Regional Programme for Economic Statistics: Capacity Screening Results

1. Regional Programme for Economic Statistics: Capacity Screening Results Zeynep Orhun GirardRegional Seminar on Developing a Programme for the Implementation of the 2008 SNA and Supporting Statistics in the ECO member countriesAnkara, TurkeySeptember 2013

2. We all know that economic policy decisions are made with incomplete and unreliable information in many countries in Asia and the Pacific.

3. Developed by the Steering Group as a rapid assessment tool based on RPES and Core Set • Provides a baseline for the implementation of the Core Set of Economic Statistics • 48 out of 58 ESCAP member countries responded (March-May 2013) • Analysis is done at the regional and sub-regional levels. Results are presented in national summary sheets for each respondent • 2 advocacy reports (for development partners and countries) are in preparation About Capacity Screening

4. RPES Technical Cooperation (existing capacity building agreements and interest) • Institutional setting (legislation, planning, national statistical coordination and dissemination and advocacy for economic statistics) • Information technology and Human Resources • Statistical infrastructure (quality assurance, metadata, BR, data collection instruments • Availability of Core Set of Economic Statistics (based on the seven components) Structure of Capacity Screening

5. 15 countries don’t have a centralised BR • 21 countries don’t have a Quality Assessment Framework available and used to monitor quality of economic statistics outputs • 15 countries feel they have adequate HR to produce and disseminate the Core Set of Economic Statistics • 23 countries carry out an economic census • 20 countries produce quarterly GDP (e) • 10 countries produce monthly commodity price index • 13 countries produce annual productivity measures • 23 countries produce annual integrated national accounts • 7 countries are able to produce indicators related to natural resources Regional facts from the Capacity Screening

6. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Turkey responded • 4 respondents considered upper middle income countries and one as low income country by the WB • Pakistan and Turkey are on Steering Group for RPES and 2 out of remaining 3 countries are interested in participating in RPES, as a provider or receiver of technical assistance What about ECO respondents?

7. Legislation • Principles of confidentiality, transparency and independence from political pressures are covered in the statistical laws of all countries • 3 countries have plans for revising their statistical law • 4 countries have statistical strategic plan; one is in the process of designing Statistical law and strategy

8. National statistical coordination • All but one country stated that the distribution of responsibilities among agencies was clear and that there are plans of improving coordination

9. All countries responded: • Dissemination procedures in place and regular assistance to users available • Ongoing activities to improve awareness and use economic statistics from official sources • Ongoing activities to build analytical/research capacities, develop data analysis methodologies targeting users • Sufficient awareness among users of relevance of statistics for economic policy • Seminars regularly organized by producers of economic statistics Dissemination and advocacy

10. All but one country reported that IT and human resources were adequate for producing the Core Set of Economic Statistics • Staff manuals and guidelines are available for internal use in all countries • Internal processes documented for referencing and use by new staff in all countries IT and human resources

11. All countries provide metadata in statistical releases • All but 2 countries have a centralized metadata repository and implement a metadata format standard • Only 2 countries implement a metadata quality standard • In 3 countries the use of BR is shared by a number of agencies • NOE and informal economy not in key data collections in 2 countries • All participate in ICP Statistical infrastructure

16. All countries implement 1993 SNA and have plans to update to 2008 SNA • Tajikistan ISIC Rev.2, Turkey ISIC Rev.3, and Pakistan ISIC Rev.4 • Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan NACE Rev. 2, aligned with ISIC Rev.4 • Tajikistan and Turkey plan to update to CPC Ver.2 from a CIS classification and CPC Ver.1.0 • Kazakhstan has a national classification based on CPA 2008 • Pakistan uses CPC Ver.2 • All countries use COICOP and COFOG Standards/Classifications

21. Half of ECO member countries have not responded so the picture remains partial • Every country has weaknesses and strengths • There are subjective questions, e.g. adequacy of IT and HR • The Core Set information gives us a broad picture of where things are at • In planning activities other assessments such as the GA will be used to supplement the information with further detail To conclude

22. Thank you! http://www.unescap.org/stat/econ