United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Statistical Division

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Statistical Division Modernising Statistical Production: Main recommendations from global assessments 7 th SPECA PWG on Statistics 27 -30 August 2012, Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan

Challenges for official statistics + Increasing demand for internationally comparable, reliable and timely statistics to monitor economic, monetary, social and environmental policies + Development of information and communication technologies - Economic and financial crises with additional budget constraints for national administrations and official statistics - Pressure to further reduce response burden ___________________________ ⇒ Streamlining production of official statistics UNECE Statistical Division Slide 2

What Does Streamlining Mean? Streamlining can be defined as adapting the business processes in order to produce and communicate statistical information that meets user’s requirements in a more effective and efficient way. Ø Effective: Adequate to accomplish a purpose; producing the intended or expected result: an effective decision Ø Efficient: Performing or functioning in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and resources (technical, human and financial) UNECE Statistical Division Slide 3

From Products to Processes Global Assessment is a unique tool in building a statistical system that meets user’s requirements in a more effective and efficient way. Ø Focuses not only on statistical products and services but also on the means to achieve them (resource allocation and management) Ø Evaluate to which extend processes ensure that products and services are fit for their purpose and meet their specification (effectiveness) Ø Assess the operational coordination of the National Statistical System and the organisation of the production process from the data collection to the dissemination (efficiency) UNECE Statistical Division Slide 4

International standards / nomenclatures / guidelines Integrated Production processes SNA Feedback Bo. P - GFS Sectoral statistics SBS – CPI – ETS – LFS – HBS … Statistical registers Data warehouse Editing and processing (quality control) Data collection Efficient Administrative data – Surveys – Censuses Effective Legal / institutional / organizational framework UNECE Statistical Division Slide 5

Production Processes in SPECA Countries Main recommendations from global assessments /1 Coordination of the National Statistical System: Ø The boundary of the National Statistical System (NSS) should be clearly defined in the Law on State Statistics (LSS) Ø The LSS should apply to all producers of official statistics Ø The LSS should empower the National Statistical Office/Committee (NSO) as the coordinator of the NSS Ø Statistical Council should be revitalised and in some cases established UNECE Statistical Division Slide 6

Production Processes in SPECA Countries Main recommendations from global assessments /2 Structure and resources: Ø Adequate human, financial and IT resources should be allocated to the NSO and other producers of official statistics Ø Territorial and functional organisation of the NSO could be gradually simplified in the light of new ICT and data collection techniques Ø Information and communication technologies (ICT) and infrastructure should be further developed along with the modernisation of business processes and the structure of the NSO Ø Horizontal organisational units dealing with quality, processes and methodology should be established UNECE Statistical Division Slide 7

Production Processes in SPECA Countries Main recommendations from global assessments /3 Data collection, processing and registers (economic statistics): Ø To adopt gradually an integrated production model based on common and standardised processes, transforming a combination of primary data into statistical products Ø To extend collection of primary data from administrative sources (when available and of good quality) and/or through sample surveys Ø Data processing, quality check, storage and compilation of national and regional aggregates should be carried out centrally and simultaneously Ø Developing and maintaining centrally a statistical business register for all economic units, independently of their economic activities and legal forms UNECE Statistical Division Slide 8

Production Processes in SPECA Countries Main recommendations from global assessments /4 Dissemination and communication: Ø Improving communication with users outside the government: media, business, researchers, academia, civil society … Ø Making statistics more attractive and interesting by complementing tables with metadata, short comments, and visual presentations (graphs, charts and maps) Ø Developing and maintaining a free, up-to-date, on-line dissemination database that allows users to select, extract and generate tailor made tables, charts and maps (PC-Axis) UNECE Statistical Division Slide 9

Thank you for your attention. UNECE Statistical Division Slide 10