The implementation programme for the
2008 SNA and supporting statistics
Seminar on the implementation of the
System of National Accounts 2008 in the
Western Asia Region
Muscat, Oman, 23-26 May 2010
Herman Smith
UNSD/DESA
Outline of presentation
Introduction
 Luxembourg Recommendations
 Statistical production process framework
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SNA implementation - Impediments
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2008 SNA Implementation Strategy
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2008 SNA Implementation Programme
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Global initiatives by the ISWGNA
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Regional initiatives
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Links to other global statistical initiatives
INTRODUCTION
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cont
The 39th session of UNSC in 2008 requested the
ISWGNA to come up with an implementation
strategy
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
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
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

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

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
Objectives
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Promoting international coordination among
development partners;
Implementing regional programmes, guidelines and
procedures for coordination, monitoring and reporting
on performance;
Strengthening national statistical capacity for national
accounts and related basic statistics;
Advocating the use of NA and statistics in general for
policy purposes
Implementation Strategy
Principles
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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
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

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 improving statistical systems is
undertaken through the strengthening of the
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.
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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
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Manuals and handbooks
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Research
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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
 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.
Global initiatives by the ISWGNA
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Workshops and training courses
Finalizing handbooks, such as measuring
capital and intellectual property products
Attention to coordination between ISWGNA
members providing TA and training
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).
Thank You