23 September 2015: Statisticians from Asia and the Pacific gathered to identify regional priorities for monitoring the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The outcomes of the Forum, organized by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), will provide input to the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs), which will hold its second meeting in late October, as well as to the Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) and the ESCAP Committee on Statistics.

The Forum took place on 23 September 2015, in Bangkok, Thailand.

ESCAP statisticians participating in the Forum concluded that the relevance and impact of the SDGs and targets varies substantially from country to country. They called for global monitoring to be led by national priorities, and they stressed the need for regional and global development partners to increase their support to strengthening national statistical systems in the region.

Participants also concluded that regional groups such as the APFSD and the ESCAP Committee on Statistics can play an important role in fostering the engagement between policymakers and national statistical offices for achieving the SDGs. [ESCAP Press Release] [IISD RS Coverage of IAEG-SDGs]