27 March 2015: The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Committee on Statistics discussed ways for countries to develop national statistical capacity for tracking progress toward development aims, and considered the establishment of a regional forum to bring together users and producers of data for monitoring Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), possibly within the Asia-Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development. It also discussed the resources required for adequate investment in statistical capacity, for the attention of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD 3).

The Committee, which meets every two years, held its fourth session from 25-27 March 2015, in Bangkok, Thailand.

Delegates reviewed recommendations of an expert group meeting of national statisticians that took place from 9-10 December 2014, which had proposed: repositioning national statistical bodies as information providers rather than data collectors; making increased use of records such as tax files, business and population registers for tracking development progress; and promoting open access to data.

Anis Chowdhury, Director of the ESCAP Statistics Division, highlighted the need for good data to support policy making, noting that, “The goals and targets of the new development agenda will not be realized without quality statistics to provide insight about the most disadvantaged, vulnerable people in our communities.”

The outcome of the Committee’s session, in the form of a meeting report, will be made available ahead of ESCAP’s 71st Session. [ESCAP Documents] [ESCAP Press Release] [Meeting Agenda] [ESCAP Statistics Webpage] [Guidebook on ESCAP Committee on Statistics] [Report of Expert Group Meeting]