United Nations
E/ESCAP/CST(4)/x
Economic and Social Council
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Committee on Statistics
Fourth session
Bangkok, 14-19 December 2014
Item x(y) of the provisional agenda*
Modernization of Statistical Production and Services for Asia and the Pacific
Summary
At its third session in 2012, the ESCAP Committee on Statistics discussed implementation of its
strategic goal (b) “creating a more adaptive and cost-effective information management
environment for national statistical offices through stronger collaboration” and decided to
establish a high-level strategic body and an expert community to accelerate progress towards
its achievement through advocacy, awareness raising and capacity development .
The high-level strategic body, the Strategic Advisory Board for the Modernization of Statistical
Production and Services in Asia and the Pacific (SAB-AP) was formed in 2013 and has since its
establishment identified priorities, developed a strategy and work-plan; and established a
working group of technical experts in modernization activities.
The SAB-AP’s work will provide the strategic direction for national statistical offices within the
region to work together to develop frameworks and standards for modernization. Adoption of
these frameworks and standards will assist NSIs, either independently or collectively, to
develop solutions that address a shared business requirement.
The present document outlines the work of the SAB-AP, provides an overview of other
important developments and activities in the area of modernization, and gives indication of
the expected developments for the next two year period, both on a regional and global level.
The paper is presented to the Committee on Statistics to inform delegates, and to seek their
* E/ESCAP/CST(3)/L.1/Rev.1
1
feedback and support.
Contents
1
Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 2
2
Progress report of the SAB-AP ................................................................................................ 3
3
4
2.1
High-level body................................................................................................................. 3
2.2
Network of experts .......................................................................................................... 7
Recent developments and activities in the field of modernization........................................ 9
3.1
Global level ....................................................................................................................... 9
3.2
Regional level ................................................................................................................. 12
Actions to be taken by the Committee ................................................................................. 14
5 Annex I - Strategic Advisory Body for the Modernization of Statistical Production and
Services in Asia and the Pacific ..................................................................................................... 15
6
Annex II - Draft Strategy of the SAB-AP - July 2014 ............................................................ 19
7
Annex III - Modernization Working Group on Production, Methods and Standards ........... 22
1
Introduction
1.
National statistical offices in Asia and the Pacific at the second session of the
ESCAP Committee on Statistics1 committed to a strategic goal of “creating a more
adaptive and cost-effective information management environment for national
statistical offices through stronger collaboration”. This goal demonstrated the NSOs’
strong commitment to progressing work on the modernization of statistical production
and services.
2.
At is third session, the ESCAP Committee on Statistics considered the global and
regional initiatives that were taking place to modernize statistical information systems.
For example, the Committee considered the modernization work of the High Level
Group on the Modernization of Statistical Production and Services (HLG), which was
established by the Conference of European Statisticians, and has a mandate to
cooperate and coordinate its work with other relevant bodies such as the Committee of
Statistics. The Committee also considered the outcomes and lessons learned from
regional modernisation initiatives.
1
Recommendation 2/1, http://www.unescap.org/resources/report-committee-statistics-its-second-session
2
3.
The Committee agreed that two central priorities should be addressed:
a.
Raise awareness and build capacity related to concepts, methods and
standards to support modernisation efforts within NSIs; and
b.
Progress regional collaboration and influence the direction of modernisation
activities being undertaken across the world.
4.
As a means of progressing these priorities, the CST endorsed2 the establishment
of a high-level strategic body - the Strategic Advisory Board for the Modernization of
Statistical Production and Services in Asia and the Pacific (SAB-AP), and supported the
formation of an expert community to support, on an informal basis, the sharing of
communication and training materials, and the sharing of regional experiences and
strategies.
2
Progress report of the SAB-AP
5.
This section outlines the composition of the SAB-AP and the network of experts,
their roles, and their work in this period.
2.1
High-level body
6.
Based on the decision of the Committee on Statistics, the Secretariat developed
the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the SAB-AP that were subsequently approved by the
Bureau and can be found in Annex I. In May 2013, the Secretariat, on behalf of the
Bureau, circulated a call for nominations for the SAB-AP. Nominations from seven NSOs
were received. The Bureau accepted all seven nominations and proposed the member
from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) – Mr Brian Pink – as chair of the SAB-AP.
Mr Pink retired as the Australian Statistician in January 2014, and nominated Mr Trevor
Sutton as his substitute in this area of work, including as the chair of the SAB-AP.
Responsibilities
7.
The primary objective of the SAB-AP is to drive and support changes towards the
modernization of statistical production and services in the Asia-Pacific region. Its key
responsibilities are:
a. Developing a regional strategy to raise awareness and advocate on the
importance and urgency of the modernization issue;
2
Decision 3/5, http://www.unescap.org/resources/report-committee-statistics-its-third-session
3
b.
Mobilizing financial and human resources to implement the regional
strategy, including identifying relevant partners and other stakeholders;
c.
Acting as a regional voice on the issue of modernization notably by
representing the Asia-Pacific region in global standard-setting mechanisms on
strategic bodies such as the High-Level Group for the Modernisation of
Statistical Production and Services (HLG);
d.
Establishing a network of experts, and providing strategic directions and
oversight to its programme of work.
Work of the SAB-AP since its establishment
8.
The SAB-AP’s first meeting was held on 22 November 2013 in Tokyo, Japan and
its second meeting was held on 16 July 2014 in Bangkok, Thailand.3 At its first meeting,
the SAB-AP signed-off a draft work-programme, and discussed the need to establish a
modernization working group to assist in the implementation of this work-programme.
Members noted that the working group could only function well if it had the strong
support of national statistical offices at the highest level of management. Members also
discussed the ADB/ESCAP SDMX initiative, and expressed its support for the project
objectives (described more fully at paragraphs 47 to 51).
9.
At the second meeting, the SAB-AP agreed on its 2014-16 strategy and work
plan. Members also discussed the priorities for the next year, and how best to establish
the modernisation working group with concrete tasks and dedicated time to work on
the priority areas.
10.
Members further agreed to reach out to other steering and advisory groups of
the regional programmes4 to include modernization topics in their area of work; as well
as to the international statistical community (e.g. PARIS21, United Nation Statistics
Division, Asian Development Bank), especially targeting the National Strategies for the
Development of Statistics (NSDS) development process. The SAB-AP members also
suggested the topic of big data for the side-event at the Committee on Statistics fourth
session.
11.
The strategy, work plan and priorities, as developed by the SAB-AP, are outlined
below.
3 Meeting reports can be found at: http://www.unescap.org/events/strategic-advisory-body-modernizationstatistical-production-and-services-asia-and-pacific
4 Bodies under the auspices of the Committee on Statistics, namely: Steering Group for the Regional Programme
for Economic Statistics, Regional Steering Committee for Asia and the Pacific for Global Strategy to Improve
Agricultural and Rural Statistics, Technical Advisory Group on Population and Social Statistics, and Regional
Steering Group on CRVS.
4
SAB-AP’s 2014-16 Strategy
12.
The purpose of the strategy is to inform NSOs about the challenges of
modernisation and the opportunities to meet those challenges, to facilitate
collaboration within the region, and to influence the global modernisation initiatives so
that they meet the needs of the Asia-Pacific region. Hence, advocacy is a crucial
component of the strategy.
13.
Recognizing that modernization efforts are important for the overall quality of
statistical products and that this may motivate governments to finance transformation
work and catalyse change in the work culture of the NSOs, modernization for quality
improvement is another central component of the strategy.
14.
Furthermore, the strategy takes into account that many countries in the region
will have the opportunity to leap-frog some stages in the modernisation process and
build their business architecture from scratch to suit modern information needs.
15.
Reflecting these broad considerations, the SAB-AP strategy for 2014-16 has three
key themes:
a. Testing global modernisation solutions in the regional context - A number of
frameworks and standards (such as the Generic Statistical Business Process
Model (GSBPM) and the Generic Statistical Information Model (GSIM)) have
been developed by the HLG projects. There is an opportunity for countries in
Asia-Pacific to use these common models, instead of developing their own. As
countries in the region start to use them, they can see how they apply to the
reality in a national statistical organisation with developing information
systems.
b. Influencing global modernisation work - The voice of national statistical
organisations with developing information systems is not represented well in
the global modernisation work. The SAB-AP will act as a regional voice on the
issue of modernization, notably by representing the Asia-Pacific region in
global standard-setting mechanisms and strategic bodies.
c. Creating modernisation solutions for regional priority areas - The Asia-Pacific
region will develop modernisation solutions that are the priority concerns of
the region. The SAB-AP will provide support for these ideas to be developed.
Ideas and solutions that are successful in the region could then be offered to
global initiatives.
16.
The full strategy can be found in Annex II.
5
SAB-AP’s work-programme and priorities
17.
The main activities and outputs of the SAB-AP over the period 2014-16 will be:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
To coordinate strategic developments related to the modernization of official
statistics and formulate and disseminate new ideas and proposals in this field;
Determine the need for groupings of networks of experts to be established;
To determine a yearly list of key priorities and their timeframes and allocate
them to relevant working groups. The resources will be drawn from consenting
members of the ESCAP Committee on Statistics;
To make the results of its work public via a newsletter or other communication
tools (such as a wiki);
To actively promote the work on modernization including relevant standards,
methods and tools within NSOs in the region and the international statistical
community.
To establish/open dialogue with the regional steering and technical advisory
groups established under the auspices of the Committee on Statistics that
oversee the work in other areas of statistics development.
18.
The SAB-AP will seek to meet physically at least once per year, usually on the
margins of another international meeting. Between these meetings, it will work mainly
via electronic communication and telephone or video conferencing.
19.
Given the number of activities and outputs in its work-programme, members
agreed to focus on a small set of priorities in the next year or so that will create concrete
outputs. The work will be progressed, in most cases, by the Modernization Working
Group on Production, Methods and Standards. The Terms of Reference (ToR) of the
Group can be found in Annex III. The work of this Group will be time limited and the
priorities will be updated by the SAB-AP at regular intervals. The set of priorities are
listed below.
a. Advocacy strategy for modernization work – there is a lack of knowledge across
the region about modernization and the effort that statistical organisations
need to put into this important work. The advocacy strategy will emphasise
the importance of modernization, and will seek to influence statistical offices
in the region to accelerate implementation of standards and frameworks
related to modernization, influence NSDSs and help them to co-ordinate with
ministries.
b. Big Data and how it relates to official statistics – this work will help statistical
offices in the region embrace and understand Big Data.
6
c. Common Statistical Production Architecture (CSPA) services – the High Level
Group for the Modernization of Statistical Production and Services currently
has a project focussed on the creation and implementation of a number of
CSPA compliant services (for example a ‘seasonal adjustment’ service and a
‘confidentialised access to microdata’ service). Under this priority area, work
will be undertaken to test these services in the computing environments of
statistical offices in the region. Services relating to electronic collection and
dissemination are of particular interest.
Membership of the SAB-AP
20.
The ToR for the SAB-AP sets out the detail of its membership. It requires:
 a minimum of five members, plus ESCAP Statistics Division as an ex-officio
member;
 an appropriate balanced representation, geographically and across developed
and developing countries; and
 at least one of the regional members of the HLG to be a member of the SAB-AP
(to ensure close coordination with HLG).
21.
In the original ToR, the members of the SAB-AP were required to be at the level
of the head of a National Statistical Office, but the SAB-AP members wish to amend this
requirement to ensure balanced representation on the SAB-AP. The SAB-AP proposes to
amend the ToR so that an NSO’s deputy, or a high-level official with relevant authority in
the area of modernization could be a member. Committee members are invited to
endorse the revised paragraph 7 of the ToR as presented in Annex I.
22.
The initial membership includes the NSOs of Australia, India, Republic of Korea,
Malaysia, Pakistan, Samoa and Viet Nam. In August 2014, the NSOs of Indonesia and
Singapore expressed the wish to join the SAB-AP. The Committee members are invited
to approve the extension of the membership of the SAB-AP to Mr Suryamin, Chief
Statistician, BPS Statistics Indonesia and Ms Wong Wee Kim, Chief Statistician,
Singapore.
2.2
Network of experts
23.
The activities of the network of experts are organized under the Committee on
Statistics decision to form an expert community to support, on an informal basis, the
sharing of communication and training materials, and the sharing of regional
experiences and strategies, as discussed in paragraph (4). There are three key groups of
interest.
24.
Firstly, the ESCAP secretariat organized two expert group meetings for the
Management of Statistical Information Systems (MSIS) in April 2013 and 2014. These
7
two meetings have created a group of experts from NSOs in the region that are
knowledgeable about modernization activities, standards and processes. These experts
form part of a loose network and can be drawn on to support further developments in
this area of work.
25.
Secondly, the ADB/ESCAP SDMX capacity building initiative has also gathered a
smaller group of experts on SDMX, national accounts and balance of payments from the
four participating countries.
26.
Finally, the SAB-AP’s Modernization Working Group on Production, Methods and
Standards (the Working Group), established in mid-2014, comprises experts from
Australia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Viet Nam <update when others are known>.
Modernization Working Group on Production, Methods and Standards
27.
The Working Group is focussing on the SAB-AP’s first priority area – that is,
creating an advocacy strategy (the other priority areas will commence after the
advocacy strategy is finalised, although they could occur earlier if further resources
become available from member countries). The initial work includes:
(a) Building awareness of modernization efforts in the regions
 The working group has created a questionnaire that gauges where NSOs are
on the modernization journey. This includes indications of modernization
plans, as well as knowledge and use of relevant standards and frameworks
(for example GSBPM, GSIM, DDI, SDMX).
 The responses to the questionnaire will be used to plan how to target
modernization messages to the different levels.
(b) Creating promotional materials
 There are a number of existing materials on modernization (for example
brochures and flyers) that have been created by HLG. These are being
adapted and the new versions will reflect the same message, but in a
regional context.
(c) Providing examples of standards use. The Working Group is:
 finding regional examples of NSOs who are using standards and frameworks
such as GSBPM, GSIM, DDI, SDMX and have gained real benefits from using
them.
 finding global examples of use of standards. This includes HLG projects and
the use cases of GSBPM and GSIM on the HLG wiki.
 gathering information about who the champions of the standards are, and
where NSOs can go for help when starting to use the standards.
8
(d) Exploring linkages with other regional initiatives and programmes for the
development of statistical capacity and ways of how to influence the inclusion
of modernization in the NSDS process.
3
Recent developments and activities in the field of modernization
28.
This section outlines other important developments and activities in the area of
modernization and gives indication of the upcoming developments for the next two year
period, both on a regional and global level.
3.1
Global level
High Level Group for the Modernization of Statistical Production and Services (HLG)5
29.
Much of the work being undertaken on global modernisation activities is under
the umbrella of the HLG governance structure. The HLG Executive Board is responsible
for the strategic management of on-going HLG projects. It is comprised of senior
managers from national and international statistical organisations who have the
authority to commit the resources of their organisations to supporting HLG activities.
The membership also includes the chairs of the four modernisation committees
(discussed below), to ensure coordination, and give access to broader perspective on
modernisation activities.
30.
The four modernisation committees generate ideas for projects, identify good
practices, and highlight issues and developments in their respective fields of
competence. These committees are:



Organizational Framework and Evaluation – This committee considers human
resources, training, legal, licensing and similar issues. It is also responsible for
evaluating the success of HLG activities
Production and Methods – This committee considers the technical,
methodological and architectural aspects of modernising statistical
production. It will oversee the maintenance of the Common Statistical
Production Architecture (CSPA)
Products and Sources – This committee considers how to use and integrate a
growing range of data sources, and provide new types of outputs and
services for users of official statistics. It looks beyond the official statistics
5 More information on the HLG can be found at: http://www1.unece.org/stat/platform/display/hlgbas/HighLevel+Group+for+the+Modernisation+of+Statistical+Production+and+Services
9

community for new data sources and new opportunities to add value by
enhancing statistical outputs.
Standards – This committee considers how to develop, enhance, integrate
and support the range of standards needed for statistical modernisation. It is
responsible for the on-going support and maintenance of the Generic
Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM) and the Generic Statistical
Information Model (GSIM).
31.
The HLG bodies have been instrumental in updating and developing new
standards and frameworks, such as the GSBPM, GSIM and CSPA, which will enable NSOs
to modernise their activities in such a way that they can build and share statistical
solutions. These standards and frameworks are briefly described below. In addition, the
HLG is building services that can be shared across the NSOs of the world.
Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM)
32.
Version 5.0 was released in 2013. It provides a common reference framework
and set of terminology for discussing statistical business processes.
Generic Statistical Information Model (GSIM)
33.
Version 1.1 was released in 2013. It provides a common set of terminology and a
common conceptual model for statistical information.
The Common Statistical Production Architecture (CSPA)
34.
The Common Statistical Production Architecture (CSPA) was developed during
2013. It was created in response to a concern amongst statistical organizations that
they were not able to easily share their processes, methods and solutions. In most
cases, sharing required significant work because tools were not designed in a way that
facilitated sharing. CSPA seeks to address these issues by building on existing standards,
such as the GSBPM and the GSIM, to create an agreed set of common principles and
standards designed to promote greater interoperability within and between statistical
organizations. It provides the “industry architecture” for official statistics.
35.
In the first year, the project developed and specified the architecture, then
created a practical test of its principles and applicability in a “proof of concept”. In
2014, the project was extended to create the first “production” CSPA-compliant services
and implement them in several statistical organisations. It will not create the full set of
services needed for all statistical production activities, but it will show how this could be
done. It will result in the practical application of CSPA, and could result in enhancements
to the architecture based on implementation experiences.
36.
The services being built during 2014 are:
10








Seasonal Adjustment
Confidentiality on the fly
Error correction
SVG Generator
SDMX transform
Selecting sample from business register
Editing components
Classification Editor
Statistical Data and Metadata eXchange (SDMX) global conference 2015
37.
The Statistical Data and Metadata eXchange (SDMX) sponsoring agencies
regularly hold biennial global conferences that brings together more than 200 high-level
statisticians and experts involved in data exchange and dissemination. These
conferences discuss the role that SDMX can play in modernising official statistics.
National statistical institutes, central banks and international organisations share their
growing expertise in using SDMX at various stages of their statistical business processes.
38.
The 5th SDMX Global Conference, scheduled for 28 to 30 September 2015, will
be brought to the Asia-Pacific region and hosted by ESCAP. It will provide an excellent
opportunity for the NSOs in the region to gain exposure to the recent modernisation
developments, and allow the sponsoring agencies to listen to the needs of countries in
this region. SDMX supports the global modernisation aims of the statistical community,
e.g. business process integration, interoperability, standardisation, shared services, etc.
SDMX implementation leads to business process redesign and often to better datasharing between national/international organisations (i.e. one national data value
disseminated by all national/international bodies). In some cases, SDMX is used beyond
its original purpose of data/metadata exchange, e.g. for data/metadata dissemination,
which leads to more metadata-driven statistical business processes.
Global work on big data and modernization of statistical systems
39.
The Statistical Commission at its 45th session discussed the topic of big data and
modernization of statistical systems. The report6 discussed at the session presented the
results of a global assessment on the use of big data for official statistics conducted by
the Statistics Division in 2013. It was evident at the discussion that statistical systems
must be modernized if NSO are to face the challenges of big data.
40.
The Commission expressed the need to further investigate the sources,
challenges and areas of use of big data for official statistics at the global level, especially
6 E/CN.3/2014/11 (http://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/doc14/2014-11-BigData-E.pdf)
11
with respect to the circumstances of developing countries and the link to the post-2015
development agenda and the data revolution initiative. The Commission agreed to
create a global working group on the use of big data for official statistics. This group’s
activities would complement the work carried out by the regional commissions, and
manage the globally relevant issues.
41.
As part of its work programme, the global working group should make the case
that national statistical systems have a comparative advantage over other parties in
their role of validating big data for policy use, or combining big data sources with
existing official statistics. The global working group could further address specific issues
related to the role of big data for the post-2015 development agenda, and should
facilitate partnership with other United Nations and international organizations, civil
society organizations and other members of the global partnership for the emerging
data revolution initiative.
42.
One of the complaints regarding the Millennium Development Goals indicators
was that their timeliness was poor. Big data are most often generated in real time and
could potentially provide very timely indicators.
43.
To launch the global working group, a global big data conference in October
2014 in Beijing, China was organized. The working group was formed and the work
programme on common methodology, training, platforms and other issues related to
the use of big data for official statistics was defined. The interest of the SAB-AP and
wider statistical community in the Asia-Pacific region is represented through the chair of
SAB-AP and ESCAP as members of the global working group on big data. The Committee
members are encouraged to take part in these discussions and to contact the chair of
the SAB-AP and/or ESCAP Statistics Division.
3.2
Regional level
Expert group meeting on Management of Statistical Information Systems (MSIS)
44.
Two expert group meetings in the area of modernization were organized in April
of 2013 and 20147 on the Management of Statistical Information Systems (MSIS). The
MSIS has been organized annually since 2000 by UNECE, Eurostat and OECD to create
awareness of research on modernization of statistical production and services and share
experiences of related developments in national statistical systems and international
organizations. For the MSIS 2013, ESCAP joined the organizing committee. MSIS 2013
was hence organized in two locations (Paris and Bangkok) from 23 to 25 April 2013, with
joint sessions held during morning hours in Paris and afternoon hours in Bangkok, using
7
Report of MSIS 2013 available at: http://www.unescap.org/events/management-statistical-informationsystems-msis-2013; and report of MSIS 2014 available at: http://www.unescap.org/events/joint-meetingmanagement-statistical-information-systems-msis-2014
12
a web-link. The same modality was replicated for MSIS 2014, which was jointly held in
Dublin, Ireland, hosted by the Central Statistics Office of Ireland and Manila, Philippines,
hosted by the ADB, from 14 to 16 April 2014.
45.
At both MSIS meetings, participants recognized the importance and need for
high-level support to encourage regional collaboration on modernization of statistical
production and services. The participants pointed to the need for the SAB-AP to lend the
weight and credibility of its members, and the institutions they represent, to the work.
Thus, the expert group called on the heads of NSOs in the region to more actively
engage in the work of SAB-AP, and to actively advocate for investment in the key
priority areas identified, by international organizations, national statistical offices, and
other statistical organizations in the national statistical systems. Additionally, both
groups of experts agreed to organize work in smaller, focused technical working groups
on clearly identified priority areas. These working groups would need to be formalized
and have the full support of the SAB-AP.
46.
However, the two expert meetings expressed different views on how to lead and
organize the work of the working groups. At the MSIS 2013, the participants
recommended that working groups be formed on the basis of expressed common
interest and identification of a “champion” that could provide technical direction for the
work of the group and secretarial support for the group activities. At the MSIS 2014, it
was put forward that international organizations should coordinate and facilitate the
establishment and the work of these technical working groups, as they have close links
to NSOs in the region and a better overview of regional efforts in this area. This
discrepancy was brought to the attention of the SAB-AP and taken into account in the
decisions made regarding the strategy and work plan for the SAB-AP, including the
establishment of the Modernization Working Group.
ADB/ESCAP SDMX Capacity Building Initiative
47.
Many international organizations (such as the Asian Development Bank, United
Nations Statistics Division, and International Monetary Funds) collect economic data
from national statistical offices, central banks, finance and other line ministries. This
data collection is often complex and inefficient due to: multiplicity of collection
channels; lack of compliance with international standards for naming, classification and
metadata; and use of questionnaire-based techniques (usually MS Excel). The process is
often time consuming and places significant burden on national organizations as the
same dataset is often reported in different formats to different international
organizations. The questionnaire-based system often results in a loss of metadata along
the data collection and subsequent processing trail.
48.
To address issues with the collection and exchange of data, the international
statistical community has developed the Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange (SDMX)
standard to automate data exchanges between data producers and data users. SDMX
13
offers a standard way to describe data and metadata as part of an exchange and allows
information systems from separate organizations to “talk to each other”. SDMX is
currently used by a number of advanced statistical systems and has proven to
significantly improve the quality and effectiveness of data exchange. Within Asia and the
Pacific region only a handful of countries currently use SDMX.
49.
This project is a direct outcome of MSIS 2013 as the interest of the participants
and international organizations to promote the use of SDMX. The objective of the
project is to promote the use of SDMX standard among NSSs in the region and build
regional capacities in applying it to improve efficiency of data exchange. The project
focuses on the implementation of standards, guidelines and tools to support automated
statistical data exchange between NSSs and international organizations.
50.
The necessary tools will be adapted from already available SDMX tools and will
include; web services, national SDMX data repository tools and/or mapping tools to
original data sources. The scope of the project, are the statistical indicators collected by
ADB for the preparation of statistical publication “Key indicators for Asia and the Pacific”
and related data products. Where possible globally accepted SDMX Data Structure
Definitions for Balance of Payments and National Accounts will be used to ensure that
the data can also be communicated using SDMX to other international organizations.
51.
The participating countries are Malaysia, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand
(with the latter two playing the roles of technical advisors, as they already have systems
that are SDMX enabled). Depending on the centralization of the NSS, other
organizations, apart from the NSO, might participate in the project.
4
Actions to be taken by the Committee
52.






The Committee on Statistics at its fourth session is invited to:
Reaffirm the importance of regional collaboration in the area of work on
modernization of statistical production and services
Encourage members to advocate for the modernisation of statistical production
and services on a national and regional levels
Appeal to the international organizations working on statistical capacity building
to include modernization issues in their activities, including their inclusion in
national and regional development plans (e.g. NSDS)
Support the formation of the technical level Modernization Working Group and
encourage members to nominate experts to participate in such group
Provide guidance on the current priority areas and the future work
Consider the revised Terms of Reference of the SAB-AP and the extension of
membership to Indonesia and Singapore for endorsement
14
5
Annex I - Strategic Advisory Body for the Modernization of Statistical
Production and Services in Asia and the Pacific
Terms of reference
I.
II.
Background
1.
The creation of a more adaptive and cost-effective information management
environment, the key results of the modernization of statistical production and
services, was established by the Committee on Statistics on its second session as
one of the overarching strategic goals to be achieved by 2020.
2.
Experts’ discussions organized by ESCAP since 2010 have pointed to the
importance and urgency for national statistical institutions to modernize their
information systems to address the evolving field of statistics and maintain
relevance across developed and developing countries.
3.
Considering the ambition, scope, complexity and long-term aspects of
programmes to modernize statistical production and services, experts’
discussions also noted the vital importance of regional cooperation including the
development of common frameworks and standards, and knowledge-sharing
mechanisms, to accelerate the modernization of statistical information systems.
4.
Building on these discussions, the ESCAP Committee on Statistics on its third
session in December 2012 considered and endorsed the establishment of a highlevel strategic body and of an experts’ network to raise awareness and build
capacity related to concepts, methods and standards to support national
modernization efforts.
5.
In order to reflect the organizational transformation of national statistical
systems, supported by but not driven by improvement in information
technology, the high-level strategic body shall be referred to as the Asia-Pacific
Strategic Advisory Body for the Modernization of Statistical Production and
Services (SAB-AP).
Key responsibilities
6.
The primary objective of the SAB-AP shall be to drive and support changes
towards the modernization of statistical production and services in the Asia-
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Pacific region. As such the strategic body shall be responsible for:
a. Developing a regional strategy to raise awareness and advocate on the
importance and urgency of the modernization issue;
b. Mobilizing financial and human resources to implement the regional
strategy, including identifying relevant partners and other stakeholders;
c. Acting as a regional voice on the issue of modernization notably by
representing the Asia-Pacific region in global standard-setting mechanisms
and strategic bodies such as the High-Level Group for the Modernisation of
Statistical Production and Services (HLG);
d. Providing strategic directions to and overseeing the programme of work of
the network of experts to be established.
III.
IV.
Composition
7.
The SAB-AP shall comprise a minimum of five members, plus ESCAP Statistics
Division as ex-officio member. Members of the SAB-AP shall be at the level of the
head of National Statistical Office, their deputy or a high-level official with
relevant authority in the area of modernization.
8.
The National Statistical Offices shall represent ESCAP members and associate
members countries taking into account the need for balanced representation,
geographically and across developed and developing countries.
9.
The size of the SAB-AP shall be decided by the Bureau of the Committee on
Statistics and may be changed as needed to ensure that the group continues to
effectively and efficiently perform its functions. The Bureau shall appoint one of
the members as the Chair of the SAP-AP.
Selection of members
10.
The Bureau of the Committee on Statistics shall, with support from the ESCAP
secretariat, decide on the composition of the SAB-AP on the basis of the need for
balanced representation and the need to ensure efficient and effective
functioning.
11.
In order to ensure close coordination with the global HLG, the SAB-AP shall
include at least one of the regional members of the global HLG.
12.
The SAB-AP members shall be appointed for a period of two years. All members
shall be eligible for re-appointment.
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V.
VI.
13.
If an appointed SAB-AP member vacates a position, the remaining members shall
decide and nominate the most appropriate replacement.
14.
Members of the SAB-AP shall commit to devote the time necessary for adequate
discharge of their duties. Members of the SAB-AP will not be considered staff
members of United Nations; hence, will not be entitled to the privileges and
immunities accorded to staff members of the United Nations.
Functioning
15.
Subject to availability of resources, the SAB-AB shall establish a yearly
programme of work setting priority areas and related activities to be
implemented with the support of the experts’ network.
16.
The SAB-AP shall meet in person or through video- or teleconference at least one
time per year to review progress on the programme of work and review
priorities.
17.
In-between physical meetings, the SAB-AP shall review most issues by means of
electronic discussion and exchange of emails. Other experts may participate as
observers in the meetings of the SAB-AP.
Reporting
18.
VII.
Chair
19.
VIII.
The SAB-AP shall submit an annual report to the Bureau of the Committee on
Statistics on its work on the development and implementation of regional
strategies supporting changes towards the modernization of statistical
production and services. Further, as per request by the Bureau, the SAB-AP shall
submit a written or oral report for the information of the Committee on
Statistics at its formal sessions.
The Chair of the SAB-AP shall guide the work of the strategic body. The Chair will
serve for a period of two years after which he/she will eligible for reappointment.
Secretariat
20.
The office of the Chair shall support secretarial services to the SAB-AP in carrying
out its functions as described above.
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IX.
Review of the Terms of Reference
21.
X.
The SAB-AP shall, in consultation with the secretariat, review its Terms of
Reference every two years to ensure that it has the necessary mandate to
effectively and efficiently perform its functions. The revisions shall be subject to
the approval of the Committee on Statistics.
Sunset clause
22.
Unless the Committee on Statistics decides otherwise, the SAB-AP shall expire by
the end of 2020.
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6
Annex II - Draft Strategy of the SAB-AP - July 2014
Background
The main function of statistical organisations is to assist national stakeholders, such as
governments and business, in informed decision-making. The national statistical organisations
work to provide a coherent base of information with accurate measurement of change over
time in key economic, social, demographic and environmental indicators.
The official statistics industry is part of a more extensive information industry. Within this wider
information industry, the pace of creation of new information products and new ways of
combining and using information is increasing rapidly. Alternative sources of information allow
new data producers to produce and update information in real time and make it available with
fewer constraints and with greater detail than official statistics provided through the national
statistical organisations.
It is necessary for these statistical organizations to stay relevant to the modern world. Statistical
organizations are confronted with accelerating change in society and the way that data are
produced and used within the information industry. As such the ways in which statistical
organizations have worked to provide official statistics needs to change.
Statistical organisations have to be transformed from traditional data producer, characterized
by domain-specific silos, legacy information systems and the production process centred
around paper forms and publications, to a modern ‘information service provider’, characterized
by internet data capture, expanding data sources and innovative ways of communicating with
users.
Addressing the challenge
The official statistics industry has recognised that they should work together to better face all of
the opportunities and threats that accompany a data deluge.
For example, in 2010 the Conference of European Statisticians (CES) established the High-Level
Group for the Modernisation of Statistical Production and Services (HLG). The Group is
composed mainly of countries with developed statistical systems in terms of information
systems. Australia and Republic of Korea are the members from the Asia-Pacific region. New
Zealand participates in the HLG Executive Board and in the technical working groups.
The HLG has created important momentum to work on modernization on the global level. They
have focused in recent years on developing common processes, architecture, and standards
that are needed to underpin modernization work. They “see a future where the community of
statistical organisations work together collaboratively. We will be able to share and reuse
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common processes and methods, together with the IT components which allow them to be put
into effect, within one organization and/or between organizations. We will reduce the
duplication of effort in regard to development and maintenance and support the sharing of
“leading practice” solutions, potentially on a worldwide basis.”8
A vision for modernisation work in the Asia Pacific Region
The need to modernise is well recognised in the Asia Pacific region. The creation of a more
adaptive and cost-effective information management environment, the key results of the
modernization of statistical production and services, was established by the Committee on
Statistics on its second session as one of the overarching strategic goals to be achieved by 2020.
In December 2012, the ESCAP Committee on Statistics on its third session considered and
endorsed the establishment of a high-level strategic body called Asia-Pacific Strategic Advisory
Body for the Modernization of Statistical Production and Services (SAB-AP). The SAB-AP is a
small group of heads of national statistical offices in the region. The SAB – AP aspires to the
same vision as the HLG. The primary objective of the SAB-AP shall be to drive and support
changes towards the modernization of statistical production and services in the Asia-Pacific
region.
The SAB-AP will raise awareness and advocate on the importance and urgency of the
modernisation issue in the region. Collaboration at a regional level is of vital importance,
especially considering the ambition, scope, complexity and long-term aspects of programmes to
modernize statistical production and services. There are at least three themes in the work of
SAB-AP. These are outlined below:
1) Testing global modernisation solutions in the regional context - A number of
frameworks and standards (such as the Generic Statistical Business Process Model
(GSBPM) and the Generic Statistical Information Model (GSIM)) have been developed by
the HLG projects. This work represents an opportunity for countries in Asia-Pacific to use
these common models instead of developing their own. Countries in the region can use
these global solutions to see how they apply to the reality in a national statistical
organisation with developing information systems.
2) Influencing global modernisation work - The voice of national statistical organisations
with developing information systems is not represented well in the global modernization
work. The SAB-AP will act as a regional voice on the issue of modernization notably by
representing the Asia-Pacific region in global standard-setting mechanisms and strategic
bodies.
8 http://www1.unece.org/stat/platform/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=99492302.
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3) Creating modernisation solutions for regional priority areas - The Asia Pacific region
develops modernisation solutions that are important for the region. SAB – AP will
provide support for these ideas to be developed. Ideas and solutions that are successful
in the region could then be offered to global initiatives.
The challenges facing statistical organizations are too big for individual statistical organizations
to tackle on their own. In order for this vision to be successful, producers of official statistics
can and should work together as an “industry”, to address these shared challenges and make
the most of new opportunities.
SAB-AP will need to be active in mobilizing financial and human resources to achieve their
goals. A Modernization Working Group on Production, Methods and Standards will be created
to implement the strategy and priorities of the SAB-AP. It is important for the experts to get
support from their organizations to engage in regional collaboration and to maintain
commitment to modernisation work in the region.
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7
Annex III - Modernization Working Group on Production, Methods and
Standards
Terms of Reference
I.
BACKGROUND
1.
II.
As the importance of the work undertaken by the Strategic Advisory Body for the
Modernization of Statistical Production and Services in Asia and the Pacific (SAP-AP)
grows, and the expectations of statistical organisations for concrete outputs increase, it
is increasingly important to put in place an appropriate governance structure for the
different SAB-AP initiatives. While the SAB-AP will ensure strategic coordination with
the modernization work undertaken in other regions of the world, notably the work
undertaken under the auspices of the High-Level Group for the Modernisation of
Statistical Production and Services (HLG), increased coordination and cooperation at the
Asia-Pacific regional level is of utmost importance. The SAB-AP therefore proposes the
creation of a Modernization Working Group on Production, Methods and Standards
(hereafter referred to as “the working group”) to ensure a more efficient
implementation of its regional strategy.
MANDATE
2.
III.
The ESCAP Committee on Statistics (CST), at its third session in December 2012,
considered and endorsed the establishment of the SAB-AP. The CST, through its Bureau,
approved the terms of reference of the SAB-AP, including the proposed governance
structure for activities and working groups overseen by the SAB-AP. The working group
is part of that structure. It reports to the SAB-AP, and derives its mandate from the SABAP.
OBJECTIVES
3.
The working group will consider and make proposals in three priority areas:


Develop advocacy strategy and prepare advocacy material for the regional
implementation and adaptation of the architectures, tools and standards needed
to support modernization in statistical organizations, especially the Common
Statistical Production Architecture (CSPA), the Generic Statistical Business
Process Model (GSBPM) and the Generic Statistical Information Model (GSIM);
The use of big data in official statistics; and
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
Explore opportunities for the use of modules developed under the Common
Statistical Production Architecture (CSPA) for capacity building in Asia and the
Pacific (e.g. the seasonal adjustment module).
4.
In doing so, the working group will regularly consult and coordinate with related
initiatives undertaken in other regions, notably the related modernization committees
established under the HLG. In this respect, it will contribute inputs reflecting the
regional perspective in relation to the maintenance and development of the Common
Statistical Production Architecture and associated catalogues of sharable artefacts (such
as tools and methods) as well as to the maintenance and development of the Generic
Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM) and the Generic Statistical Information
Model (GSIM).
5.
The work on the above priority areas should begin sequentially in the order as
listed. However, if there is another group of experts available that subgroup may take
on another of the priority area.
IV.
PLANNED ACTIVITIES AND OUTPUTS
6.






V.
The main activities and outputs of the working group will be:
To oversee the organization of relevant workshops and expert group meetings.
To oversee the preparation of materials on the topics of the management of
statistical information systems, statistical methodology (including data editing),
and the components of an “industry architecture” for official statistics.
To contribute to the SDMX, DDI and geospatial capacity building of the countries
in the Asia-Pacific region.
To monitor developments in these areas within and beyond official statistics, and
inform the SAB-AP of any important issues.
To provide input as needed to the SAB-AP.
To prepare a report for the SAB-AP once per year, on results, key issues, and
outreach activities.
TIMETABLE
7.
VI.
The working group will start work in August 2014. The terms of reference, and
the continued existence of the working group will be reviewed every two years by the
SAB-AP, which will make recommendations accordingly to the bureau of the CST.
METHODS OF WORK
8.
The working group will work mainly by web conferences and wikis. Upon
availability of financial resources, the working group should meet physically at least
once per year, tentatively on the margins of other events. It will ensure effective
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communication with all stakeholder groups, using all appropriate communication
channels. The working group may decide to establish smaller groups of experts among
its membership to work on specific issues in relation with the broader mandate of the
working experts.
VII.
MEMBERSHIP
9.
10.
The list of members will be confirmed by the SAB-AP, taking due account of the
representation of different regions, specialists and stakeholder groups. Members will
normally be drawn from national and international statistical organizations; however, to
encourage greater interaction with other relevant initiatives beyond official statistics,
representatives of such initiatives may also be invited to join the working group.
The working group will have a target membership size of around 10-12 people.
11.
The working group may invite additional persons to participate in some or all of
its activities, depending on priorities and interests, where their contributions would be
of benefit to the work of the committee.
12.
The members of the working group undertake to devote the necessary time to
adequately discharge their duties. The members shall dedicate at least two working
days per month to the work of the working group.
13.
The working group will elect one of its members to be chair. The term of the
chair will be limited to a maximum of 2 years.
14.
The Statistics Division of ESCAP will serve as the secretariat to the working group.
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