.II.F.12ISBN: 978-9-21-120578-7Website: http://www.unescap.org/65/theme_study2009.asp

 

Missions undertaken by staff 

Mr. Ilpo Survo, Chief, Statistical Information Services Section, Statistics DivisionVientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic, 16-19 June 2009

Represented ESCAP at the UNSD/UNWTO Workshop on Tourism Statistics for South- East Asian countries. Among the methodological issues that the Workshop covered were the new 2008 International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics, key demand and supply and tables of the Tourism Satellite Accounts, employment, and the quality of data and metadata. The participants identified main bottlenecks including the lack of coordination among key players (national statistical office, tourism authority, central bank) and weak data sources and data collection instruments. The Workshop adopted practical recommendations to improve basic tourism statistics in Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam.

 

Mr. Jan Smit, Regional Adviser on Statistics, Statistics DivisionUlaanbaatar, Mongolia, 20-25 April 2009

Assisted the National Statistical Office of Mongolia in the implementation of the project on "Interregional Cooperation on the Measurement of Informal Sector and Informal Employment".

The mission focused on the processing of the data collected through the '1-2' Survey and the use of these data for the estimation of value-added generated by the informal sector. In addition, assistance was provided in the revision of the methodology for the compilation of the Mongolian industrial production index.

The mission discussed the scope and timing of possible assistance concerning the construction cost index, the estimation of food security and supply indicators, and the construction of suitable indicators to measure rural development. Furthermore, discussions were held with UN Country Team members, including the Resident Coordinator and representatives from UNDP, UNICEF and UNFPA on statistical capacity building and MDG-related work currently undertaken and planned by United Nations and other agencies in Mongolia.

 

Mr. Eric Hermouet, Statistician, Statistical Information Services Section, Statistics DivisionOttawa, Canada, 27-29 May 2009

Participated in the International Seminar on Timeliness, Methodology and Comparability of Rapid Estimates of Economic Trends, and learned of recent global initiatives in this area and of their possible implications for the programme of work of the Statistics Division, in particular regarding the Division's plan to redesign the short-term indicators database.

The Seminar was jointly organized by UNSD, the statistical office of the European Commission (Eurostat), and Statistics Canada in follow-up to discussions held during the 40th Statistical Commission (February 2009) calling for "swift and coordinated statistical initiatives by countries and international organizations in response to the global economic crisis". These initiatives focus on identifying and remedying data gaps to monitor the current global economic crisis and in that context, the Seminar had two main objectives: (1) Review the availability, timeliness, and quality of rapid estimates, their dissemination and related communication policies, their policy applications and a number of methodological issues related to the production of such rapid estimates; (2) Provide comments and refine the framework and list of indicators to be used by UNSD in its global assessment.

 

Dhaka, Bangladesh, 15-18 June 2009

Participated in the Workshop on Latest Information Technologies in Knowledge Transfer and served as resource person in delivering two sessions, presented the: (1) Main features of the latest version of the DevInfo software, version 6.0; (2) Statistical Data and Metadata e X change standard (SDMX).

The Workshop, coorganized by UNSD and the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), gathered IT managers and experts from national statistical offices of SAARC member countries. Participants reviewed IT systems in use among statistical offices and shared experiences in using these systems. In doing so, the Workshop aimed to identify common technologies and common issues and priorities among NSOs regarding their data and metadata dissemination systems in the context of the creation of a "statistics" page on the SAARC Secretariat web site.

 

Mr. Andres Montes, Statistician, Statistics Development and Analysis Section

Washington DC, USA, 11-14 May 2009

Participated in a meeting of the Washington Group (WG) Secretariat aimed at finalizing an extended question set for surveys to be piloted tested in countries taking part in the ESCAP/Statistics Division project on disability statistics. Discussions centred on the results of the cognitive test held in Canada, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Mongolia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, South Africa and USA in March/April 2009. A final questionnaire for surveys was agreed upon and has since then been distributed to those countries participating in pilot tests during the months of July to September 2009.

 

Geneva, Switzerland, 4-5 June 2009

Participated in the meeting of the ECE/WG/Budapest Initiative (BI) Task Force on Health Status. The meeting presented the results of the cognitive test of an extended question set that was recently conducted by Asia-Pacific countries. It also promoted areas for future cooperation in health and disability statistics. Most of the discussions were on using not only the results of the above-mentioned cognitive test, but also those of the pilot testing to be supported by ESCAP, and to include the related questions in the Mark II initiative to be implemented in Europe in 2011. ESCAP's participation in the meeting further reinforced its lead regional role in promoting disability statistics and strengthened its links with other agencies, such as ECE, WHO and EuroStat, that specialize in the subject, as part of efforts to promote internationally comparable standards and statistics on disability.

 

Mr. Artur Andrysiak, Statistician, Statistical Development and Analysis Section, Statistics DivisionTehran, Iran (Islamic Republic of), 15-21 May 2009.

Served as a guest speaker at the Workshop on National Accounts in the Islamic Republic of Iran, organized by the Statistical Center of Iran (SCI) and the Statistical Research and Training Center (SRTC), Islamic Republic of Iran, in cooperation with the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).

The primary objective of the Workshop was to provide training in national accounts to senior officials from the national statistical offices and other government agencies from ECO member countries. During the Workshop, the participants learned about the System of National Accounts 1993 framework and shared their national experiences.

At the invitation of the ECO Secretariat, the Statistics Division staff member delivered a presentation on "Major changes in the 2008 System of National Accounts", providing the participants with an overview of the major changes introduced in the 2008 System of National Accounts and their implications for the compilation of national accounts statistics. The Statistics Division staff member also delivered a presentation on "Developing a regional action plan for the improvement of economic statistics in Asia and the Pacific", informing the participants about the new initiative emanating from the ESCAP Committee on Statistics and aimed at improving economic statistics in the Asia-Pacific region.

 

Staff movement

 

Haishan is promoted to Chief, Statistics Division 

The Statistics Division, ESCAP, is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Haishan Fu as Chief, Statistics Division, ESCAP, effective 1 June 2009.

Haishan, joined the ESCAP secretariat in 2005 as Chief of the Statistics Development and Analysis Section, Statistics Division, where she contributed to the strategic repositioning of ESCAP’s Statistics Division and improvements in management practice and organizational effectiveness.

Prior to joining the ESCAP secretariat, Haishan served UNDP as Chief of Statistics of the Human Development Report Office, where she was responsible for overseeing the statistical aspects of seven editions of the Human Development Report. Haishan first joined the United Nations in 1990 as a Population Affairs Officer with the United Nations Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations.

Haishan also worked as Senior Research Associate at the Guttmacher Institute in New York, Research Collaborator at the Office of Population Research, Princeton University, and post-doctoral fellow at the Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, United States of America.

Haishan, a national of China, holds a PhD in Demography from Princeton University, United States of America, and a BA in Economics from Beijing University, China.

 

Yuenwah is retiring 

Upon completing 25 years of dedicated service to the United Nations, Ms. San Yuenwah will retire from the Statistics Division at the end of July 2009.

Yuenwah joined the Statistics Division in mid-July 2008 as Statistical Analyses and Publications Coordinator. Yuenwah supported the management of the Division, particularly in the organization of, and follow-up to, the first session of the Committee on Statistics. At the same time, Yuenwah supported the Executive Secretary in producing two publications: Striving Together: ASEAN and the UN; and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in Asia and the

Pacific. Yuenwah also facilitated the formation of an inhouse group of publication focal points, identified issues pertaining to the production of publications, and initiated action towards addressing those issues, contributing to the Executive Secretary's organizational effectiveness initiative.

Prior to joining the Statistics Division, Yuenwah served as Special Assistant to the Executive Secretary-cum-Secretary to the Commission (October 2005 - January 2008) and as Secretary to the Commission (February - mid-July 2008).

Much of Yuenwah's 25 years with ESCAP was devoted to advocacy, research and training on social issues,

particularly with regard to youth development, as well as shifting the secretariat's policy approach to ageing, from an initial emphasis on geriatric care to one that focused on life-long preparation for old age. With the support of a vibrant team, Yuenwah established the foundation of the secretariat's work on the development dimensions of health. From the late 1980s through 2000, Yuenwah worked passionately in building ESCAP promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities, drawing inspiration from working closely with the Asia-Pacific disability movement. As the Executive Secretary has indicated, Yuenwah will be missed --- and not least for the powerful impact of special events that she choreographed to convey policy advocacy messages and the welcoming ambience that she helped create, to facilitate outcome-oriented intergovernmental deliberations at ESCAP.

 

Wei is moving to United Nations Headquarters, New York 

Following five enriching years with ESCAP, Wei Liu is moving to the United Nations Statistics Division in New York.

Wei joined ESCAP in 2005. He has worked mainly in statistics and development policy and contributed to various United Nations publications with a particular focus on poverty eradication and development.

Recently, he has begun to focus on trade finance and aid in the context of the current global financial crisis. Upon moving from the Statistics Division to the Trade and Investment Division (January-July 2009), Wei became extensively involved in the United Nations Development Account Project on promoting single window and paperless trade initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region.

Prior to joining ESCAP as a successful national competitive exam candidate, Wei worked as Assistant Lecturer in Economics and Statistics and Research Fellow and Assistant to Professor Jayasri Dutta at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. Wei holds a Ph.D. in Economics and a Master of Science in Money, Banking and Finance from the University of Birmingham. He attained a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Institute of Aeronautical Industry Management, China.

 

Zeynep is moving to UNECE, Geneva 

After three years with ESCAP, Ms. Zeynep Orhun will move to the Statistical Division of UNECE.

Zeynep is an economist, with specialization in development management and economics of the environment, natural resources, energy and agriculture. She has analytical and technical capacity building experience regarding poverty issues and economic statistics, including the measurement of the informal sector and informal employment.

Zeynep, a successful national competitive exam candidate, joined the Statistics Division, ESCAP, as Associate Statistician in September 2006. During her career with ESCAP, she has been involved in several areas of statistics, including technical cooperation projects on statistical literacy for MDG monitoring and

interregional cooperation on the measurement of the informal sector and informal employment.

Zeynep will join UNECE in Geneva as Associate Statistician, starting October 2009.

 

Inter-Divisional Staff Exchange Strengthens ESCAP Multidisciplinary Approach to Development

 

Clovis joins the Statistics Division to work for two months on MDG research/report drafting

 Mr. Clovis Freire, Economic Affairs Officer, Disaster Risk Reduction Section/Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division (IDD), joins the Statistics Division for two months to assist in its preparation of the Regional MDG Report 2009.

In earlier contributions to the work of the Statistics Division, Clovis was an active member of the inter-Divisional teams led by the then-Director of the Statistics Division for the preparation of two ESCAP publications: Ten as One: Challenges and Opportunities for ASEAN Integration (2007) and Striving Together: ASEAN and the UN (2008).

Clovis joined ESCAP in 2005 as Associate Economic Affairs Officer, following two years in the Department of Management, United Nations Headquarters, New York. In ESCAP, Clovis worked in areas such as bridging the digital divide, ICT and trade facilitation, SME competitiveness, space-based applications for development, and disaster risk reduction.

 

Christian returns from Myanmar and joins IDD for two months to work on disaster risk reduction

 In July 2009, Mr. Christian Stoff, Associate Statistician, Statistics Division, will return to work at ESCAP, following a three-month mission to Myanmar. While in Myanmar, Christian worked as a lead scientist with the Tripartite Core Group and conducted the post-Nargis periodic review. See <http://ocha.unog.ch/humanitarianreform/Portals/1/   cluster%20approach%20page/Myanmar/21_07_08_asean_nargis.pdf> for details of the Statistics Division's 2008 involvement in data work in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis.

During July and August 2009, Christian will work with IDD to assist in its disaster impact

assessment project. It is expected that Christian will contribute to the project fresh perspectives from his engagement in post-Nargis work.

Christian is an econometrician-cum-economist, with expertise in survey data analysis, advanced sampling methods, MDG data analysis and regression analysis, as well as familiarity with health, water and sanitation, and governance issues. Christian joined ESCAP in 2006 as Associate Statistician, after successfully passing the national competitive exam. Since then, Christian has been involved in several areas of statistics, including those pertaining to MDGs and disaster risk reduction.

A complete list of staff members and contact details may be found at:http://www.unescap.org/stat/staff/staflist.asp

 

Visitors to ESCAP Statistics Division 

Mr. Jean-Michel Emprou, Team leader, EU ASEAN Statistical Capacity-building Programme, the ASEAN Secretariat

Mr. Jerrold W. Huguet, ESCAP Consultant on Population and Development Ms. Yayoi SUGIHASHI, Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics, Kanazawa University, Japan

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