30 November 2007
Statistical Newsletter
Contents

Indicators for the new target on Biodiversity (MDG Goal 7)

The Third Session of the Governing Council of SIAP, Bangkok, 22-23 November 2007

Training on documentation and archiving for census and survey microdata, Bangkok, 12-16
November 2007

The Third Workshop on Forging Partnerships in Statistical Training in Asia and the Pacific,
Bangkok, 20-21 November 2007

Publications and data releases, November 2007
o
Launch of "Ten as One: Challenges and Opportunities for ASEAN Integration"
o
Asia-Pacific in Figures 2006
o
Short-term Indicators for Asia and the Pacific online database, Quarter 3, September
2007

Missions undertaken by staff

Visitors to the UNESCAP Statistics Division – November 2007

Meetings and training courses of Statistics Division and SIAP, 2007

Other forthcoming statistical meetings in the ESCAP region, 2007
The Newsletter is available online only. You can subscribe and unsubscribe to this e-mail notice
athttp://lists.unescap.org/mailman/listinfo/statistical-newsletter.
Indicators for the New Target on Biodiversity (MDG Goal 7)
At the September 2005 World Summit, world leaders committed themselves to achieving four additional Millennium
Declaration targets:
(i)
Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young
people;
(ii)
Achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health;
(iii) Achieve by 2010, universal access to access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need
it;
(iv) Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss;
In this edition of the Newsletter, rationale, methodology, data sources and data availability of the new indicators for
monitoring the new target on reducing the loss of biodiversity selected by the Inter-Agency Expert Group on MDG indicators
are discussed.
In 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Earth Summit) defined biodiversity as "the
variability among living organisms from all sources", including "diversity within species, between species and of
ecosystems". The loss of biodiversity, especially the extinction of species, has increased significantly during the last
century, mainly due to human activities. Key factors contributing to the loss are overpopulation, deforestation, pollution
(air, water and soil contamination) and global warming, which, combined, produce a cumulative negative impact on
biodiversity. Following the adoption of the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the
Secretary-General proposed that a new target be included for Goal 7 aiming at reducing the loss of biodiversity by 2010.
However, the deadline is only three years away and the time left may not be sufficient to achieve tangible results.
The indicators selected for the new target are as follows:

Proportion of species threatened with extinction;

Proportion of fish stocks within safe biological limits;

Proportion of total water resources used;

Proportion of terrestrial and marine areas protected.
These indicators are monitored by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), in coordination with the United Nations
Environment Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
The proportion of species threatened with extinction is a standard measure of the loss of biodiversity. The indicator is based
on the IUCN Red List index, which applies quantitative criteria based on population size, the rate of decline and the area of
distribution to assign categories of relative extinction risk, such as "vulnerable", "endangered" or "critically endangered".
The index is based on both the proportion of species in each category and the changes in this proportion over time resulting
from improvement or deterioration in the status of individual species. Global assessments have been conducted every four
years since 1988. The 2004 IUCN Red List contains 15,589 species threatened with extinction. The assessment includes
species from a broad range of taxonomic groups, including vertebrates, invertebrates, plants and fungi. However, this
figure is an underestimate of the total number of threatened species as it is based on an assessment of less than 3 per cent
of the world's 1.9 million species. In addition to global assessments, national assessments have recently been conducted,
but so far only 15 national red lists meet the IUCN criteria. National-scale assessments cannot be aggregated to obtain
regional and global assessments as they are not designed for global species populations.
At the international level, overfishing is of great concern for it has contributed to endangering a number of maritime
species. To monitor this problem, the indicator proposed is the proportion of fish stocks within safe biological limits. In
general terms, a fish stock is considered to be within safe biological limits if its current biomass is above the value
corresponding to the precautionary threshold advocated by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. The
indicator, however, is designed only for global and regional assessments, and not for national ones, as overfishing does not
affect, for instance, landlocked countries. Furthermore, individual country assessments are of little importance because
fishing that affects the proportion of nation-specific fish stocks may be caused by other countries.
Water is a crucial resource for life and plays a central role in people's daily activities. Human development depends on an
adequate water supply, a deciding factor for the location of communities, the extent of agriculture, and the shape of
industry and transportation for centuries. Nevertheless, water policies in most nations are failing to protect the life's most
vital resource. Increasing water scarcity and alarming declines in the health of aquatic ecosystems worldwide are inevitable
consequences. Better management of water resources is therefore the key to mitigating water scarcities in the future.
The proportion of total water resources used is the indicator selected to monitor the management of this pressing issue.
This indicator, however, has several limitations. Water supply and demand are very difficult to measure. Even countries
with well-developed statistical systems have not been able to produce satisfactory data. Water supply in particular is
difficult to measure accurately. In many rural areas, for example, the main water supply is a river that may run through a
number of countries. In addition, water can be recycled and reused a number of times, which greatly expands its supply.
The list of proposed indicators is complemented by indicator 26, the ratio of area protected to maintain biological diversity
to surface area, which is currently an indicator for target 9: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country
policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources. It has been proposed that this indicator be
reformulated to monitor terrestrial and marine habitats separately (proportion of terrestrial and marine areas protected).
The establishment of protected areas is an important mechanism for preserving the natural habitat and, consequently, for
controlling the decline in biodiversity. In addition, protected areas have become places of high economic and social value
(supporting local livelihoods; protecting watersheds from erosion; harbouring a countless wealth of genetic resources;
supporting thriving recreation and tourism industries; providing for science, research and education; and forming a basis
for cultural and other non-material values).
Data are collected by the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre from ministries of
environment and other ministries responsible for designation and maintenance of protected areas at the national level.
Sites protected under local or provincial laws are therefore not included. Moreover, the designation of protected areas does
not necessarily ensure enforcement of the protection measures. The effectiveness of policy measures in reducing
biodiversity loss may ultimately depend on a range of management and implementation factors not covered by the
indicator.
The Third Session of the Governing Council of SIAP, Bangkok, 22-23 November 2007
The third session of the Governing Council of SIAP was held at the United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok, Thailand on
22-23 November 2007. Representatives of all nine members of the Council: China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Islamic
Republic of Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, and Thailand, as well as representatives from Australia, Fiji, Hong
Kong, China; Macao, China; Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines and Viet Nam as observers attended
the session. Representatives of the following United Nations bodies, specialized agencies and intergovernmental
organizations also participated as observers: ASEAN, FAO, ILO, IMF, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), UNECE,
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, and UNFPA.
Mr Feng Nailin, representative of China, was re-elected as chairperson of the third session of the Governing Council of SIAP.
The Council reviewed the budget and implementation of work programme for the period since the second session held on
2-3 November 2006. Over the reporting period, SIAP completed four Tokyo Metropolitan Area-based (TMA) group training
courses, seven regional and subregional training activities, including one research based regional course and nine country
training courses amounting to 16 courses under the Outreach Programme. SIAP trained a total of 482 participants from 60
countries, 97 percent of them, or 465 participants, from 47 countries in the ESCAP region while the remaining 17
participants were from 13 countries outside the region. The number of participants trained in the TMA-based courses was
76 whereas the regional and subregional training activities together accommodated 355 participants. 51 participants were
trained under the distance training programme. The TMA-based courses were organized in collaboration with the Japan
International Cooperating Agency (JICA) and covered several fields of statistics from Fundamental Official Statistics in its
six-month modular course, Information and Communications Technology for statistical production, to Analysis and
Interpretation of Statistics.
The Director reported that the Institute had completed the implementation of the three-year (AY 2004-2006) extended
outreach-training programme. During the last three academic years, AY 2005-2007, the Institute conducted 30 regional
and subregional training activities and 17 country courses which trained 1,127 participants in total - a significant increase
in the number of training courses from 38 in the preceding three-year period, AY 2002-2004, to 47 in AY 2005-2007. The
number of participants also increased by 22 percent from 926 to 1,127. The outreach training activities were organized in
collaboration with country partner institutions and national statistical offices as well as international organizations. The
Institute conducted two distance training courses on a trial basis using JICA net services in its field offices.
The work programme for academic year (AY) 2008 and 2009 was endorsed. However, the Council raised the concern that
the current financial situation was not sustainable in the medium to long-term if the current work programme of SIAP were
to be maintained at the same level. Several suggestions were made to encourage countries to increase their cash and
in-kind contributions, including the use of cost sharing arrangements. The Council urged SIAP to submit a strategic plan
with options for ensuring the medium to long-term sustainability of the Institute.
The Council acknowledged with deep appreciation the governments of Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Fiji, Hong Kong,
China; Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Malaysia, Maldives, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, and
Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, contributing members and associate members in the region, ESCAP, ILO, IMF,SPC,
UNDP, UNSD and UIS.
Training on documentation and archiving for census and survey microdata, Bangkok,
12-16 November 2007
ESCAP Statistics Division organized the Training on documentation and
archiving for census and survey microdata in Bangkok, 12-16 November,
2007. The training was part of the ESCAP Microdata Management
Project, which aims to improve capacity of survey and census organizations in
the region for providing access to microdata. The project is implemented by the
Statistics Division and is part of the global Accelerated Data Program (ADP)
initiative (www.surveynetwork.org/adp).
The training was attended by 19 participants from national statistical agencies in 10 ESCAP member countries (Bangladesh,
Cambodia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Viet Nam). The five-day curriculum covered
multiple topics related to microdata management practices and especially focused on hands-on practical work on
documentation of survey or census microdata produced by the participants' respective agencies.
Documentation and archiving of each participant's micro datasets were accomplished using the International Household
Survey Network (IHSN) Microdata Management Toolkit. As the Toolkit is a relatively new software package, most trainees
had no prior experience with the software. During the week, the functions of the tools were demonstrated, followed by
sessions in which trainees completed documentation for their own microdata and posed questions to the trainers.
The main goal was to build capacity of the participants with the intention that they would pass on skills and lessons learned
and ultimately help implement improved microdata management practices as part of their home country survey and census
operations. Participants recognized and appreciated the usefulness of the toolkit to address their documentation and
archiving needs and expressed positive feedback for the topics covered by the training. At the conclusion, trainees
expressed a confidence in their ability to deliver similar trainings to their colleagues upon return to their home offices.
The Third Workshop on Forging Partnerships in Statistical Training in Asia and the
Pacific, Bangkok, 20-21 November 2007
The Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP), in collaboration with the Statistics Division of the United Nations
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), organized the third workshop on "Forging Partnerships
in Statistical Training in Asia and the Pacific" at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand, on 20-21
November 2007. The heads of the national statistical training institutes, representatives from international organizations as
well as national statistical agencies involved in capacity building in official statistics in the region were invited to the
workshop.
This workshop was the third in a series which aims to develop effective and efficient statistical training at the national level.
Due to the growing demand for better statistics, systematic training of government statisticians has become a fundamental
component of national statistical systems. The main objectives of the third workshop were: (a) to review the
recommendations of the first and second workshops; (b) to propose strategies to develop relevant country training
programmes in statistics; and (c) exchange views on feasible coordination mechanisms for training programmes in official
statistics at the country level.
Twenty seven participants from 17 national statistical agencies and statistical training institutes and five representatives
from international organizations attended the workshop. Mr Tomas P. Africa, former director of SIAP, acted as facilitator
and consultant for the workshop. Mr Pietro Gennari, Chief of the Statistics Division, ESCAP, delivered the opening speech
in which he briefly described what had been carried out by SIAP and ESCAP since the second workshop on forging
partnerships. He encouraged countries and international organizations to cooperate actively in statistical trainings for
official statisticians. All four country partner institutes: BPS-Statistics Indonesia, Statistical Research and Training Centre
of Statistical Centre of Iran, Statistical Training Institute of the KNSO and Statistical Research and Training Centre of the
Philippines, presented their training programmes at both regional and national levels in their home country. They
emphasized the positive impact of cooperation with SIAP in running statistical training courses.
The themes of the sessions were: "Strategies to develop training programmes for official statisticians at the country level";
"How to coordinate training activities at the country level"; and "Review of the recommendations of the first and second
workshops on Forging Partnerships in Statistical Training in Asia and the Pacific". Under the theme "Strategies to develop
training programmes for official statisticians at the country level", ABS Australia, NBS China, CSD Hong Kong, China, CSO
India and SNZ New Zealand presented their training activities and some of them offered to conduct country courses in
collaboration with SIAP. A presentation on "How to coordinate training activities at the country level" was delivered by
ESCAP, SIAP, ASEAN, FAO, SPC, UNFPA, ILO and PARIS 21.
The review of the recommendations of the first and second workshops was presented by Mr Tomas P. Africa which
discussed: creation of a task force under the Sub-Committee on Statistics; setting up of websites, creation of training
materials in electronic format (e-library) and development of e-learning system.
The workshop concluded that there was a need for a mandated organization to undertake coordination of statistical training
in the region.
Publications and data releases, November 2007
Launch of "Ten as One: Challenges and Opportunities for ASEAN Integration"
On November 19 the study, Ten as One: Challenges and Opportunities for ASEAN Integration, was released
to coincide with the 13 th ASEAN Summit, in Singapore. The study, prepared by an inter-divisional research
team coordinated by Pietro Gennari-director of the Statistics Division, is the first in a new ESCAP series on
inclusive and sustainable development that aims to provide strategic analysis of key Asia-Pacific issues and
contribute to regional and subregional policy dialogue and solutions.The study outlines the major challenges for ASEAN
integration and recommends key actions for ASEAN integration. The many achievements of ASEAN notwithstanding, the
study notes serious development gaps between its members. These disparities need to be bridged urgently to prevent
losers of the integration process from being permanently left behind.
The largest disparities pertain to some environmental and health issues. The ASEAN contribution to global carbon emissions
is relatively small -- about 3.3 per cent of the global total, while its share of the world population is 7.7 per cent. However,
Brunei Darussalam, Singapore and Malaysia exceed the world average of per capita CO2 emissions by a large margin.
Brunei Darussalam's per capita emissions rate is over 60,000 times higher than that of Cambodia.
Disparities in health are stark. The child and maternal mortality rates of Cambodia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic
and Myanmar, for example, are between 11 and 47 times higher than those of Singapore.
In trade and investment, huge gaps remain between ASEAN members. Intraregional trade remains at a low level of one
quarter of total ASEAN trade, despite the liberalization efforts under the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) agreement. Foreign
direct investment (FDI) in ASEAN has been heavily skewed, with four countries, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Viet
Nam, taking in 93 per cent of all FDI inflows. Intra-ASEAN FDI has been low and stagnant.
In addition to development gaps, the study identifies a lack of reliable and timely statistical data and inadequate
governance as two other key challenges that ASEAN faces. On governance, some countries trail behind the world average
in indicators related to freedom of expression, association and media, quality of policy formulation and implementation,
rule of law, and corruption. Member countries that are relatively well-off also do not rank commensurately in one or another
of these indicators.
The study examines current ASEAN initiatives and identifies areas where actions need to be strengthened and transformed
into genuine integration mechanisms. For example, on cross-border human mobility, the study finds that the economic
benefits from migration are clouded in several countries by concerns over social costs and unintended consequences of
migration policies. The report calls on ASEAN to promote a regional strategy for managing migration in a coordinated and
integrated manner. The migration-development nexus and the role of remittances in poverty reduction, as well as the
gender dimensions of migration in ASEAN should also be addressed.
ESCAP emphasizes that efforts towards regional integration will require all ASEAN members to obtain minimum levels for
economic and social development for them to be in a position to benefit from the envisaged free movement in various
spheres. The report identifies three key areas where actions are required.
First, governance: this includes transparency and access to reliable information and data. The study points out that the
economic benefits of ASEAN integration will not serve to ensure domestic political stability, if the poor do not have a share
in development benefits and if the environment is damaged leading to imperilled livelihoods for the most vulnerable
citizens.
The study states that ASEAN's approach of "non-intervention" in national issues has limited the effectiveness of
agreements, declarations and action plans. As ASEAN integrates further, multilateral governance for agreed goals among
member States needs to be strengthened.
Second, cohesion policy: the ASEAN vision on the new freedom of movement will only be sustainable if supported by a
cohesion policy aimed at narrowing the gaps between winners and losers of the integration process. The policy requires
financial transfers for social, economic and environmental development and strengthening social safety nets.
Third, trans-ASEAN networks: as the backbone for the envisaged freedom of movement, network infrastructures and
services in transport, ICT, energy and water need to reflect a regional rather than a national perspective. The report calls
on governments, for example, to play a larger role in cross-border transports projects, even in projects which are private
sector-driven. It also urges ASEAN to integrate its ICT sector to enhance its competitiveness.
Asia-Pacific in Figures 2006
This is the final printed of the statistical pocketbook that has been published annually since 1987. It uses a
one-country-one-page format and contains selected socio-economic indicators on population; health,
education and culture; national accounts and prices; trade; transport and tourism; finance; labour force and
production; natural resources and environment; and development. (Published date: 19 November 2007)
Short-term Indicators for Asia and the Pacific online database, Quarter 3, September 2007
The online database contains time series data for 31 of the regional members and associate
members of ESCAP and is designed to provide up-to-date monthly (or quarterly) data to assess
economic trends for countries or areas in the region. The online database covers the period from
January 2003 and is updated every quarter.(Last update: 8 November 2007)
ESCAP publications: http://www.unescap.org/publications/
Missions undertaken by staff
Ms Margarita F. Guerrero, Regional Adviser on Statistics, Statistics Division, and
Ms Zeynep Orhun, Associate Statistician, Statistical Information Services Section, Statistics Division:
Tehran, Iran (Islamic Republic of), 10-13 November 2007: To participate as resource persons in the Workshop on
Integrated Economic Statistics and Informal Sector for ECO Member Countries organized collaboratively by UNSD, ESCAP,
Statistical Center of Iran and Economic Cooperation Organization. Ms Guerrero and Ms Orhun participated in all workshop
sessions and delivered presentations on informal sector statistical concepts, informal sector measurement tools and the
Unified Data Collection Strategy of the Development Account Project "Interregional Cooperation on the Measurement of
Informal Sector and Informal Employment".
Visitors to the UNESCAP Statistics Division - November 2007

Dr Susan Teltscher, Chief, ICT Policy and Analysis Section, ICT and E-Business Branch, UNCTAD, Geneva,
Switzerland

Ms Esperanza Magpantay, Statistician, ITU, Geneva, Switzerland

Mr Julian Payne, Consultant on ADB-ESCAP Partnership

Ms Jessica Gardner, Associate Statistician UNECE, Geneva, Switzerland
Meetings and training courses of Statistics Division and SIAP, 2007
The list of future events is provided for coordination purposes only. The list is incomplete and events, dates and venues may
change. Please do not publish or disseminate the list without confirming the latest information with the Statistics Division
or SIAP, as appropriate. Note that not all meetings are intended for all countries.
Date
Organizer
Meeting
Venue
10-12
SD
Expert Group Meeting on Effective Use of IT in Population Censuses
Bangkok
SIAP
Country Course on Small Area Estimation,http://www.unsiap.or.jp/
Colombo
Poverty and
Fourth session of the Committee on Poverty Reduction
Bangkok
Noumea
December
10-14
December
12-14
December Development
Division
(PDD), SD
5 days in
UNSD, SPC,
Workshop on census related issued to be determined in the Pacific
February
SD
Region, http://unstats.un.org,http://www.unescap.org/stat/, http://www.spc.int
2008
Other forthcoming statistical meetings in the ESCAP region, 2007
The following list of future events has been compiled, for coordination purposes only, on the basis of information available
to the Statistics Division as of 30 November 2007. Readers are strongly advised to verify the correctness with the indicated
organizers. Events, dates and venues may change. Please do not republish or disseminate the list.
Date
Organizer
Meeting
Venue
11-14
FAO
Expert Consultation on Statistics for Farmer's
Bangkok
December
17-18
Income, http://www.fao.org/
ASEAN Secretariat
December
The 8th ASEAN Heads of Statistical Offices Meeting
Phnom
(AHSOM), http://www.aseansec.org/
Penh
Colombo
7-8 January
Applied Statistics
The first National Conference on
2008
Association of Sri Lanka
Statistics,http://www.pgia.ac.lk/asasl
(ASASL)
The calendar of statistical meetings in Asia and the Pacific is maintained on ESCAP web
sitehttp://www.unescap.org/stat/meet/events_Asia_Pacific.asp
PARIS21 is maintaining event calendars for Africa and Asia
at http://www.paris21.org/pages/events/all-events/list/
Copyright (c) 2013 ESCAP | Legal Notice