(4th Meeting) 56th Statistical Commission

The fourth meeting of the 56th session of the Statistical Commission is called to order. Now I invite the Commission to continue its consideration of agenda item 3E entitled Data and Indicators for the 2030 Agenda. Ladies and gentlemen, titled for Data and Indicators for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and turn to the report of the Secretary-General on the work for the review of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals contained in document E/CN.3/2025/8. I give the floor to Mr. Matthias Reister, Chief of the Development Data Section of the UNSD, to introduce this report.

Thank you, Chair, distinguished delegates, dear colleagues. It is my honor to introduce to you the report of the Secretary-General on the work on the review of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. The Commission is invited to take note of the extensive work by the UN system and the UN Statistics Division in assisting countries with SDG data work and in support of SDG global follow-up and review, including the release of an annual report on progress and updated global SDG indicators database. The Commission is also invited to express its views on the Data4Now initiative to strengthen capacity in countries to utilize innovative sources, technologies, methods, and methods, and on the collaborative— on the use of administrative data for statistical purposes. Furthermore, the Commission is invited to express its views on the progress of the Global Network of Institutions for Statistical Training, the progress on the Global Network of Data Officers and Statisticians, and the work on citizen data by the Statistics Division and the Collaborative on Citizen Data and its work plan for 2025. The Commission is also requested to express its views and endorse the revised Copenhagen Framework on Citizen Data and its Implementation Roadmap as contained in the background document. Thank you.

I thank Mr. Reister. I now open the debate on the report of the Secretary-General on the work for the review of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. I give now the floor to the distinguished delegate from Ghana.

Thank you, Chairman. Ghana wants to speak on behalf of the African Group. The Group welcomes with satisfaction the report of the Collaborative on Citizens' Data, endorses the Copenhagen Framework on Citizens' Data, and expresses its support for the implementation Roadmap for the Copenhagen Framework. The UNDP Global Policy Center for Governance and the Ghana Statistical Service conducted a pioneering citizens' data initiative that involved public participation in research and knowledge production, aligned to the principles of the Copenhagen Framework. This initiative aimed to empower individuals and communities to express their experiences and opinions on public services, contributing to a more inclusive data ecosystem for monitoring SDG 16, peace, justice, and strong institutions. The initiative had a special focus on increasing accessibility to persons with disability in the reporting process. It serves as the first example of a UN agency collaborating with a national statistical office to jointly utilize citizens' data approaches for monitoring social indicators in the SDGs framework. The outcomes of this initiative exemplify how citizens' data can complement official survey methods in tracking progress towards SDG 16.6.2, citizen satisfaction with public services, by offering richer insights into citizens' experiences and engaging hard-to-reach populations. The UNDP in Ghana on Monday 3rd March published a policy brief on this work. Consequently, the African group wishes to request the Commission for the inclusion of citizens' data as an agenda item with a report on the collaborative on citizens' data every 2 years, as previously proposed by Colombia and supported by Kenya and UN Women. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, distinguished Delegate from Ghana, and I give the floor to the distinguished delegate from Belarus.

Colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, BELSTAT supports the work of the High-Level Group on achieving this Agenda 2030. Currently in Belarus, our national list of SDG indicators includes 246 indicators. And then the— The level of harmonization of global and national list of SDGs is 70%. 94% of this is available. SDG 7 to 17 has 100% data availability. In order to monitor SDG in progress, more than 80% of indicators are showing progress towards this end. This shows the high level of Belarus's commitment to its obligations as part of the global initiative and as part of our intention to achieve the Agenda 2030. We're also expanding the use of administrative data and GIS technology to update our statistics. We'll be interested in having the— having correct information about the Belarusian statistics, and we have therefore carried out work on this and put on the global SDG databases of the UN in order to compare the data posted on the national platform and ensure— and on the SDG reporting platform. Overall, we have quite a high level of compliance between these two data. However, on some indicators, there are differences. After many clarifications and consultations that we held with representatives of Bellstat, with the FAO, WHO, UN-Habitat, and others, National data on these indicators, such as maternal mortality, slum-dwelling population, under or malnourishment of children, the large number of women in senior positions, and other ILO indicators were recognized and, and posted on the global database. Also, average annual data on the population from custodial agencies were recounted, and they were brought much closer in line with the national data. These facts show once again that the methodology used by Belarus very much correspond to international standards. And it shows that the UN General Assembly resolution on prioritizing data prepared by national statistics systems is not being fulfilled. There's also a problem with the quality of the work of custodial agencies who are incorrectly using these assessment approaches and using unreliable sources of data. As a result, subjective data is being uploaded and subjective ratings are made. This also applies to STG ratings and also Statistic Effectiveness, STI, SPI ratings and the ODIN rating prepared by Open Data Watch. Unfortunately, some questions remain unresolved, for example with the FAO on indicator 2.1.2. There's also a problem with communications with statistical institutes from UNESCO. Who, without saying why, withdrew their comments about our national data on SDG 4.1.1, which had been fulfilled on the basis of MIX 6. Also with the World Bank in terms of indicators on the share of the population living under the national poverty line. We hope that only through good faith and a balanced approach to work of custodial agencies, and also full compliance with the aforementioned UNGA resolution, Will that be the only way for objective and reliable information to be provided about countries as part of our global community? Thank you for your attention.

Thank you, the distinguished delegate of Belarus. And I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Chile.

Gracias, President. Thank you, Chair. Chile is grateful for all of the initiatives implemented by the Statistics Division to support countries as they make progress to achieving the SDGs. For our statistics agency, the support that we have received through the Collaborative Group on the Use of Administrative Data and Statistics, the CAD, and our participation in the project on administrative data for detailed breakdowns of the SDGs have been used to— to support institutional use of statistics and administrative data. In this regard, we wish to highlight the work undertaken under the A3 project that recently concluded in December of last year. With the challenge of building the Population Statistics Register as a key step forward to the census, we are in particular grateful for the support support from the Statistics Division in making it possible to have knowledge exchanges, exchange of good practice and experience with our international counterparts. This took place at the 5th SEDATA Forum. And they facilitated meetings with experts in line with our work. Taking into account the complexity of the challenge of developing a mature and functional statistics register. We feel that the support from the division has been invaluable during the initial years of this project. In light of the conclusion of the A3 project, we feel that it is relevant for other support bodies such as the Data for Now initiative to continue to be reinforced with the incorporation of more countries. This would allow us to continue strengthening our— capacities and to continue to make progress towards better harnessing these agencies for statistics production. So thank you.

Thank you, distinguished delegate of Chile. And now give the floor to distinguished delegate of Norway.

Thank you, Chair. Norway has supported the Data for Now initiative both financially and through capacity building. We are very satisfied with the work being done in the initiative and the role that the UNSD plays in supporting countries while developing innovative approaches to producing statistics. When appropriate, we also see a value in combining work under a collaborative on the use of administrative data with Data for Now. For those interested in learning about— more about actual results, we would like to highlight the impact stories that are communicated through the Data for Now website. We further support the work with establishing a trust fund and would also like to encourage other countries to support the initiative financially and by that contributing to both capacity building and innovative statistical development. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate from Norway. I see we are around 4 hours behind our schedule. Well, that's a bit of pity for a Swiss, but— well, I give now the floor to the distinguished delegate for Jordan. Please, after that intervention, I would close then the list. So who wants to speak has to press the button now. Distinguished delegate of Jordan.

Al-Ordun, Jordan, is speaking on behalf of the Arab countries. And ESCWA members, we express our deep appreciation and endorsement of the work of the Statistical Commission of DESA in cooperation with the United Nations system in developing and enhancing statistical systems worldwide. The efforts reflected the current situation and reflected the challenges that states are facing as they strive to achieve the SDGs. Gaps in policies and programs have been identified, and areas that need more support and attention have also been identified. This increases the effectiveness of international cooperation. Arab countries commend the progress achieved in updating statistical systems worldwide, analytical tools, and enhancing international cooperation to ensure the integration of statistical systems among States. This contributes to access to data and ensuring their transparency. Launching new digital platforms facilitates the exchange of data between member states and enhances the use of metadata for evidence-based decision-making. We stress the importance of harmonization between national statistical systems and international methodologies to to ensure the harmonization with international standards while taking into account the specificities of each member state. In conclusion, the Arab states stresses the need to— the need for capacity building to ensure the reliability of data. It is important to make available the necessary resources to ensure that developing countries are able to implement the necessary statistical reforms according to international standards. I thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished representative Jordan. The list is now closed. I give the floor to the distinguished delegate from Gambia.

Thank you, Chair. The Gambia takes note of the work carried out by the Statistics Division in collaboration with the UN system, including its proposed program on progress towards Sustainable Development Goals, the update of the Global SDG Indicators Database, the launch of the new UN Data Portal, and ongoing efforts in data and metadata exchange. The Gambia appreciates the Data for None initiative, which supports countries in using innovative data sources, technology, and methods to produce and share more timely and detailed data for tracking the SDGs, while also fostering partnerships in regions such as Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean and providing special support to small island developing states through the Data for SIDS project. The Gambia further commends the Collaborative on Administrative Data for Statistical Purposes, which has compiled an inventory of over 100 resources and regularly hosts webinars and expert meetings, as well as the Development Account projects that have helped countries like Cameroon Chile, Namibia, and the United Republic of Tanzania improve data sharing, disaster risk reduction, migration studies, and vital studies through enhanced metadata alignment and IT infrastructure. Additionally, The Gambia acknowledges the establishment of a global network to address the data demands of the 2030 Agenda and SDG monitoring, including the launch and implementation of statistical training needs needs assessment tool, the creation of the UN SDG Land Platform, and active translation and outreach efforts to broaden the impact of training materials. The Gambia also appreciates the Global Network of Data Officers and Statisticians as a vital online platform that enhances coordination and facilitates knowledge exchange among national statistical system, UN country teams, and international organizations. Finally, The Gambia appreciates the work on citizen data and endorses the revised Copenhagen Framework on Citizen Data and its implementation roadmap, which is contained in the background document. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate from Gambia. And I'll give the floor to the distinguished delegate from Malaysia.

Thank you, Chair. Malaysia appreciates the effort of the Global Network of Institutions for Statistical Training in advancing statistical literacy and capacity building through training program and the Statistical Training Needs Assessment Tool. We encourage continued expansion of training opportunity, especially in area related to emerging data technologies and methodology. Malaysia commends the Global Network of Data Officers and Statistics for its role in facilitating knowledge exchange of ideas, information, and capacity building among national cycle offices worldwide. The network initiative, including webinars, training sessions, are valuable in fostering collaboration and expertise sharing among national cycle office and international organizations. Finally, Malaysia welcomes the effort of the Statistics Division and the Collaborative on Citizen Data in leveraging citizen-generated data for SDG monitoring. While recognizing the potential of citizen data in addressing data gaps, Malaysia stresses the need for robust quality assurance mechanisms to ensure data reliability and usability. We also recognize the critical importance of citizen data in shaping informed public policies and supporting sustainable development. Malaysia acknowledges the significant role that accurate, comprehensive, and timely data plays in addressing national priorities and achieving sustainable goals. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Malaysia. Now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of the Maldives.

Thank you, Chair. Maldives highly appreciates the excellent work carried out and the wide outreach to support the countries by these initiatives. We have benefited greatly from the work of Administrative Data Collaborative in our efforts to improve the administrative data by building partnerships with other administrative data holders. Developing of MOUs, and learning together to implement these initiatives. We are also working in the area of improving international migration statistics and employment statistics, which are very important for our country right now. Maldives is also a part of the Data for Now initiative, and we are learning from other country experiences and look forward to implementing this in our country to be able to used innovative data sources to produce some of the high-priority SDG indicators. We have been engaging with the global network of institutions of statistical training and testing the STAT tool to assess the capacity in our country. So we thank the agencies and the countries providing the support and funding to keep these initiatives going. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of the Maldives. And now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of the Dominican Republic.

Gracias. Thank you, Chair. The Dominican Republic takes note of the work undertaken by the Statistics Division in cooperation with the United Nations system and its draft program of work. And at the same time, We welcome and congratulate you for the excellent work undertaken. We should take this opportunity to express our opinion on the Data4Now initiative. We would highlight the importance of the projects that have been undertaken under this framework, and we recognize the relevance of generating innovative solutions that lead to non-traditional sources of data, such as privately owned data generated through mobile operators for the measurement of internal migration. As a country that doesn't have a register of population residence, we value the approach taken to this in line with this priority, and we wish to express our interest in the lessons learned generated by the case of Tunisia with a view to increasing the efficiency of similar projects On the generation of statistics, we also express our interest in the lessons learned, especially those linked to the change in statistics from a legal framework. We also share our thanks for the work undertaken in the collaborative group for the use of administrative data and statistics that led to the production of statistics on disaster risk reduction with a major contribution to the SDGs. The Dominican Republic highlights the creation of a roadmap as a crucial point to accompany the Copenhagen Framework. Against this background, our delegation would ask the statistics delegation to clarify the status of the Copenhagen Framework the data generated by citizens within the data ecosystem because— on the basis that this could be calling into question official data. We would like to avoid creating any confusion in this regard.

Thank you to the representative of the Dominican Republic. And now give the Floor to the distinguished delegate of Switzerland.

Thank you, Chair. I try to help you to find your 4 hours, so I make it very brief. So Switzerland welcomes the work carried out by the Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs in cooperation with United Nations system, including all custodian agencies, and we welcome the proposed work— program of work. We appreciate the work done by UNSD regarding the Sustainable Development Goals reports conducted yearly that is the basis of the discussion of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. Thanks.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Switzerland. And now we come to the last speaker for this item, distinguished delegate of CARICOM.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The CARICOM Secretariat on behalf of the Caribbean community appreciates the report of the Secretary-General. Our region is particularly interested in the Data for Now initiative and the Collaborative on Administrative Data to be able to capitalize and benefit from the integration and use of innovative data sources, technologies, and methods to scale up our efforts in timely data production. We are pleased to hear about the fundraising venture for the Data for SIDS project and the trust fund to be established to enhance the efficient implementation of the Data for NOW initiative. We are happy to see that CARICOM member states are now benefiting from this initiative, as well as the collaborative on administrative data, which we have been advocating for. It is important for us to be very strategic in the implementation of these initiatives in our subregion to ensure that the objectives are realized and that these initiatives are not just ad hoc interventions, but they materialize in accelerating the production of data to inform the 2030 Agenda. Moving forward, it is essential to understand the needs of the CARICOM region to ensure that funds raised are optimally used. We therefore encourage greater collaboration with the CARICOM Secretariat, especially during the conceptualization of these projects and programs, to ensure that the interventions are meaningful, gain traction, and ultimately increase the availability of data for decision-making. In this regard, we want to commend UNSD for the collaborative approach to organizing and executing the capacity building workshop held in December 2024 in Jamaica, focusing on data ethics, governance, and quality, where the CARICOM Secretariat was included from inception. We are also pleased to hear about progress under the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data. Given our overwhelming struggle with limited staff, our region can benefit tremendously from data science fellows to support the countries in their data and capacity needs. With only 5 years remaining in the Sustainable Development Agenda timeline, such an intervention can boost SDG data production in our region. The CARICOM Secretariat looks forward to holding discussions with the global partnership in advancing this in our region. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of CARICOM. I see no further request for the floor and now invite Mr. Eis, the Chief of the Development Statistical Data Section of the Statistics Division, UNSD, to summarize our discussion on the report.

Thank you, Chair. The Commission welcomed the work of the Statistics Division in cooperation with the United Nations System in support of the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024, the regular update of the Global Sustainable Development Goal Indicators Database, and the modernization of UN— of the UN Data Portal for improved goal data and information access, and the work on data and metadata exchange. The Commission Expressed its appreciation for the Data for Now initiative to strengthen capacity to utilize innovative data sources, technologies, and methods to enhance the production and dissemination of data for the Sustainable Development Goals to inform decision-making. Welcomed its approach of fostering partnerships. Encouraged its further extension and inclusion of additional countries and welcomed the Data for SIDS project providing special support for small island developing states. The Commission expressed its appreciation for the work of the Collaborative on the Use of Administrative Data for Statistical Purposes and the results of a Development Account project on administrative data. Welcomed the provision of practical guidelines courses and tools, and stressed the importance of the use of administrative data sources. The Commission welcomed the efforts and achievements of the Global Network of Institutions for Statistical Training, including the Statistical Training Needs Assessment Tool and the UN SDG Learn Statistics Hub, expressed its appreciation for the Global Network of Data Officers and Statisticians as an effective mechanism and space for the professional community for information and knowledge exchange and networking among statisticians around the world. The Commission also welcomed the work on citizen data by the Statistics Division and the Collaborative on Citizen Data and endorsed the revised Copenhagen Framework on Citizen Data. And its implementation map. Requested to provide guidance on the evolving connection between citizen data and official statistics. Noted the request to put citizen data on the work program of the Statistical Commission every other year. Thank you.

I thank Mr. Reister. The Commission has just concluded its discussion of item 3e. I now invite the Commission to begin its consideration of item 3ef entitled Social and Demographic Statistics, under which the Commission has before it for discussion and decision the report of the Friends of the Chair Group on Social and Demographic Statistics, contained in document E/CN.3/2025. /9. A background document is available on the Statistical Commission's website. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Lithuania to introduce the report.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As the co-chair of the Friends of the Chair Group on Social and Demographic Statistics, I would like to present the report of the group. In the second year of the implementation, in 2024, The Friends of the Chair Group on Social and Demographic Statistics has advanced research towards an overarching conceptual framework for better organized social and demographic statistics. The group has actively engaged and sought feedback from a wide range of experts, including through the organization of a series of sprints, webinars, to deepen its understanding of the identifying key building blocks for integrating social and demographic data ecosystems. People, relations, outcomes, places, and time. In its final year of the work in 2025, the group will consolidate its findings and develop strategic recommendations to strengthen social demographic statistics within the context of sustainable development and well-being. We invite Commission to take note— to take note of and express its views on the activities and progress of the Friends of the Chair group in 2024. And Commission is invited to express its views on the proposed program of work and deliverables for 2025, in particular advancing and documenting the research towards an overarching conceptual framework for social and demographic statistics, including its description, the connection among its building blocks, and its proposed use to harmonize and integrate the many subdomains of social demographic statistics, while also aligning related data infrastructure to better organize and integrate the statistics. Developing strategic recommendations building on the research conducted by the group since its inception in 2023, including finding on the overarching conceptual framework for improved social and demographic statistics that better reflect social issues and their connection to the economy and the environment. We invite the Commission to request the Friends of the Chair Group to deliver its final report to the Commission in 2026. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Lithuania. The Commission will now begin its debate on the report of the Friends of the Chair Group on social and demographic on statistics. And I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Mexico.

Gracias, señor presidente. Thank you, Chair. On behalf of the Friends of the Chair on Social Demographic Statistics Group, Mexico supports the report and work plan for 2025 presented by Lithuania. In our dual-hatted capacity as co-chairs and national members of the group, we wish to emphasize 3 points. One, the need to have a conceptual framework for socio-demographic statistics that is freestanding and purposeful in its own right, based on strategic recommendations as provided for in our mandate. Two, the analytical power of addressing this dimension in 2024-2025 through the prism of the following building blocks, as we call them. People, relationships, time, and place. This is an innovative path that integrates units, contexts, and outcomes that can find useful applications in other areas. 3, interaction with other groups such as the Network of Economic Statisticians and the Expert Group of Well-Being Measurements on common themes with a view to a comprehensive and integrative approach to measurement of well-being that can also be applied to sustainable development. On the above points, we propose focusing our work in 2025 on presentation in our final report to the 57th Commission a set of strategic recommendations towards this conceptual framework and options for implementing this beyond our term. In conclusion, we are grateful for all of the excellent work of all participants in the group and in particular of our co-chair, the leaders of the working group, and for the excellent support from the secretariat. We have charted a course and we are sure that with collective effort we shall reach our destination. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Mexico. And now I give the floor to distinguished delegate of Austria.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, distinguished colleagues. Austria welcomes the work of the Friends of the Chair Group. It is an important step forward achieving interoperability, essential precondition for making the social statistics data environment more comprehensive. It is also important to follow an incremental approach to ensure the evolution of the statistical systems. The role assigned to national statistical offices as coordinator and incubators of change is also appreciated. The statistical community can provide, based on its competences and principles, an indispensable contribution for new initiatives on digitalisation and data. It is the best way to anchor the expertise of NSOs to ensure that the objective of interoperability is ultimately achieved. As a precondition, incorporation in the legal frameworks and sufficient funding have to be provided. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I thank the distinguished delegate of Austria. Now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Nepal.

Mr. Chair, National Statistics Office Nepal thanks the group for their continued work on developing a conceptual framework and integrated data infrastructure to strengthen social and demographic statistics. We welcome the proposed program of work and deliverables for 2025 and emphasize the need for any new framework to be adaptable to country contexts and to bear in mind the availability of resources and capacity of implement new work. We are closely working with the development partners like UNFPA, UNOMAN, UNDP, and UNICEF on social and demographic statistical analysis and may be happy to work with other agencies as well. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I thank the distinguished delegate of Nepal and now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of the Russian Federation.

Thank you very much, Chair. We fully support the initiative to carry out further studies to create the conceptual framework for data infrastructure for the social and economic statistics systems. This will allow for a comprehensive analysis to be carried out. Today, social and economic statistics are primarily working on the basis of data received from censuses and studies. However, a new statistics system should be built up on the basis of a comprehensive integral system of data with methodological and technological integration of all primary data. The problem with addressing this task has been highlighted already. As a response to the growing demand for data from our populations, we're seeing a limited amount of administrative data, and unfortunately, often they are created and developed without using a single system for identification and classification. As a result, there's possible direct use of these in statistical production is much more difficult. We believe that the conceptual framework is one of the most important areas of work that we can use to address this issue. And the outcome should be a comprehensive international recommendations, a framework for data management, and of course, a key role here should be played by official statistics. So therefore, we fully support the initiative to develop social and demographic statistics, increase availability and accessibility and quality of them, and we're ready to participate in this work. Thank you very much.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of the Russian Federation. And now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Japan.

Thank you, Chair. Japan would like to express our deepest gratitude for the activities and excellent work done so far by the FOC on Social and Demographic Statistics. Ensuring, enhancing, and measuring individual well-beings has become increasingly important to ensure the sustainability of the global community. We share the view expressed in the background paper that the demand for inclusive, agile, and fit-for-purpose of data systems has increased. A well-defined conceptual framework for the sociodemographic data system is necessary to capture the well-being of individuals, organizations, and society as a whole. Let me share Japan's experience. We published a comprehensive well-being dashboard that integrates both subjective indicators, such as life satisfaction, and objective metrics to capture complex socioeconomic conditions from multiple perspectives. In addition, more and more ministries in Japan are revising their KPI that measure policy effects so that they relate to well-being. Japan expresses the expectation that the FOC will contribute significantly to the statistical commission and play an important role on this matter in close collaboration with other related statistical bodies. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Japan. And now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Cuba.

Thank you very much. The National Office of Statistics and Information in Cuba welcomes the outcome of the activities and the progress from the Group on Social Demographic Statistics in 2024. We consider I found the group's contribution to be very pertinent, aimed at creating an overarching conceptual framework for social demographic statistics. Worth highlighting the— the study aimed at building this and improving our command of social and demographic statistics in the infrastructure of connected data to better organize such data. We are convinced that to do so would be a better reflection of the challenges that society face in the connection with society and the environment. The use of innovative methods to improve the quality and integration of data is also welcome, such as modeling and inclusion of new sources of data. Cuban delegation welcomes the work lines proposed for the group in 2024-2025 with a view to producing the report for submission at the next session together with its strategic recommendations. Thank you very much.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Cuba. And now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of the United Kingdom. Um, I saw that we have 11 more countries asking for the floor and 2 IGOs. I would close the list. After United Kingdom come Barbados, and after Barbados it's closed. Gift of Lotoor, the distinguished delegate of the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom welcomes the work of the Friends of the Chair group and supports the establishment of a conceptual framework to enhance coherence across social and demographic statistics. The UK also strongly supports the program of work for 2025, including further development of the building blocks and the opportunity to work in partnership with the expert group for wellbeing measurement to integrate social, demographic, economic, and environmental statistics to deliver policy-relevant and sustainable development outcomes. The UK supports the proposal to use innovative data sources to improve timeliness and granularity and remove duplication, and the UK will continue to contribute insights from the UK's experience and research and is delighted to have contributed to the works of this group.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of the United Kingdom. And now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of— Barbados has taken— they're still here. Oh yeah, they're still here. Barbados.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Barbados, on behalf of the CARICOM region, acknowledges the progress made by the Friends of the Chair Group on social and demographic statistics in developing the conceptual framework for social and demographics. Statistics. We recognize the importance of harmonizing data sources, methodologies, and definitions to improve statistical outputs for policymaking and sustainable development, and the necessity of an integrated statistical system. Thus, we continue to support the research into the key building blocks—people, relationships, places, and time—for more integrated social and demographic statistics. We support the linking of social and demographic statistics with economic and environment statistics. Strengthening of governance frameworks, adoption of international standards, and leveraging of new data sources to establish a robust, inclusive, and responsive statistical ecosystem. CARICOM, through its implementation of the strategic priority to ensure an integrated statistical system as part of its regional strategy for development of statistics, has been advocating for the use of mixed method approaches. This includes integrating census data with administrative records and geospatial technologies to create a dynamic statistical system. This regional strategy promotes the development of robust national statistical systems within all our member states and associate members to essentially produce and disseminate timely, detailed, and disaggregated data that can inform policy formulation. However, our small island developing states continue to face significant challenges such as financial constraints, limited human capacity, outdated statistical laws, rigid administrative systems, and competing national priorities that often compromise efforts to this integrated approach. CARICOM welcomes support in the form of training, funding, and capacity building to strengthen geospatial data management, integrate statistical and geospatial information, and use small area estimation. In addition, we value any support that can be provided in leveraging innovative methods to improve data quality and integration. As well as the exploration and use of alternative data sources in the absence of official data, essential to meeting the increasing demand for timely, granular, and more dynamic information. Barbados, on behalf of CARICOM countries, takes note of the progress made by the Friends of the Chair and expresses no objections to the proposed program of work and the 2025 deliverables. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, the distinguished delegate of Barbados. The list is now closed. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Republic of Korea. Okay.

Thank you, Chair. Republic of Korea commends the achievements of Friends of Chair Group in advancing research on the conceptual framework. For social and demographic statistics. It is particularly appropriate to identify relationships as a key building block alongside people, place, and time, since relationships are essential for understanding post-COVID social change. Korea has measured the social networks through the social survey, and this year we plan to introduce new indicators on the loneliness and the frequency and reasons for outings. To capture both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of relationships. We also support the 7 proposed measures for implementing the conceptual framework. In particular, using alternative data sources is crucial for addressing declining response rates and reducing the burden of producing statistics. In Korea, to address the issue of the local population decline and the tourism, we have developed statistics on the de facto resident population, which refers to individuals residing in or staying in specific areas while engaging in their, in their daily activities. For this, we have integrated the private sector data including telecommunication records, credit card transaction data, and the credit information. But in this process of integrating multi-source data, we have We faced some difficulties including legal constraints, data privacy concerns, and budgetary limitations. We hope the conceptual framework elaborates legal and budgetary factors more to facilitate utilization of the multi-source data. We are more than happy to share our experiences with the international community. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of the Republic of Korea. And now, I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Belgium.

Thank you, Chair. Belgium acknowledges the progress made by the Friends of the Chair Group in 2024 and values its ongoing efforts. We recognize the potential added value of an overarching conceptual framework for social and demographic statistics, which should be closely aligned with An Integrated Social and Demographic Data Infrastructure. We appreciate the documentation and research on the conceptual framework and the mapping of the current challenges. However, identifying challenges is not— is only a first step. The real effort is to find ways to overcome these challenges, and this step seems to be missing. Some challenges are technical in nature, such as the development of modeling techniques, the development of quality measures, the integration of geospatial information, and addressing emerging privacy concerns. While NSIs can tackle those technical hurdles, this is only possible if the necessary resources are available, not only in terms of time and highly qualified staff, but also in financial support and a solid legal framework. Beyond the technical aspect, we must acknowledge that some challenges are more financial and political in nature, and they cannot be addressed by NSIs alone. They require the active involvement of multiple stakeholders, including policymakers. So a collective effort is essential to secure the necessary resources and to ensure the successful— successful implementation of this initiative. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Belgium. And now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Malta.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Malta thanks the Statistical Commission and all stakeholders involved in the preparation of this document, which is highly relevant for further development of social and demographic statistics. In principle, we agree with all the proposed recommendations for improvement. However, we have concerns on their implementation, primarily because there are still imminent challenges which risk compromising further progress. I will share with you some of these concerns. Differences between definitions used in economics and social statistics, which create incoherences and difficulties to reconcile the two domains. Secondly, increasing levels of non-response and non-contact in social surveys, especially among hard-to-reach groups. Use of small sample sizes, especially in small countries, which hinder the capabilities for longitudinal analysis. Challenges with administrative data like completeness, timeliness, incoherences with our statistical definitions, and other quality limitations which make them inadequate for use of statistics. And last, ineffective updating of sampling frames leading to under or over coverage in our surveys, especially in countries which are highly affected by migration. So, while we agree to push forward in our journey for modernization, we should not deviate our attention from these imminent problems which are already hindering the quality and credibility of our work. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Malta. I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of the Republic of Tanzania.

Yeah, thank you, Chair. The United Republic of Tanzania, on behalf of the African Group, would like to intervene on the note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Friends of the Chair Group on Social and Demographic Statistics. Firstly, the African Group would like to take note of the activities of the Friends of the Chair Group in 2024, especially advancing research towards the Novaya King conceptual framework for social and demographic statistics. Unpacking the building blocks, that is people, relationship, outcome, place, and time, identified as core and common components of social and demographic statistics, and the formation of 4 task teams to deepen the research on each of the building blocks. The African group recognizes the 4 task teams that have been formed to deepen the research on each of the building blocks. Members of the Africa participated in the sprint webinars that provided valuable insights and facilitated a comprehensive understanding of the common building blocks that underpin the social and demographic statistics. The African Group would like to express its full support to the proposed program of work and deliverables for 2025. In particular, one, advancing and documenting the research towards overarching conceptual framework for social demographic statistics, including its description, the connection among its building blocks, and its proposed use to harmonize and integrate the many subdomains of social and Demographic Statistics, while also outlining related data infrastructures to better organize and integrate these statistics. Two, developing strategic recommendations building on the research conducted by the group since its inception in 2023, including findings on the overarching conceptual framework for improved social demographic statistics that better reflect societal issues and their connection to the economy and the environment. The Afghan group underscores the importance of enhancing integration and interoperability of the data systems and urges the friends of the chair group on social and demographic statistics to build on prior investment on data infrastructure and existing resources in the area, including statistical frameworks, systems, standards, and guidelines to deliver on the proposed program of work. In my national capacity as the current chair of the expert group on environment and climate change statistics, recommend considering conducting in-depth research on the relationship of the proposed conceptual framework with the frameworks in environmental climate change statistics, namely the Framework for Development of Environmental Statistics and the Global State of Climate Change Statistics and Indicators, respectively, to enhance its performance, given its close relationship with the core building blocks, that is, people, relationship, outcome, place, and time. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished representative of the United Republic of Tanzania. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Brazil.

Thank you, Chair, distinguished delegates. Brazil, on behalf of Latin American and Caribbean countries of ECLAC, acknowledges and congratulates the progress made by the friends of the Chair Group on Social and Demographic Statistics in proposing a conceptual framework that links demography to social pillars and a data structure framework. Linking these two pillars, social and demographic, would bring people to the center of the debate, adding to population figures the drivers and consequences to population change. The region endorses that a conceptual framework would harmonize concepts, definitions, and classifications, which would make international comparisons possible. An infrastructure framework would allow for agile and consistent data approach. The region suggests that financial aids should be provided for those countries that need support for implementing such infrastructure framework. The region agrees that the main 4 building blocks—people, relationships, places, and time—mentioned can be further explored in order to define the statistics indicators for demographics and social pillars. The region endorses the prioritization on ongoing initiatives aligned with Action 53 of the Pact for the Future related to measuring sustainable development progress beyond GDP. The region encouraged developing strategic recommendations taking into consideration the 4 webinars outputs and research conducted by the group. The region encourages the use of artificial intelligence and digital transformation and tools— as tools and mechanisms to enhance the analysis and production of demographic and social data. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished representative of Brazil. And I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Portugal.

Thank you, Chair. Portugal takes note of the activities and progress of the Friends of the Share Group on social and demographic statistics in 2024 and welcomes its engagement in bringing together stakeholders and gather insights to deepen research related to the integrated framework for social and demographic statistics. We acknowledged the activities and progress of the group in 2024, as summarized in the documents provided, then the report presented towards an overarching conceptual framework for social and demographic statistics. In fact, we consider that the activities performed in 2024 are heading in the right direction for the objective to produce specific recommendations for an agile and more responsive system of social and demographic statistics in line with the SDG agenda and in accordance with the work priorities endorsed by the Statistical Commission. In particular, the research towards an overarching conceptual framework on a theme, as presented in the report. And more specific comments we sent by written. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Portugal. And now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Canada.

Thank you, Chair. Canada commends the progress of the Friends of the Chair Group on Social and Demographic Statistics during the second year of its third-year— or three-year mandate. In terms of progress to date, the focus has been mainly on data integration. And the group's report lays out building blocks where common approaches could shift social and demographic statistics towards a more interoperable system. By using these building blocks, we can create more consistent approaches across outcome domains, and over time, this will build up cross-disciplinary evidence— across a disciplinary evidence base that helps us to see the big picture more clearly. Regarding the forthcoming program of work, um, ultimately an overarching conceptual framework built around this interoperable evidence base should have an explanatory power for decision makers. It should generate insights about relationships between social actors and phenomena and their interactions with the economy and the environment. This is an ambitious undertaking and will take time, perhaps more time than the remaining year of the group's mandate. But we should start with what we know, identify where the gaps are, and chart a progressive path forward. We encourage continued collaboration with key partners such as the Expert Group on Well-Being Measurement and the Network of Economic Statisticians. Canada is pleased to support all those efforts. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Canada, and I now give the floor to the distinguished Delegated of the UAE.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The UAE appreciates the efforts of the Group of Friends and we support the provision of overarching conceptual framework. We highlight the interaction between the network of statisticians in relation to measuring the well-being and the ensuing social well-being. And we appreciate having an approach that accepts the difference in social approaches and we encourage the use of technology and invest in research on advanced methods in data integration. We also stress the importance of balancing between modeling in demographic and social statistics and the new methods, as well as using metadata and information on geospatial to improve social and demographic statistics and develop and integrate the concepts of new social norms and accept the new statistical models based on metadata that are sustainable and inclusive. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of the UAE. I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Thank you, distinguished chair. The Netherlands supports the activities regarding the global and regional work in the area of social and demographic statistics. Regarding identifying elements for an overarching conceptual framework for social and demographic statistics, and for better data integration within and across pillars, we can mention that the Netherlands already have such a good functioning system for national purposes, the System of Social Statistical Databases, and we are happy to share our experience in this regard. Today, I've heard more countries having a similar system or are setting up such a system to be able to integrate different sources to produce high-quality official social statistics. A clear advantage is that the problem of declining non-response rates is a somewhat lesser problem. Linking the work of the Friends of the Chair group and the Bureau of the Network of Economic Statisticians is appreciated and could be elaborated further. Netherlands agrees with the actions proposed in the document. And also, the Netherlands would like to express interest to join the Friends of the Chair Group on Social and Demographic Statistics. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegated of the Netherlands. And now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of the OECD.

Thank you, Chair. The OECD congratulates the Friends of Chair group on the important work conducted so far. It has been our great pleasure to support this group through a focused contribution on the relationship building blocks alongside Statistics Canada and the Haut Commissariat au Plan Morocco. This included co-organizing the first sprint webinar, Exploring Social Relationships and Connectedness, which featured already conducted scoping work by the OECD on official data collection on social connectedness outcomes. We support the proposed future activities of the Friends of Chairs in 2025, namely to conceptualize and formalize the relationships between the four building blocks of the emerging framework and to conduct work to understand how this overarching structure can guide data integration and interoperability of statistical pillars within national statistical systems. Finally, we encourage the Friends of the Chair group to identify areas where the development of new social and demographic statistical standards is needed. From this perspective, the OECD is looking into creating measurement guidelines on social relationships, one of the building blocks of the framework, and would like to work closely with the Friends of the Chair group to benefit from a global perspective and ensure full alignment with the conceptual framework developed by the group. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of the OECD. And now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of UN Women.

Yes, thank you, Chair. UN Women welcomes the report of the Friends of the Chair Group on Social and Demographic Statistics and appreciates the progress made by the group. UN Women appreciates the fundamental building blocks—people, outcomes, relationships, places, and time—as a strong foundation for understanding societal dynamics. As the group plans to advance research to organize better, harmonize, and integrate data on social and demographic outcomes, UN Women stresses the need to explicitly recognize and address gender equality dimensions particularly in discussions on people and individuals. Gender equality must also be intentionally integrated, especially in how time is measured and valued, given the persistent gaps in capturing gender differences in time use. On the Group's proposed program of work and deliverables for 2025, UN Women looks forward to the strategies identified by the Group, including on providing effective ways to capture multidimensional outcomes in societal interactions. However, UN Women underscores these strategies must deliberately consider and fully reflect gendered realities to ensure truly inclusive and equitable policies.

Thank you, the distinguished delegate of the UN Women. This was the last one on the list. I see no further requests for the floor and invite Ms. Francesca Groom, Chief of the Demographic and Social Statistics Branch of the UNSTD, to summarize our discussion on this item.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Statistical Commission welcomed the report of the Friends of the Chair Group on Social and Demographic Statistics, commended the group for advancing research on a conceptual framework and integrated data system, for Social and Demographic Statistics. Took note of and welcomed the member states that expressed interest in joining and in contributing to the group's work. Recognized the importance of the group's work in collaboration with partners, including the Expert Group on Well-Being Measurement and the Network of Economic Statisticians. For monitoring well-being going beyond GDP. The Commission approved the 2025 work program and deliverables as contained in the group's report, particularly the development of strategic recommendations and further research on a conceptual framework, while emphasizing the need to consider innovative approaches, as well as country context, available resources, and implementation capacity. Finally, the Commission requested the group to submit its final report to the Commission at its 57th session in 2026. Thank you, Chair.

I thank, uh, Ms. Krum. The Commission has concluded its discussion of item 3F. I invite the Commission to begin its consideration of agenda item 3G, entitled Migration Statistics, under which the Commission has before it for discussion and decision to the report of the Secretary-General on migration statistics contained in document 3/CN.3/2025/10. I give the floor to Ms. Francesca Grum, Chief of the Demographic Economic and Social Statistical Branch of the UNSD, to introduce this report.

Thank you, Chair. Distinguished delegates, the report before the Commission presents the revised recommendations on statistics of international migration and temporary mobility, which update the 1998 recommendations as requested by the Commission. Following extensive global consultations, the Commission has already endorsed in 2021 the core elements of the recommendations, including the revised conceptual framework and statistical definitions, and in 2023, the set of core and additional indicators. This final version of the recommendations integrates the above elements with new chapters on establishing and improving migration data systems, on data integration, and on the role of communication in the context of international migration statistics. The recommendations are aligned with the fourth revision of the Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses. That we discussed yesterday, and other major statistical frameworks, including the International Recommendations on Refugee Statistics and the new guidelines concerning statistics on international labour migration. Finally, the report also presents a summary of other work undertaken in 2023 and 2024. And plans and priorities of the Statistics Division and the Expert Group on Migration Statistics, including capacity development and the Fourth International Forum on Migration Statistics, which will be held in Malmö, Sweden, from 16 to 18 June 2025. I would like to draw your attention to paragraph 46 of the report. Which contains the points for discussion, including the endorsement of the revised recommendations on statistics of international migration and temporary mobility in their final format. Thank you.

Thank you, Miss Groome. The Commission will now begin its debate on the report of the Secretary-General on migration statistics. I give the floor to the distinguished delegate Representative of Mexico.

Thank you, Chair. The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean of ECLAC welcome the report on migration statistics. We highlight the importance of recommendations on my great international migration statistics and Temporary Mobility. This document is key to improving understanding of migratory flows and temporary populations. The region supports its implementation for their contribution to the quality and comparability of migration statistics, enabling a better response to the new patterns of mobility and forced displacement. Furthermore, they promote the availability of data and their adaptation to new technical frameworks ensuring their continuous use to reflect changes in migration dynamics and methodological shifts. Also welcome with satisfaction the 4th Forum on Migration Statistics. This represents a crucial space for exchanging knowledge, best practices, and experience amongst experts, international organizations, and governments for the production, analysis, and use of migration statistics. This forum represents is a key opportunity to strengthen international cooperation and improve the quality and availability of statistics on migration, while at the same time promoting innovative approaches that will effectively address the current challenges in measuring human mobility. We'd also like to highlight the importance of a comparative evaluation of international migration indicators as a key tool for assessing the viability of producing new approved indicators and identifying gaps in data and determining the needs in terms of capacity building and creation. This process will contribute to the review and improvement of the questionnaires and the surveys on international migration that are used in compiling demographic data. Using the comparability of available information, we'd also like to highlight the relevance of the technical report and operationalization of the revised conceptual framework on international migration statistics and temporary mobility. This report provides key recommendations for further development and strengthening of data systems on migration and provides practical guidance for countries to optimize their sources of data and implementation of these recommendations. This in turn will improve the quality and comparability of statistics on migration and— international migration and migrants. In our region, this report is essential to support innovation and its experimentation to promote the continuous improvement of data systems on migration. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Mexico. I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Egypt.

Thank you, sir. Egypt, on behalf of the African Group, recognizes that there are significant data gaps in international migration statistics and limited ability to produce migration statistics disaggregated by key characteristics such as age and sex. It also acknowledged that countries have different statistical capacity— capacities and migration contexts. The African Group supports the request I urge the Commission to endorse the revised recommendations on statistics of international migration and temporary mobility in their final format that brings together two conceptual framework concepts and definitions, including the core and additional indicators in international migration and temporary mobility. The African Group appreciates the fact that the revised recommendations recognize and align with key relevant statistical framework that conceptualize the measurement and maintenance of robust national population data system, such as the draft principles and recommendations for population and housing census revision for and specific populations that cross international borders— labor, migrant, and refugees. The African Group further endorses the alignment of labor-related migration and temporary mobility to the draft revised guideline of the International Labour Organization concerning statistics of international labour migration, as well as the reference to the comprehensive guidance and the international recommendations on ILO statistics. The African Group acknowledged the comprehensive recommendations on establishing and improving migration data system and their integration that specifically recognize the key factor that causes challenges in Africa. The African Group endorses the plan and the priorities of Statistics Division and the United Nations Expert Group on Migration Statistics, particularly regarding capacity building activities that will strengthen the collection, migration management, compilation, and use of statistics on migration and migrants in a holistic manner. Building on revised recommendations in the context of African unique situations, the African Group will endeavor to address the identified capacity-building needs. The African Group commits to call upon its member states and international organizations to mobilize the necessary resources, technical assistance, and partnership to ensure the successful and sustainable production and use of statistics on international migration and migrants in Africa to fill the existing data gaps. Thanks, sir.

Thank you, the distinguished delegate of Egypt. I do it again like last time. There are two more to speak and then I close the list. So if you want to speak for this item, then please press now the button. The next distinguished delegate is Poland.

Thank you, distinguished chair. Statistics Poland supports the initiatives of the UN Statistical Commission and the UN Expert Group on Migration aimed at developing innovative solutions for the integration of administrative data sources for the estimation of migration. Further modernization efforts are needed to improve data consistency and to streamline the exchange of such data between countries. Statistics Poland is currently exploring ways of improving migration statistics, in particular estimating the number of foreigners and the number of Polish citizens abroad using big data and multi-method approach. An excellent example of Poland's development in this area is the Refugee Health Dashboard developed together with WHO and UNHCR Poland, which is a powerful tool providing key insights to support evidence-based policies and promote health equity. The dashboard allows practically real-time analysis on a number of aspects. You can find some information about the dashboard at the back of the conference room. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Poland. Now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of the Republic of Korea.

Thank you, Chair. Republic of Korea appreciates the UN SDG and the expert group on migration statistics for improving migration statistics. These efforts will help each member state produce internationally comparable migration statistics. Given the complexity of migration patterns and the 27 years since the 1998 Recommendations on International Migration Statistics, we support the adoption of the revised Recommendations on Statistics of International Migration and Temporary Mobility. This revision will help ensure consistency in measuring international movement flows and the migrant population stocks. While aligning the principles and the recommendations for population and housing censuses. In Korea, we compile migration flows using entry and exit records. However, a challenge is that place of birth information is not collected in our current legal system. So please note that countries with a similar system may need to review their legal and institutional frameworks over the long term. To ensure the successful and sustainable production and use of international migration statistics, we support the plans and priorities of the UNSD and the expert group. We also encourage member states and international organizations to provide resources, technical support, and partnerships to support these efforts. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished representative of the Republic of Korea. The list is now Closed, and I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Russian Federation.

Thank you, Chair. We note the importance and the necessary meeting increased demand for statistics on international migration. We welcome the reviewed recommendation to develop different national sources of data on migration. And the full use of the capacity of existing sources, to improve methods for measuring different types of migration. It's important that the recommendations aim to increase how the international compatibility of statistical migration. Every day we look at initial primary data from updated administrative systems for accounting for migration. As a result, there is a monthly, uh, record of entrants and exits, and then we have a database on— with good quality data that's been collected. Current statistics to studies, including on international migration, should primarily be underpinned on it by administrative sources and electronic data collection, which allow for effectively for effective measuring to take place in response to various migration processes. This connection is particularly important to build capacity of national statistics services on the use of administrative migration data, and also supporting work that's being done by the Statistics Division, of course. Thanks very much.

Thank you for the distinguished representative of the Russian Federation. And now I give the floor to distinguished representative Representative of Morocco.

Thanks, Chair. Morocco acknowledges the efforts of the UNSD and the expert group in advancing migration statistics. As a member of the expert group, we fully support the revised recommendations on statistics of international migration and temporary mobility. In line with these recommendations, Morocco has integrated key migration-related questions into its 2024 Population and Housing Census, covering essential dimensions such as country of citizenship, country of birth, duration of stay, and reasons for migration. We also welcome the work of Task Force 3 on data integration, and we are currently implementing a national project to consolidate multiple survey and administrative data sources on migration with support from the ILO. This initiative aims to harmonize migration data with a focus on labor migration into an integrated and harmonized information system on international migration. Additionally, Morocco is testing labor migration module to assist its integration into the labor force survey using a rotating module approach. Morocco endorses the plans and priorities of the UNSD and the expert group particularly in capacity-building efforts. We support initiatives that promote peer-to-peer learning, partnerships, and the sharing of experiences. We call on fellow member states and international organizations to mobilize resources for the sustainable production and use of migration statistics. Building on its role as a leading voice on migration in Africa and its strong commitment Through the African Agenda on Migration, Morocco is committed to improving the availability and quality of migration data. We remain dedicated to collaborating with international partners to enhance the collection, analysis, and policy use of migration statistics. Thanks, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Morocco. And now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Bangladesh.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Bangladesh welcomes the revised recommendations on statistics of international migration and temporary mobility. For kind note of the Commission, I would like to mention that a significant number of Bangladesh expatriates are working around the world. The recommended revision will help us to reduce the misalignment between flows of international migration and stock of immigrant population. Bangladesh is also concerned of internal displacement due to climate changes and disasters. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics is working in partnership with the International Organizations of Migration to adopt the international recommendations in the national statistical system. We expect that the revision of recommendation on international migration statistics should consider the country context without compromising the international comparability. Bangladesh is highly concerned about the harmonization of definition in alignment with the principles and recommendations for population and housing censuses and other relevant conceptual frameworks. We endorse the initiative of the alignment as well as strongly recommend ensuring the comparability with the earlier censuses. Our recommendations should also be aligned with the revision of the vital statistics and similar surveillance for demographic statistics. We are looking forward to the upcoming 4th International Forum on Migration Statistics. We would like to appreciate the organizers, particularly the IOM, Malmö University, and the Government of Sweden, and Eurostat. We hope that the forum will be a great platform to share the practices and views of migration statistics, particularly among the national statistics offices. We hope every success of the forum. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Bangladesh, and I give the floor to the distinguished Delegate of Guyana.

Thank you, Chair. Guyana, on behalf of the CARICOM region, welcomes the report of the Secretary-General on migration statistics, taking note of the work done to improve statistics in the finalized recommendation on statistics of international migration and temporary mobility. We endorse the revised recommendations on Statistics of International Migration and Temporary Mobility. This work is, is relevant to our Caribbean region as our countries seek to develop policies to cope with the recent phenomenon of our aging resident populations and the challenges related to migrant influx in some of our countries within our region. We commend the progress made in the work done by the UN Expert Group on Migration Statistics and approve their proposed plans and priorities of work. In this regard, the national statistical offices in the Caribbean community can directly benefit from any funding sources that allows for more hands-on training in this area of statistics. To build the capacity of our limited human resources and provide support in the form of regional and in-country training workshop, especially for our small island developing states, that will strengthen the collection, management, compilation, and use of migration statistics in a holistic manner. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Guyana. And now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Belgium.

Thank you, Chair. Belgium believes that the revised recommendations introduce significant improvements and take better account of the fact that data can originate from various, various sources, including administrative registers. However, we know that certain new challenges, as described in paragraphs 13 and 14, might lead to the inability to use registers, which poses difficulties for Belgium and potentially other countries with register-based statistical systems. The definition of the population remains a significant challenge. While solutions are being explored at the European level, this remains a difficult undertaking. Paragraph 15 proposes methods to account for population that might be missing from registers. However, these methods are complex to implement on a large scale or across multiple statistics and require further research at all national level. The proposed framework for measuring international temporary mobility appears even more complex particularly if it aims to capture very short-term movements such as daily commuting and seasonal work. Regarding forcibly displaced populations, a detailed guide would be needed to clarify the interaction and possible gaps between the recommendations and the International Recommendations on Refugee Statistics. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Belgium. And now give the floor to distinguished delegate of India.

Thank you, Chair. India welcomes the revised recommendations on statistics of international migration and temporary mobility, which recognizes the reality of a global workplace. The introduction of the new concept on temporary mobility in the revised recommendations is a significant step forward. It would be beneficial for the report to explicitly acknowledge the need to clearly delineate the distinction between migration and mobility in an operational and procedural context. Furthermore, the report's emphasis on temporary population movements provides an opportunity to refine definitions to include specific categories such as contractual employees.. At present, the definitions appear to be largely framed around international migration. Hence, it is essential to incorporate the perspectives on temporary mobility and domestic migration. Chair, regarding the future priorities for the United States— United Nations Statistical Commission, India offers the following suggestions. To implement the Integrated Migration and Temporary Mobility Data System, that combines administrative data, surveys, and census information. Technical collaboration with the UNSC will be valuable, particularly for piloting systems to align with global standards. Uh, second, there is a need to develop comprehensive guidelines for integrating migration and temporary mobility statistics across various administrative sources and international databases. This will ensure consistency, interoperability, and facilitate cross-country comparisons and trend analysis. And lastly, uh, prioritizing the collection of gender-sensitive migration and temporary mobility statistics is essential to address the unique needs and experiences of women and other vulnerable groups. This should also include insights into areas such as care work and informal employment. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of India. The time is now 22:05 and I propose to suspend the meeting at this point for a short break of 10 minutes to enable informal consultation among delegates. The first one after the break will be Romania and I hope that In 10 minutes would be 10 to 5 that you are back in your seat and then we can continue. So the meeting will be resumed at 10 to 5. The meeting is suspended. I don't get you. Distinguished delegates, time is over. The meeting is resumed. Take your seat. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Romania.

Thank you, Chair. Romanian thanks to the Statistics Division and Expert Group on Migration Statistics for the excellent work carried out so far, recognizing the importance of the topic and the need for reliable and timely statistics

Distinguished delegates, please silent. I don't hear what Romania is saying. Sorry, could you start again? We haven't heard anything. Romania, please.

No problem, because the migration is a common subject for all of us. Yeah, absolutely. There is indeed an increasing demand for data in the field and for the imperative of better capturing the mobility patterns. While observing harmonization statistical standards. So that Romania supports the plans and priorities described in the document, stressing that the capacity building activities have to be in focus, a priority for countries and international organizations. Thank you very much.

Thank you, distinguished delegate from Romania. And I give the floor to distinguished delegate of Burundi.

Thank you, Chair. Burundi welcomes the report of the Secretary-General on migration statistics. In addition to the African position as presented by Egypt, Burundi also appreciates the main objectives set out in— for the revised recommendations, and also supports the harmonization of migration statistics and demographic and global statistics, above all those collected under general population censuses.— and habitat censuses. Finally, Burundi recommends that focus be placed on refugee statistics so that no one is left behind because these statistics can provide— can be both temporary or definitive. Thank you very much.

I thank the representative of Burundi. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Nepal.

Thank you, Chair. National Statistics Office of Nepal acknowledges the work carried out by the Statistics Division and the UN Expert Group on Migration Statistics on the improvement of statistics on migration and migrants and endorses the revised recommendations on statistics of international migration and temporary mobility. We are committed to participate and mobilize the available resources in the implementation plans developed by the Statistics Division. And the UN Expert Group on Migration Statistics regarding capacity building activities that will strengthen the collection, management, compilation, and use of statistics on migration and migrants in a holistic manner. In Nepal, building on the revised recommendations, as we have about 15% of the total population as current migrants, we are pleased to be the part of the technical assistance and partnership to ensure the successful and sustainable production and use of statistics on international migration and migrants with other advanced nations as well as development partners. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of Nepal. I now give the floor to distinguished representative of Hungary.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Hungary welcomes and appreciates the efforts of the Statistics Division and the United Nations Expert Group on Migration Statistics, in particular with regard to the elaboration of the revised recommendation on statistics of international migration and temporary mobility. Hungary endorses the revised recommendations and approves the plans and priorities. We consider capacity building activities to be of utmost importance, and we believe that the organization of events offering opportunity for engaging is also essential. Hungary is committed to exchanging experience and sharing its best practices. And underlying the importance of what has been mentioned by Morocco, we also encourage all member states and international organizations to mobilize resources, technical assistance, and partnerships for the successful implementation of these activities. Initiatives. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Hungary, and now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Italy.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Distinguished delegates, Italy recognizes the important work carried out by the UN Statistics Division and the Expert Group on Migration Statistics in improving migrant statistics.. We stress the importance to clearly distinguish between international migration and temporary mobility, as they represent different demographic and socio-economic phenomena. To ensure harmonized and comparable statistics, it is essential to establish clear recommendations on duration and types of movement. In this regard, Italy supports the revised recommendation on statistics of international migration and temporary mobility as a key step toward improving data comparability. Moreover, Italy agrees with the definition of usual residence as a stay of the last 12 months, which crucial to differentiating the resident population from temporarily mobile population. Finally, Italy emphasized the need for a common regulatory framework in regions with High migration flows, a harmonized approach to entry and exit data is fundamental for addressing the well-known issue of mirror statistics where discrepancies arise from different national data collection practices. Thank you.

Thank you, the distinguished delegate of Italy. I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Kyrgyzstan.

Chair, colleagues, Kyrgyzstan would like to express its gratitude to the Statistics Division and the UN Group of Experts on Migration Data for the work done. Kyrgyzstan is a country with a high level of migration activity, and of course, we're particularly interested in improving the mechanisms for collecting and analysis and analyzing data on migration. Given the global and regional mobility of population because of social, economic, and demographic factors, clear and timely statistical data on migration is key to develop policies on labor market, social protection, education, and development of agricultural areas. This connection, Kyrgyzstan welcomes the revised recommendations on migration statistics and temporary mobility, particularly, uh, there on labour migration and seasonal mobility. We support a unified method for integrating data from different sources, whether it's a population register, administrative sources, etc. Also, like to note the importance of expanding international cooperation on migration statistics. Including bilateral agreements to exchange data with different countries. At the same time, Kyrgyzstan would call on the international organizations and development partners to provide support to national statistical services to train specialists and provide technical assistance for processing data and also digitalize information on migration. Thanks very much, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished representative of Kyrgyzstan. And now give the floor to the representative of Georgia.

Distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to address the Commission on the crucial topic of migration statistics. As migration dynamics evolve, the need for reliable data remains vital for informed policymaking at both national and international levels. GeoSTAT is actively working to enhance the production and dissemination of migration statistics. In 2025, GeoSTAT will begin producing new indicators on International migration, including data on citizenship acquisition and loss based on administrative data sources. Additionally, migration data will be enriched with information on the reasons for migration drawn from the population census. These developments will provide policymakers, researchers, governments and international organizations with more detailed and timely migration statistics, enhancing our understanding of migration trends and their socioeconomic impact. GeoSTAT is also exploring additional indicators to address emerging data needs, including the establishment of population registers, which will improve the accuracy and timeliness of migration data. These efforts align with the international recommendations and best practices and are a key part of Georgia's obligation under the EU-Georgia Association Agreement. The global assessment of Georgia's national statistical system also emphasized the importance of population register for statistical purposes.. In 2024, GeoSTAT launched an EU-twinning project in collaboration with Statistics Finland, Germany, and Italy to strengthen the Georgia statistical system with a focus on developing demographic and migration statistics. Finally, I commend the Secretary-General's comprehensive report on migration statistics. Geostat remains committed to advancing migration data in partnership with the UN and other global organizations. Thank you very much for attention.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Georgia. And now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Tonga.

Thank you, sir. On behalf of the Pacific countries, As the Vice Chair of the Pacific Heads of Planning and Statistics, I would like to highlight the importance of strengthening migration statistics to enable evidence-based policy and planning for the sustainable development of the countries in our region and the benefits of our Pacific peoples. Our recent round of population censuses and household surveys have demonstrated that migration is a key factor in population decreases and in labor market trends in our region. This applies in my own country, where our 2021 census shows the trend— the Tongan population structure is changing, with an overall decrease in the number of men in working age, partly explained by the temporary labor mobility schemes. In the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the 2021 census showed that, for the first time in the Marshall Islands' modern history, the total population has declined substantially from those enumerated 10 years earlier, a decline of 2.3% per annum compared to a growth of 1.4% per annum recorded in the 2011 census, and an overall population decline of one-fifth of the population. As in Tonga, immigration has emerged as a significant demographic phenomenon, with those aged 20 to 34 being the most affected and seek educational and employment opportunities elsewhere. As a result, migration statistics Migrations have been highlighted as a key area focus in the Pacific Multi-Year Work Plan for Demographic and Population Statistics, which was endorsed by the Pacific Statistics Standing Committee at our meeting in Vanuatu in October 2023. Producing more analysis of trend and more timely and comprehensive migration statistics is a high priority for the Pacific region. It's an area where we would welcome support from the international partners. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Tonga. And now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Peru.

Gracias, señor presidente. Thank you, Chair. We recognize the work of the group of experts. And we welcome the invitation to the Fourth Forum. It will strengthen the capacity for producing statistics on temporary mobility and migration. We have been generating integrated statistics using all sources of information that are available—national censuses, surveys, and administrative registers. Of countries about entry and exit to their country. To date, we have conducted 2 surveys of the Peruvian community overseas in 2021 and 2022, and 3 statistics reviews of those living in Peru, representing some 85% of the population. The formula for the national census for 2025 includes additional questions compared to those of 2017 with the aim of a better characterization of migrant Peruvians and those overseas according to the country of their birth and returning populations. The challenge we have set for ourselves is to integrate all different sources of data from those that register information about migration The aim is to develop an integrated system on migration statistics to support public policy aimed at addressing the issue of international migration. Thank you very much.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Peru. And now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Germany.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Given the time, I have just a brief remark. Yes, we welcome the report and we support the clarification of the concept of migration, temporary mobility, and tourism. We appreciate more particularly that the recommendation cover the use of registered data for migration statistics. However, the concept stay difficult to implement in the practice. The collection of the very specific data required by the framework is generally very challenging, and these difficulties are reinforced in countries with a high temporary international mobility based on free movement of person. That's all from us. Thank you.

Thank you for the distinguished delegate of Germany. And now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Lithuania.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Lithuania very welcomes the report and supports the work carried out by Statistics Division and the United Nations Expert Group on the Improvement of Statistics on Migration and Migrants, and very appreciates the revised recommendation on statistics of international migration and temporary mobility to reflect contemporary migration patterns emerging data needs and involving statistical capacities. Lithuania highlights to promote close collaboration between national statistical offices and various government agencies that collect and maintain migration-related administrative data. Integration of macro data will enable a detailed analysis of migrant characteristics and movement over time. Additionally, using mobile phone data and other privately held data, can provide a broader perspective and produce comprehensive statistics. Lithuania supports the future plans and priorities of the Statistics Division and United Nations Expert Group on Migration Statistics. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Lithuania. And I'll give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Malaysia.

Thank you, Chair. Malaysia welcomes the revised recommendation on Statistics of international migration and temporary mobility. It will be a good reference for countries to develop comprehensive and reliable international migration statistics and ensure consistent measurement of both, both stocks and flows aligned with national policy needs. Malaysia will adopt the recommendation by phases and will initiate the first phase beginning with the International Migration Statistics. Malaysia affirmed that the success of migration data system depends on the establishment of strong institutional framework that enables regular data sharing and coordination between national cycle office and MNC data producers, leading toward digitalized and integrated cycle system. Malaysia acknowledged and supports the approval of the plan and the priorities of the Statistics Division and the expert group on migration statistics, particularly regarding capacity building effort and technical cooperation project to assist countries in implementing the revised recommendation. The 4th International Forum on Migration Statistics scheduled for June 2025 will serve as a key platform for countries to exchange best practices and addresses challenges in international migration statistics. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Malaysia. And I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of IOM.

Honorable Chair, migration is dynamic and essential for economic growth, social development,— and regional stability. It is also at the center of political debates, making reliable, timely, comprehensive migration data a fundamental precondition for effective policies and operational responses. This is underscored by Objective 1 of the Global Compact for Safe, Regular, and Orderly Migration, the GCM. Therefore, IOM welcomes the adoption of the revised UN Recommendations on Statistics of International Migration and Temporary Mobility and commend the work done by the UN Expert Group, which is an important milestone in enhancing the policy relevance and practical impact of migration statistics. The revised recommendations represent the solid foundation which allows us to now focus on implementation through, through strengthening data systems to inform evidence-based policy and operations through a whole-of-government approach, leveraging its field presence and expertise across migration domains as well as its support structures such as the IOM Global Data Institute, regional data hubs, and as also the coordinator of the UN Network on Migration, IOM affirms its commitment to support governments in strengthening their capacity to produce, integrate, analyze, and share migration data effectively. In this intervention, IOM would like to share a few insights drawn from its experience assisting governments on migration data capacity development. First, successful incorporation of the revised recommendation requires a whole government and whole society approach to achieve the efficiencies and network effects necessary to practically enhance migration data systems, which was very much echoed throughout the interventions today. Triangulating and integrating traditional survey statistics with administrative sources as well as innovative sources allow governments to capture short-term flows and emerging mobility trends. And offer more timely data than when relying on traditional surveys. The whole government approach would be particularly important when measuring the proposed indicators on temporary mobility. Also, the development of a strong data protection and governance framework would be a prerequisite to secure trust from data stakeholders in gathering this data, as was echoed earlier by this committee during its deliberations on data governance. A consistent theme echoed by the distinguished delegates throughout the past couple of days is that standards are good only to the extent that they can be meaningfully implemented. Capacity development on migration data and statistics is a long-term commitment which includes not only the development of technical skill sets but also data-centric culture, as highlighted by the UN 2.0. IOM has been supporting such efforts through dedicated partnerships such as the Regional Evidence for Migration Analysis and Policy program, as well as through the mainstreaming of technical support support in broader migration projects, including those funded by the IOM Development Fund. IOM stands ready to work with governments to operationalize the revised recommendations, harnessing its technical expertise, network reach, and convening power of migration stakeholders, thereby generating evidence of temporary mobility that allows multi-layered longitudinal data analysis at national, regional, and global levels. By improving how we collect and use migration data through the implementation of the new recommendations, we have the opportunity to facilitate more effective, humane, and well-managed migration policies worldwide. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of IOM. And I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of ILO.

Thank you, Chair. The ILO welcomes the report of the Secretary-General on migration statistics and wishes to congratulate the Statistics Division and the United Nations Expert Group on Migration Statistics for the outstanding work undertaken to prepare revised recommendations on statistics of international migration and temporary mobility. International mobility, and more specifically international labour mobility, has become a central feature of global and regional development strategies, with the capacity to accelerate economic growth and integration, reduce inequalities, and transform societies. At the same time, without managed, fair, and ethical migration policies that are grounded on evidence, International migrants, including migrant workers, remain a group of high risk of exploitation and abuse. Yet, quality statistics on this topic have been notoriously difficult to compile. The ILO welcomes the focus of the revised recommendations on providing an up-to-date framework that recognizes and provides concepts for the two main components of international mobility: migration and temporary mobility, as well as streamlined guidance to prioritize a core set of statistics—stocks and flows of international migrants and temporary mobile populations—aligned with the population statistics and based on the combined use of different statistical sources. The ILO further recognized the efforts by the expert group to ensure coherence between the revised recommendations and related statistical standards, including the ICLS guidelines concerning statistics of international labor migration, and notes the importance of ensuring that efforts to improve the compilation, dissemination, and analysis of statistics on international migration and temporary mobility take into account the multiple users of this data, including to inform policies on managed labour mobility, fair recruitment, and the labour market integration of migrants. To this end, the ILO stands ready to continue and expand its close collaboration with the Statistics Division, the Expert Group, and other interested partners in the planning and delivery of technical assistance and capacity building to support the coherent implementation of the UN recommendations and the ICLS guidelines. As well as the compilation and global dissemination of related statistics and estimates. Thank you, President.

Thank you to the distinguished representative of the ILO. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of UNHCR.

Thank you very much, Chair. The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, appreciates the efforts made in revising the recommendations on Statistics of International Migration and Temporary Mobility. We welcome the distinction drawn between statistical and legal frameworks, which is essential in ensuring the accurate representation and differentiation of refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, and international migrants. However, UNHCR is of the opinion that the decision to present refugees as a subset of international migrants blurs the distinction between, between these two groups. This conflation makes it difficult to accurately represent the specific needs of refugees, particularly concerning policy areas 1, 3, 4, and 6 of the recommendations. To address this issue, we recommend emphasizing the protection needs of refugees and asylum seekers in the key recommendations and incorporating disaggregation of data by legal status, that is, reason for migration, to reflect the specific circumstances of refugees and asylum seekers.. In addition, we appreciate the many cross-references to the work of the Expert Group on Refugee, Internally Displaced Persons and Statelessness Statistics, also known as EGRIS. To further enhance coherence, we should— we suggest even stronger cross-references to two other recommendations endorsed by this very Commission. That is the International Recommendations on Refugee Statistics, which includes a section on refugee statistics and Correspondence with Recommendations on International Migration Statistics, as well as the International Recommendations on Statelessness Statistics, which has a dedicated section on statelessness and international migration. Thank you, Chair.

I thank the representative of UNHCR, and now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of CARICOM.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The CARICOM Secretariat supports the intervention made by Guyana on behalf of CARICOM countries, as sound and timely migration statistics is indeed the bedrock for the monitoring of our CARICOM Single Market and Economy, the CSME, particularly in understanding population movements, labor market dynamics, and demographic changes. Thus, we commend the Statistics Division and the United Nations Expert Group on Migration Statistics on the revised recommendations on statistics of international migration and temporary mobility. This revision is a welcome change for CARICOM for two reasons. One, the agenda for the free movement of people under the CSME once fully implemented, will pose a serious challenge in the measurement of international migration, labor-related migration, and other mobility issues in the absence of sound definitions and methodology. Two, the mandate issued by our heads of government to establish a regional population commission where migration will be an important variable in informing the development of a regional population policy. Given that the area of migration statistics has always been weak in CARICOM, our region welcomes any initiatives aimed at building regional capacity in national statistical offices and relevant government agencies to collect, manage, compile, disseminate, and use this data. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I thank the distinguished delegate from CARICOM, and I see no further requests for the floor. And now invite Mrs. Francesca Groom, Chief of the Demographic and Social Statistics Branch of the UNSD, to summarize our discussion on this item.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Statistical Commission endorsed the revised recommendations on statistics of international migration and temporary mobility. And highlighted the benefits of integrating migration data systems into broader population data systems. Welcomed the alignment of the revised recommendations with other international statistical frameworks relevant to migration. Recognized the diversity of migration data systems, of data capacity, and the challenges country may face in producing migration data. The Commission highlighted the crucial role of capacity building and knowledge sharing to advance the implementation of the recommendations and called for the mobilization of resources to support these efforts. The Commission emphasized the importance of collaboration between national statistical offices of data sharing within countries and bilateral data exchange between countries to further strengthen and harmonize statistics on migration and on migrants. Approved the program of work as contained in the report of the Secretary-General and welcomed the organization of the 4th International Forum on Migration Statistics in June 2025, hosted by Sweden, for experts from across the world to discuss the challenges in gathering and using migration data, as well as related solutions and successful practices. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Ms. Kroon. The Commission has just concluded its discussion item 3G. I invite the Commission to begin its consideration of Agenda Item 3H entitled Work and Employment Statistics, under which the Commission has before it for discussion and decision the report of the International Labour Organization on work and employment statistics contained in document E/CN.3/2025/11. Background documents are available on the Statistics Commission's website. I give the floor to this distinguished representative of the International Labour Organization to introduce this report.

Thank you, Chair. The Commission has before it a report of the International Labour Organization outlining its recent program of work on labour-related topics and key forthcoming developments. In particular, the report focuses on the outcomes of the 21st International Conference of Labour Statisticians that took place in October 2023 and which marked the centenary of this conference. Over the past 100 years, the ICLS has played a crucial role in the adoption of statistical standards definition across a wide range of topics of the world of work. The 21st ICLS continued this tradition, addressing a myriad of labor-related issues, including the informal economy, employment, labor underutilization, labor migration, violence at work, care work, skills mismatch, and many others, including overarching topics such as labor-related SDG indicators, reporting, and the need for data to monitor social justice.. An important part of the ICLS process is the provision of direction for future work, and the ICLS called on the ILO to work with countries to accelerate the implementation of statistical standards to enhance labor-related evidence-based policymaking. The ICLS also identified several key topics requiring further development, including digital platform work, care work, labor migration, and the revision of the International Standard Classification of Occupations. Progress on these topics is being advanced through consultative working groups towards the discussion at the 22nd ICLS in 2028. The Commission is invited to take note of the report and the work carried out by the ILO as reported in the 21st ICLS, expressed its support to the ongoing implementation of statistical standards adopted at the ICLS, including those most recently adopted at the 21st ICLS, and finally, a review of the progress being made towards implement— the development and adoption of new standards, statistical standards as proposed by the ICLS, and expressed its support to— for the continued work on these standards. Thank you, Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of the International Labour Organization, and the Commission will now begin its debate on the report of the International Labour Organization on work and employment statistics. Just to remind you, we are actually at the moment almost 5 hours behind schedule. I know that's incredibly important that each one of you can say something. I just hope that we can then Friday evening end the session and go home. Just remind me really, 3 minutes is the limit, and again, you can also send your written statements by e-delegate, and that's also possible. Yes? E-statements. E-statements, sorry. Good. I give now the floor to the distinguished delegate of Morocco.

Thank you, Chair. Morocco commends the ILO for its leadership in advancing global labour statistics and for the adoption of key resolutions at the 21st ICLS, particularly the resolution concerning statistics on the informal economy. This resolution is of great importance to Morocco as it strengthens our ability to address informality, a major challenge in our labor market. We fully endorse these resolutions and recognize their potential to enhance global labor statistics. Morocco expresses its strong support for the ongoing implementation of the latest standards for labor statistics. We appreciate the ILO's efforts assistance in revising Morocco's labor force survey to incorporate the latest standards on employment, labor underutilization, work relationships, and informal employment. This includes addressing serious breakthroughs through forecasting previous indicators and ensuring effective communication with stakeholders and users of facility to facilitate smooth transition and maintain data continuity. Morocco also supports the ongoing work in 3 critical areas, namely digital platform employment, the update of ILO, ISO, and care work. We are honored to contribute to the development of standards on digital platform employment, recognizing the growing importance of this new form of work in our economy. We also welcome the update of ISECO planned for adoption in 2028, which will help us better capture emerging occupations. Additionally, we are pleased to begin contributing to the development of standards on care work, given its critical role in sustainable development and gender equality. In conclusion, Morocco reaffirms its commitment to advancing labor statistics in line with international standards Morocco and looks forward to continuing its collaboration with the ILO and fellow member states in this important endeavor. Thank you, Chair.

I thank the distinguished delegate of Morocco. And now we do it again like the last couple of items. We have next two speakers and then I will close the list. The next speaker is Equatorial Guinea.

Thank you, Chair. Ecuador, on behalf of the Africa Group, welcomes the report of the Secretary-General on the International Labour Organization on work and employment statistics, and we fully support the recommendations made in the report to the Commission. However, we have a few comments and proposals regarding three of the aspects covered. One, statistical standards adopted at the 21st International Conference of Labor Statisticians on informal economy. Africa's informal sector, with about 85% of the population involved in informal sector, is crucial for the region's economy. Despite efforts made by member states in implementing various surveys, Africa still has data gaps on the informal economy and needs capacity on this area. The adoption of a new resolution on the informal economy could significantly help improve statistics on informal sector and informal employment in Africa, provided it is supported by clear and tailored measures. Therefore, we support the ongoing implementation of statistical standards adopted at the 20th International Conference of Labour Statisticians, including those most recently adopted at the 21st Conference. 2. Updates on the program of work of the ILO. We acknowledge ILO's efforts in advancing measurements and reporting on SDG indicators and encourage more African participation. Additionally, we support and encourage the resolution of the 19th International Conference of Labor Statisticians concerning statistics on work, employment, and labor underutilization, as well as the 20th Conference Resolution on Statistics on Work Relationship. In this regard, we commend the ILO's work on statistics related to work-related violence and harassment, international labor migration, care work, child labor, forced labor, disability, and occupational injuries. These statistics are crucial for informing decision makers on issues that hinder the achievement of gender equality, social justice, and other SDGs. We therefore support the report and the work carried out by the ILO, and we invite the Commission to endorse the technical guides and notes submitted in the report. 3. Statistical development. We also commend ILO's progress in the development and adoption of new statistical standards aiming to enhance data collection, dissemination, and technical support, and urge African countries to use these advancements to meet SDG monitoring goals. We also take note of the progress made towards the development and adoption of new statistical standards, as proposed by the 21st International Conference of Labor Statisticians., and we express our support for the continued work on these standards. I submit to you, Chair.

I thank the representative of Equatorial Guinea and now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Grenada.

Thank you, Chair. Grenada, on behalf of the CARICOM region, generally supports this paper and the proposed actions to be taken and commends the work carried out by the International Labour Organization as reported. The contributions of men and women in society, whether through formal or informal employment, are valued in the Caribbean community. The Harmonized Labour Force Questionnaire which was developed by a task force comprising the organization of the Eastern Caribbean States Commission, ILO, UN Women, CARICOM Secretariat, and the OECS member countries, have been approved by the OECS member states. This survey, which was piloted by Antigua and Barbuda, is currently being piloted by Grenada. And will eventually be expanded across the wider CARICOM region. This new harmonized instrument incorporates the latest resolutions of the ICLS resolutions 19, 20, and 21 concerning statistics and work, employment and labor underutilization, work relationships, and the informal economy. The introduction of these new standards will provide many benefits for the countries within CARICOM. In particular, the updated tool allows for the identification of informal jobs held in the different sectors, which are highly prevalent in our societies in CARICOM, especially within the agricultural sector. CARICOM understands the intricacies of the informal economy and is of the opinion that this instrument will improve the measurement of its dynamics, underscoring our commitment to producing statistics in accordance with international agreed standards and account for activities within the informal sector. It also introduces the classification of status in employment according to ICSC-18, providing a more detailed and meaningful classification that better reflects working relationships existing in the labor markets, among other relevant components. Given Grenada's and CARICOM region's commitment to producing work and employment statistics, consider this our clarion call for increased resources tools and technical assistance to implement updated surveys to adopt the latest standards. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Grenada. I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Finland, and the list is closed now.

Thank you, Chair. Finland acknowledges and appreciates the work carried out by the ILO in promotion of globally harmonized standard— statistical standards in the field of work and employment. A very good example of this is the 21st ICLS Resolution 1 on informal economy. It captures a phenomenon that is of growing importance in high-income countries and is also topical in middle and low-income countries. One important aspect of informal economy is platform work. We want to express our support for the work done by the ILO to organize a tripartite technical working group to develop a statistical standard on digital platform work for discussion and possible adoption at the 22nd ICLS. Statistics Finland is honored to be able to participate in the work of the technical working group developing the standard. Nationally, we are exploring the opportunities provided by administrative records, such as tax records, to support this measurement work. This approach is something which we think important to be thoroughly considered also in the work of the ILO Technical Working Group. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Finland. And now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of India.

Good afternoon, Mr. Chair. I wish to begin by appreciating the efforts made by LO for developing the statistical framework for the informal economy adopted by the 21st ICLS, which provides a coherent conceptual framework covering all the related concepts of the informal and formal sectors. However, there are a couple of issues that I would like to emphasize. While acknowledging the importance of applying the latest statistical standards for producing labour statistics, we would like to highlight one notable limitation in the list of indicators proposed by the 19th ICLS Resolution. The 19th ICLS Resolution on Work and Employment does not prescribe a single indicator which comprehensively reflects the engagement of population in the different forms of work taken together. It may be recalled that such comprehensive measurement of participation in all work activities, including paid and unpaid work, was one of the motivating factors behind the 19th ICLS resolution on Statistics of Work, Employment, and Labour Underutilization. A comprehensive indicator reflecting engagement in at least one form of work among employment work, own-use production work producing goods and services, volunteer work, and unpaid trainee work would appropriately encapsulate the expanded definition of work adopted by the 19th ICLS and also go a long way in conveying the impact of adoption of 19th ICLS on the existing indicators. We also urge other member states to explore the necessity of such a comprehensive indicator and would like to collaborate with ILO to revisit indicators proposed for the 19th ICLS to address the challenge highlighted. We are keen towards addressing the data gaps in regard to digital platform work and welcome the constitution of the tripartite technical working group on digital platform work by the ILO. However, we would like the work of this group to be prioritized. In regard to developing standards for care work, we are committed to collaborate in the technical working group formed by the ILO. We would also like to support the work being done for developing the labor market information systems, which we would request also to be expedited. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegate of India and I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Egypt.

Shukran Lissad Rais. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Egypt appreciates the efforts of the ILO in its 21st Conference held in Geneva in October 2023. In this context, we would like to state that Egypt has participated in the conference and participated in the committee formed to formulate the decision. We support all statistical standards adopted in the conference and would like to indicate that a number of questions has been added to the questionnaire of the global market in 2024. Thereby, Egypt was the first to implement the decision, in particular in relation to measuring the informal sector. And these standards have been included in the questionnaire. Egypt continues to discuss the new standards in collaboration with the ILO. It participated in the seminars and regular meetings at the regional level to discuss the new statistical standards in relation to labor. Egypt stresses that guidance and views should continue to be provided in relation to support needed to implement standards related to labor and work. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, the distinguished delegate of Egypt. And I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Thailand.

Thank you, Chair. Thailand supports the development of comprehensive statistics on the informal economy encompassing all types of workers in both the formal and informal sectors, with particular emphasis on agriculture, small-scale retail, and self-employed workers. Thailand encourages the ILO to further develop conceptual frameworks and methodologies, as well as draft additional technical guidelines. This will enable member states to adopt a standardized approach in designing questionnaires and implementing in-depth data collection methods that are accurate, reliable, and suited to their national context. Thailand is pleased to work with the IRO to adopting the new statistical standard on the informal economy and the draft technical guidelines in alignment with its national context. Additionally, Thailand will work toward enhancing its statistical standards in line with the ILO newly developed dimensions and framework for labor data collection and analysis, including the adoption of the ICSE 18. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Thailand. I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate

Chair, colleagues, Kyrgyzstan has looked through the report from the ILO on work and employment statistics and would like to express its support to efforts focused on developing international statistics standards on this. Interally, we welcome the work for standards at the International Conference of Labour Statistics and further things provided services and migration statistics. And in addition, Kyrgyzstan supports the update of International Standard Classification for Labour. I'd like to inform you that we in Kyrgyzstan are working to develop methodologies for the labour market, including informal work. Currently, we are looking at a draft poll questionnaire for the workforce, including statistics standards, which is adopted at the 19th, 20th, and 21st ICLS. This questionnaire has a block that covers a whole range of types of labor, for example, joint work, also professional, the sector, professional sector, the status of a job, informal work, and in formal and informal work. Currently, Kyrgyzstan is at an important stage in this process, and we want to carry out a pilot study of our workforce which will allow us to fill up these questionnaires and provide the data from that. And we'd like to have support for this from our development partners to ensure that this— these changes can be successfully implemented. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished delegation from Kyrgyzstan and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Peru.

Thank you, Chair. In Peru, the indicators of the labor market follow the recommendations of the ILO, and we're grateful for their support. From the year 2022, we have had a new standing survey covering thousands of of homes and we've incorporated the new recommendations of the 19th and the 20th ICLS. We are fully in the process of transition and adaptation to the new system of standards. For 2019, the class classification of occupation of 2020 and other statistics and categories. Further work is being done with the support of the ILO in relation to the indicators— and we will be working with users to include these as much as possible. The two surveys of housing and employment are currently maintained and they allow us to have a time series of indicators and this also was requested by the OECD in transitioning to the 2021 standard in relation to the labor market in Peru. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Peru. And I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Chile.

Presidente. Chair. We recognize the importance of the International Conference of Labor Statisticians as a fundamental platform for harmonizing standards and the conceptual framework and so they can adapt to the dynamics in the labor market in recent decades. We have been listening closely to the group of experts and the work of the statisticians statisticians in the Americas. And we look forward to strengthening this collaboration with the ILO in the future. The resolution from the 19th Conference that transformed labor statistics by redefining occupation has affected the way that we see and analyze labor. We are implementing this resolution which covers technical assistance in other areas and this has been essential for countries adopting this new definition. Updating the surveys and templates for incorporation of these surveys is a sign of the commitment of the ILO to our work and Chile reaffirms its commitment to continue working with the ILO implementation of these norms and tools with the aim of strengthening measurement of labor in our country and building a set of comparative data that can be used globally. We reiterate our position and availability to collaborate actively with international organizations in order to develop a harmonized conceptual framework. We also maintain our commitment to sharing experience on the implementation of the SIMEL system on the basis of data analysis provided by the ILO. We are committed to working on the challenges that arise through the adoption of the new classification of labor situation. This is crucial to understand the structure and changes in the world of work. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Chile. I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Maldives.

Thank you, Chair. Maldives take note of the report and the excellent work of the ILO. We highly appreciate the technical guidance and continuous support being provided by ILO to Maldives in implementing the latest international standards and the ongoing support in conducting the labor force survey in the country. This has improved our capacity and enabled Maldives to produce labor statistics according to 19th ICLS and will be able to produce the latest standards in the near future. Thank you, Chair.

I thank the distinguished delegate of the Maldives. And now, finally, the distinguished delegate of SISTAT.

Thank you, Chair. Labour statistics are particularly in demand because for both for each individual country and for the CIS countries as a whole. Therefore, CISSTAT supports the ILO initiative for statistical standards of the ICLS and the proposal also to characterise progress review on a shift to new statistical standards, and also are ready to actively participate in this work, all the more so given that we have years of experience in this field. For us, and for international statistics organisations generally, it's crucial to collect, generalise, and allow comparable data for users. And this despite the fact that all CIS countries generally support support the recommendations of the ICLS, we're still facing some difficulties. There are many reasons for this. Primarily, this is the shift to new standards not at the same time, and that means that there are methodological issues. There's also differences in organisations and how the results are represented, as national legislation on labour and how that's classified. And also, sometimes there are temporary use of some indicators, and that's not necessarily compatible. For example, countries don't carry out a reaccounting if they move to new methodology, new methodology, or if they move to a more general approach, if they carry out a different census. And this happens quite a lot. Some countries— here we see that there are also different time frames used. In this connection, it's crucial when we work with this data to focus on well-defined metadata. With this aim, as part of the CIAS StatHub on data and metadata, we developed a system for knowledge management, and pilot— and this was piloted by this— using Labour Statistics. We had an online library with methodology, documents, and classifications. On the base of the key terms from these documents, they created a glossary, created a glossary for labour statistics, and then also how terms were then used in different classifications and documents, as well as the indicators. That meant we could create a semantic model of this data and disseminate this data to CIS countries in the format of SMART data, which provides a comprehensive interpretation using a search system, search function for this. In order to provide assistance to systems, CIS translates new international standards into Russian, and we— as well as recommendations, and they provide advisory support on implementing them. We also organise thematic meetings and ensure the participation of CAS staff in international conferences and seminars. This has accelerated implementation of the decisions from the 19th and 20th ICLS meetings. Since the recommendations from the 21st conference, these have already been— the resolution of this conference has already been translated into Russian and Methodological work has been developed on measuring informal work and the status of work, and also working on internet platforms, income from labour, and also sustainable development indicators, child labour, and others. We continue to organise conferences and seminars to exchange experience. For example, in May last year in Dushanbe, we had representatives for from labor statistics offices with the director of the department of the ILO as well, and international organizations working and bringing international experts on board too. This was a great encouragement for the implementation of new standards for statistics in the CIS region. Thank you very much.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of CISSTAT. I see no further request for the floor and now invite Miss— Francesca Grum, Chief of the Demographic and Social Statistical Branch of the UNSD, to summarize our discussion on this item.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Statistical Commission acknowledged the important outcomes from the 21st International Conference of Labour Statisticians, ICLS, including the adoption of 4 resolutions, notably on statistics on the informal economy. The Commission recognized with appreciation the progress made by the International Labour Organization, ILO, in supporting the implementation of statistical standards through capacity building, methodological guidance, and technical assistance, and requested ILO to continue these efforts, including for the latest International Classification of on Status in Employment and the standards on the informal economy, noting that their implementation will take time. The Commission welcomed the establishment of technical working groups to develop or update statistical standards, including on digital platform work, labor migration, care work and the revision of the International Standard Classification of Occupation, ISCO 2008. Thank you.

I thank Ms. Krum. The Commission has concluded this discussion of item 3H. Distinguished delegates, the Commission will meet again 10 o'clock AM tomorrow morning 6th March in this conference room to commence its consideration of Agenda Item 3E entitled Economical— Economic Statistics. Before adjourning the meeting, please, please be seated for a moment. I give the floor to the Director of UNSD, Mr. Schweinfest.

Thank you, Chair. Just to remind you, for those we have had over 200 people registering your email addresses on this code. I see it's up again. For those who haven't done so, please register it so that I can send you— we can send you tomorrow evening or Friday morning the draft report to be— decisions to be adopted on Friday. Thank you.

Thank you, Secretary. Thank Mr. Schwanenfester. For that information. And one thing I want to make a special thank for the interpreters that they are helping us the whole day that we understand what the other— what people say in different languages. I think we can give them an applause for their work they have done the whole day. Thank you. The meeting is adjourned.