Luxembourg Recommendations
On
Global Implementation and Outreach
for the System of National Accounts
Eurostat/UNSD Conference on
International Outreach and Coordination in National Accounts for
Sustainable Development and Growth
6-8 May, Luxembourg
These Luxembourg Recommendations have been prepared for consideration by
the Intersecretariat Working Group on National Accounts (ISWGNA) as an input
into the process of drafting the strategy for implementation of the SNA following
the consensus reached by the participants in the Eurostat/UNSD Conference on
International Outreach and Coordination in National Accounts for Sustainable
Development and Growth held in Luxembourg from 6 to 8 May 2008.
Outline
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Background
Objectives
Stakeholders
Main Elements
Statistical system improvement
principle
• SNA Knowledge Platform
• Expected Outcomes
• Way forward
Background
 At the time of adopting Volume 1 of the
2008 SNA the UNSC expressed the need to
strengthen statistical capacity in
developing countries for national
accounts and related economic statistics.
 Conference on International Outreach and
Coordination in National Accounts for
Sustainable Growth and Development
Objectives
• Promoting international coordination among
development partners
• Implementing regional programmes, guidelines,
procedures for implementation
• Strengthening national statistical capacity in
National Accounts and related basic statistics
• Advocating use of national accounts and
statistics in general, for policy purposes
Stakeholders
 National governments
 National Statistical Offices and other providers of official
statistics
 National and Regional Central Banks
 UN Regional Commissions
• Regional development banks
• National and Regional Statistical Training Institutions
• Other regional agencies and institutions
 International Agencies
 International Community of Donors
 Users of national accounts data for policy purposes
Main Elements for Luxembourg
Recommendations
 Approach - Managing for results
 Principles
– Strategic planning
– Coordination, monitoring and reporting
– Improving statistical systems
 Possible governance structure
Strategic Planning Principle
• Strategic planning frameworks for statistical capacity
building in national accounts and related economic
statistics to guide statistical capacity building
– Common information set with national and regional
objectives and programmed actions based on
analysis of strengths and weaknesses of existing
statistical systems.
– Best practices exist like National Strategy for the
Development of Statistics (NSDS) , United Nations
development Assistance Frameworks (UNDAF),
General Data Dissemination System (GDDS) and
regional frameworks like Reference Regional
Strategic Framework (RRSF), etc.
– Alignment with other international standards
frameworks and international classifications such as
BPM, SEEA, ISIC, CPC
Coordination, monitoring and reporting
principle
• International level
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Develop compilation guidance
Organize procedures and assessments of process
Align with other international standards frameworks and international classifications
such as BPM, SEEA, ISIC, CPC
• Regional level
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Maintain relationship with global governance structure
Develop and maintain regional programmes, guidelines, procedures including SouthSouth cooperation in particular
Organize timely, appropriate technical assistance
Monitor – financial and technical aspects
• National level
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Collaborate with development partners
Establish governance structures for implementation (including national coordinator for
national statistical system)
Establish donor coordination group for statistics (example Mali)
Ensure effective use of resources
Harmonize with government budgeting for maximum effect
Guarantee accountability
Dialogue between users and producers
Global governance
Relating to:
• National implementation programme:
– Inputs of development partners
– Staffing and financing
– Deliverables and outcomes
• Country and regional progress against agreed
benchmarks:
– Compliance
– Quality
– Scope
Statistical System Improvement Principle
On implementation of business registers and frames, surveys
and use of administrative data, integration frameworks,
dissemination, ICT and management, through:
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Meetings, seminars, workshops
Technical cooperation
Manuals and handbooks, software tools
Academic and statistical training (including distance
learning) in national accounts
– Statistical research on new concepts in SNA
– Advocacy in use of national accounts for evidence based
policy making
– SNA knowledge platform
SNA Knowledge platform: statistics,
information technology and management
 Institute “SNA Centres of Competence”
 Address and reinforce statistical infrastructure
– Institutional: management and internal policy on
data collection, compilation, dissemination, user
consultation and advisory committees, etc
– Registers, frames for administrative sources and
statistical surveys
– Collections through administrative sources and
statistical surveys
– SNA as integration framework
– Dissemination of statistics and metadata to users
Expected Outcomes
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Improved national statistical capacity
– Improved capability for all developing countries
taking into account different levels development
Enhanced quality of statistics
– Better conceptual compliance
– Harmonization, improved comparability
Strengthened coordination, monitoring and reporting
– Donor to recipient country
– Within region
– Among international agencies, regional bodies,
NSOs
More intensive, appropriate use of National Accounts
in policy making and related research
Way forward
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Regional Commissions in collaboration with
regional and national partners formulating
regional implementation and outreach
programmes for SNA
 ISWGNA in collaboration with regional and
national partners to draft Global Implementation
and Outreach Programme for SNA
 ISWGNA to submit SNA programme to
Statistical Commission (February 2009)
Thank You