The implementation programme for the
2008 SNA and supporting statistics
Seminar on the implementation of the
System of National Accounts 2008 for
Caribbean countries
Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda, 14-16 June 2010
Herman Smith
UNSD/DESA

Outline of presentation
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Introduction
Luxembourg Recommendations
Statistical production process framework
SNA implementation - Impediments
2008 SNA Implementation Strategy
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2008 SNA Implementation Programme
Global initiatives by the ISWGNA
Regional initiatives
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Links to other global statistical initiatives

INTRODUCTION cont
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The 39 th session of UNSC in 2008 requested the
ISWGNA to come up with an implementation strategy
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Long term development of SNA and the its implementation strategy
 International Conference on International Outreach and Coordination in National Accounts for Sustainable
Growth and Development, 6-8 May 2008,
Luxembourg
 High Level Forum for the Long-Term Development of the SNA, 17-18 Nov 2008, Washington DC
Inputs from these events considered by ISWGNA for formulating the 2008 SNA implementation strategy

Luxembourg Recommendations (LRs)
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Luxembourg conference was attended by developing countries, development partners
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It is recognized that availability of the good quality basic economic statistics in a sustainable manner is key for implementation of international standards on NAs and economic statistics
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Direction guiding the LRs can be characterized as
 global coordination with
 regional implementation and outreach
 to strengthen the national statistical capacity for the compilation and reporting of national accounts and related basic statistics .

Luxembourg Recommendations (LRs)
1. Strategic planning Frameworks (SPF)
2. Coordination, monitoring and reporting
3. Global Governance
4. National Statistical Capacity Building
5. SNA Knowledge Platform: statistics, information technology and management

Statistical Production Process Framework
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The framework provides a structure for the SNA implementation programme to address and reinforce both
◦ statistical institutional infrastructure and
◦ the collection and reporting of statistics .

Statistical Production Process Framework
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The framework might be arranged according to a set of building blocks .
 Institutional setting management and internal policy regarding the administrative, human resources and financial regulations; policies on confidentiality and quality adherence; ICT policy on data collection, compilation and dissemination;
 Registers and frames of statistical units from which administrative and survey source data are collected
 Collections through administrative sources and statistical surveys
 SNA as an integration framework
 Dissemination of the statistics and metadata to users

Statistical Production Process Framework
Structure for organizing the information base based on a stylized statistical production model
Registers and
Frames
Surveys Integration
Framework
Dissemination
Institutional Setting
Information, Communication Technology (ICT)
Management and internal policy
Institutional arrangements

SNA implementation Impediments
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Insufficient staff and training.
For exhaustive coverage of economic activities – data collection mechanism and supporting infrastructure need to be improved
Quality and policy relevance of basic economic and macroeconomic statistics are not well promoted
Lack of modern management, ICT infrastructure in the
NSOs
Lack of coordination between TAs providing country, regional and international agencies
Reference manuals and compilation guidance not easily accessible.

Implementation Strategy
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Objectives
Promoting international coordination among development partners;
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Implementing regional programmes, guidelines and procedures for coordination, monitoring and reporting on performance;
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Strengthening national statistical capacity for national accounts and related basic statistics;
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Advocating the use of NA and statistics in general for policy purposes

Implementation Strategy
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Principles
At its 40th session the UNSC approved the 2008 SNA implementation strategy which is guided by three distinct principles
• Strategic planning;
• Coordination, monitoring and reporting; and
• Improving statistical systems

Implementation programme
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During 2009 further consultations with RC and countries to draft an implementation programme based on the implementation strategy
ISWGNA submitted the implementation programme to the UNSC in Feb 2010

Implementation programme
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UNSC in Feb 2010 supported the implementation programme and encouraged countries to develop their own programmes of implementation
The Implementation Programme for the
2008 SNA and supporting statistics represents a global statistical initiative.

Objective of the Global Statistical Initiative
To assist countries in developing the statistical and institutional capacity to:
(a) Make the conceptual change over from the 1993 SNA to the 2008 SNA
(b) Improve the scope, detail and quality of the national accounts and supporting economic statistics.

Principles of the global initiative
The efficiency and sustainability of the initiative rest on the agreed principles of the implementation strategy:
(a) strategic planning
(b) coordination, monitoring and reporting
(c) improving statistical systems

Strategic planning
is a key principle in mobilizing political and financial support for investment in statistics to connect national development objectives with a programme of work for statistical capacity-building.
 Identify the current strengths and weaknesses of statistical capacity
 Lay out a schedule of tasks to mitigate weaknesses

Strategic Planning Framework
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Best practices are available on how to develop
SPFs for the development of statistics:
 PARIS 21’s guidelines on National Strategies for the Development of Statistics (NSDSs)
 United Nations Development Assistance
Frameworks (UNDAFs)
 General Data Dissemination System (GDDS)
 World Bank’s Country Assistance Strategies
 World Bank/IMF Poverty Reduction Strategy
Papers (PRSPs)

Coordination, monitoring and reporting
The principle of coordination, monitoring and reporting ensures that international and regional organizations, other donors and recipient countries have clear roles and that their actions are complementary and effective.
Expected to increase likelihood of success in developing national capacity for the SNA implementation
Clear demarcation of roles of national and regional implementation agencies, international organizations, donors, policy planners and other stakeholders
 their actions are coordinated, monitored and reported against agreed benchmarks

Improving statistical systems
The principle of
undertaken through the strengthening of the is national statistical system covering each of the building blocks of the statistical production process.
 providing training and technical cooperation
 preparing manuals and handbooks
 sponsoring research.

Elements to operationalise the initiative
(a) Use of National Strategies for the Development of
Statistics (NSDS) as the strategic planning framework
(b) The programme information structure built around the statistical production process, scope and compliance for the national accounts and supporting economic statistics
(c) The modalities of statistical capacity building through training and technical cooperation, publication of manuals and handbooks, research and advocacy
(d) The stages of implementation leading to the change over to the 2008 SNA.

NSDS as Strategic planning framework
 NSDS is the most widely used tool for statistical planning in developing countries.
 The members of the ISWGNA will work via
PARIS21 to further develop the guidelines for the elaboration of NSDSs.
 The regional commissions should coordinate this review of the NSDS for the implementation needs of the 2008 SNA.

The programme information structure
To facilitate the coordination, monitoring and reporting on the SNA implementation in the multi-stakeholder environment.
 Frameworks
 Minimum Required Data Set (MRDS) based on UN-NAQ
 IMF GDDS and SDDS
 Report on the
 statistical process
 data quality

The modalities of statistical capacity building
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Training and technical cooperation
Manuals and handbooks
Research
Advocacy

Training and technical cooperation
 Develop standardised training material
 Mobilize the existing regional knowledge and training network
 Develop knowledge base of training material

Manuals and handbooks
 To provide methodological support in the implementation of the 2008 SNA for countries at different stages of development or milestones.
 The 2008 SNA website has been extended to include a web-based knowledge base on methods and country practices on the implementation of the 2008 SNA.

Research and advocacy
Research
 Research has already been initiated for the treatment of permits and aspects of globalization.
 Other topical areas have been identified and will be progressively undertaken in support of the implementation of the new concepts of the 2008
SNA.
Advocacy
 Advocacy to support an ongoing dialogue among statistical producers and users has been recognized as a critical element in the promotion of the statistical capacity building .

Implementation stages
 Three stages
 Review
 Adaption
 Application
 Each country will determine the duration of the various stages. However, it is expected that from 2014 onwards, many Member
States will change over to the 2008 SNA
 The ISWGNA and its partners will identify common criteria of achievement for each stage of implementation.

Stage I - Review
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Review of strategic framework and detailing of national and regional implementation programmes
◦ diagnosis of current situation together with national and international stakeholders (to ensure user and socio-economic policy perspective)
◦ strategic vision for national accounts and supporting statistics shared among stakeholders
◦ implementation plan based on agreed priorities with a minimum set of core indicators
◦ coordination and monitoring mechanisms in tracking the progress of the implementation programme
◦ NSDS is the general framework for phase 1
◦ information system for coordination and monitoring

Stage II - Adaption
 Stage II. Adaptation of classification frameworks, business registers and frames, surveys, administrative data sources and information technology infrastructure;

Stage III - Application
 Stage III. Application of adapted frameworks and source data, backcasting and changeover to 2008 SNA.

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Global initiatives by the ISWGNA
Workshops and training courses
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Finalizing handbooks, such as measuring capital and intellectual property products
Attention to coordination between ISWGNA members providing TA and training
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Developing standardized training material on the 2008 SNA and related topics
Research
 New proposals to ISWGNA – FISIM
 Advisory expert group

Regional initiatives
 The important role of regional commissions in the implementation of
2008
 The Regional Commissions have established advisory groups on national accounts to advise them in formulating regional implementation programmes for the 2008 SNA and the supporting statistics.

Links to other global statistical initiatives
The ISWGNA in collaboration with regional commissions will actively pursue and foster appropriate cooperation with
 The 2011 round of the ICP Programme
 The global strategy for agricultural and rural statistics led by FAO
 The Partnership in Statistics for Development in the Twenty-first Century (PARIS 21).