Statistical Commission reviews problems of least developed countries, other data-oriented work.

Statistical Commission reviews problems of least developed countries, other data-oriented work

The special problems of the statisticallyleast developed countries were among a variety of subjects tackled by the Statistical Commission, which met from 23 February to 4 March in New York.

Also on its agenda were items on:technical co-operation; demographic and social statistics; the World Population and Housing Census Programme; social statistics and indicators; dissemination of international statistics; and industrial statistics.

The 24-member body--one of theEconomic and Social Council's six functional commissions--provides guidance on United Nations statistical activities by recommending policy to the Council and to the Secretariat on gathering statistics and setting standards to make them more comparable internationally.

The Commission this year requestedthe United Nations Statistical Office to give particular attention to the needs of statistically least developed among the developing countries when preparing methodological manuals and to assist them in improving their statistical services in order to promote their economic development.

The body also stressed the importanceof technical co-operation programmes for developing countries and asked the Secretary-General to report on the subject in 1989. It encouraged the preparation of country case-studies to analyse experiences of developing countries which had received technical co-operation and made notable progress in their statistical development.

Patterns: A priority

With regard to demographic and socialstatistics, the Commission agreed that the subject of patterns of consumption and related socio-economic indicators was a matter of considerable priority for developing countries. The serious need for developing continuing basic data collection programmes in those countries was stressed, and the Secretary-General and the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development were to report on preparation of indicators in such fields as living conditions, employment, education, health care and consumption patterns.

The Commission approved the draftSupplementary Principles and Recommendations for the 1990 World Population and Housing Census Programme, and requested that it be published in a form that would reflect the views of the Commission and regional commissions. The Programme is to be carried out between 1985 and 1994. Census training and other technical co-operation activities proposed in the Secretary-General's report (E/CN.3/1987/15) were strongly supported.

The importance of continued developmentof social statistics and indicators on the situation of women and of the disabled was also underscored. The Secretary-General was asked to report on international co-ordination of social statistics and indicators and on development of satistics and indicators on special population groups at the Commission's 1989 session.

The Commission endorsed the collationand dissemination of international statistics by the Statistical Office as meeting a well-established and justified need, and urged the Secretariat to continue its efforts to improve the timeliness of international statistics.

The Statistical Office was requestedto continue ongoing evaluation of its publications and to conduct surveys to determine their usefulness, especially for the private sector. As those publications were generally under-utilized, marketing techniques should be employed to expand their dissemination and use, the Commission said.

It also strongly recommended thatthe Statistical Office expand its efforts to disseminate statistical data through media other than publications, such as microfiche, magnetic tapes, diskettes and on-line access.

Household Data

With regard to industrial statistics,the Commission approved a report containing draft recommendations for a statistical programme for household and small-scale industries. The Secretariat was asked to circulate the draft document to experts and interested organizations and to revise it according to their comments, taking the views of the Commission into account as well. The final version should be issued as a handbook and given wide circulation, the Commission stated. The provision of appropriate training and other forms of technical co-operation to interested developing countries was urged.

In other action relating to theStatistical Office, the Commission endorsed continuation of that Office's work on harmonization of international economic classifications, in conjunction with appropriate international organizations, and its work in the area of new and renewable sources of energy, urging that further attention be given to the problems of developing countries; asked it to assist developing countries in applying appropriate methodologies to their national environment statistics programmes and to maintain a co-ordinating role in international environment statistical activities; and urged it to increase efforts in the area of technical co-operation in energy statistics and to assist developing countries in establishing their own comprehensive energy information systems, according to their national plans and priorities.

Finally, the Commission stressed theresponsibility of statistical offices to use standard international statistical concepts and classifications when preparing statistical data; and supported the use of communication and computer technologies as a means of making data collection and dissemination more timely and cost-efficient.