UNITED NATIONS STATISTICS DIVISION Trade Statistics Branch Distributive Trade Statistics Section

1. IRDTS 2008 – reasons for revision, revision process and recommendations of the 39th session of the SCWorkshop for African countries on the Implementation of International Recommendations for Distributive Trade Statistics27-30 May 2008, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia UNITED NATIONS STATISTICS DIVISION Trade Statistics Branch Distributive Trade Statistics Section

2. Background • Since 1950s, UN has publishedinternational recommendations to establish a coherent and uniform measurement of distributive trade activity • 1956 – 9th session of the UNSC adopted recommendations for statistics of the distributive and related services trade • 1974 – 18th session of the UNSC adopted International Recommendations on Statistics of Distributive Trades and Services (ST/ESA/STAT/Ser.M/57) • 1977 - UNSD published Organization and Conduct of Distributive-Trade Surveys (ST/ESA/STAT/SER.F/19) • UNSC in 2006 endorsed the UNSD initiative to revise the existing international recommendations for DTS

3. Need for revision (1) • Appearance of new economic developments in distributive trade sector • Integration of distribution chains • Growing importance of groups of enterprises • Success of such modes of association as franchising • Growing role of shopping centres • Expansion of electronic commerce • Globalization (incl. outsourcing) • Persistent importance of informal sector in less developed countries • Harmonization of IRDTS 2008 with: • ISIC, Rev.4, and CPC, Ver.2 • System of National Accounts 1993, Rev.1 (1993 SNA, Rev.1) • International Recommendations for Industrial Statistics 2008 (IRIS 2008)

4. Need for revision (2) • Experience of countries in implementation of integrated approach to compilation of basic economic statistics • Consistency with concepts, definitions and terminology used in statistical publications and regulations of other international organizations • Eurostat - statistical business register and regulations on short-term and structural business statistics • OECD - measurement of non-observed economy, compilation of index of service production, business demography and data and metadata reporting and presentation • ILO - international classification of status in employment, statistics of employment in the informal sector, and working time measurement

5. Need for revision (3) • Provide guidance on the variables for compilation, data sources and data compilation methods for DTS • Bring into light new practices in data collection and data compilation resulting in improved quality and coverage of statistical information on distributive trade • Ensure uniformity in international reporting in order to create a worldwide database on DTS • Take into account the increased volume and complexity of the interrelationships between distributive trade and other service activities both within and between enterprises

6. Revision process (1) • UNSD multi-year strategy for updating the IRDTS -endorsed by the 37th session of the UNSC • Initial assessment of country practices in the compilation of distributive trade statistics • Countries frequently use different definitions of the scope of distributive trade and of compiled variables, thus making international comparisons of data quite difficult • 40 per cent of the countries were unable to conduct quarterly/monthly surveys and to compile indices of distributive trade and/or performance indicators • Strong confirmation that DTS needs revisiting and careful re-examination

7. Revision process (2) • UN Expert Group on DTS • Established by UNSD in 2005 in order to obtain assistance and guidance during the revision of the existing recommendations http://unstats.un.org/unsd/Distributive_trade/distributive_trade.htm • Objectives • To provide an assessment of old recommendations in view of the new realities in distributive trade and current country practices in the compilation of the relevant statistics • To contribute to the drafting of revised recommendations and to suggest new approaches in data compilation, including the organization and conduct of distributive trade surveys • To review the provisional draft of the revised international recommendations for DTS • To advise on the preparation of follow-up manuals • Africa represented by three countries – Egypt, Ghana and South Africa

8. Revision process (3) • UN Expert Group on DTS (cont.) • EG meetings • First meeting – 22-25 August 2005 • Most important conclusions – scope of DTS, set of data items, advanced data collection methods, need for more guidelines on measurement of the activities of small unincorporated enterprises, need for recommendations for compilation of distributive trade indices • Second meeting – 16-19 July 2007 • Most important conclusions – review and endorsement of draft IRDTS, advise on the follow-up manuals, joint sessions with the EG on Industrial Statistics to ensure the coherence between the two sets of recommendations • Discussion forum • Password-protected website - created to facilitate communication among members of the EG-DTS and sharing of relevant materials and draft chapters of the revised IRDTS • Crucial for the future activities in the area of DTS

9. Revision process (4) • Global consultations • In accordance with the recommendation of the SC that the revision process should be carried out in close consultation with NSOs in order to reflect fully the specific needs and circumstances of various groups of countries • October 2006 – draft outline of IRDTS • June-July 2007 – provisional draft IRDTS • November-December 2007 – draft IRDTS 2008 • Undertaken simultaneously with the global consultation of international recommendations for industrial statistics • Overwhelming support by respondents for this initiative as well as for the coordinated manner in which the revision was carried out and for the transparency and involvement of all interested parties in the revision process

10. Recommendations of the 39th session of the UNSC • The Commission: • Welcomed the report of the Secretary-General on DTS and the background document entitled International Recommendation for Distributive Trade Statistics 2008 (IRDTS 2008) • Adopted IRTDS 2008as contained in the background document • Agreed to the implementation programme of IRDTS 2008as outlined in the report including a conduct of regional training workshops, collection of national practices on distributive trade statistics and preparation of: • Distributive Trade Statistics: Compilers Manual • Indices of Distributive Trade: A Handbook of Good Practices

11. Thank You