(2nd Meeting) 56th Statistical Commission

Ladies and gentlemen, take your seats. The second meeting of the 56th session of Distinguished delegates, the second meeting of the 56th session of the Statistical Commission is called to order. I now invite the Commission to continue its consideration to agenda item 3B entitled Population and Housing Census. And hear the remaining speakers in the debate on the report of the Secretary-General of 2020 and 2030 World Population and Housing Census Program containing in document E/CN.3/2025/3. I kindly recall delegation that the list of speakers has been closed at the end of the morning meeting and ask to adhere to the time limit of 3 minutes. Before I give the floor to the next distinguished delegates, I want to remind you that— thank you very much for all of those who sent their oral statements or their intervention, but please don't send it to the UNSD. You have to send it to the e-statements, otherwise at the UNSD nothing happens there. Indisreal, mate. So I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Barbados.

Barbados, on behalf of the CARICOM region, congratulates the United Nations Statistical Division on the efforts made in the revision of the Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses Rev. 4. The revisions were made through global consultation and have taken into consideration the emerging issues faced by statistical offices and how we are best placed to deal with them in preparation for the 2030 round. We therefore support the work done in revising the principles and recommendations for population and housing censuses and look forward to future consultations in preparation for the 2030 round. We also recognize the work done by the task team formed by decision made at the 42nd meeting of the United Nations Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities in researching the datasets and methodologies existing and available for harmonizing the estimation of total number of households. The 2020 round of the Population and Housing Censuses were particularly challenging given the vagaries of the COVID-19 pandemic. In light of this, national statistical offices must seek to position themselves to be agile to combat old and emerging threats. That can undermine our ability to fulfill our mandate and jeopardize our relevance. Register-based censuses offer a viable solution to the inefficiencies that traditional census now pose. However, in preparation for the 2020— 2030 round of population and housing censuses, many of us may not be in a position to attain the necessary standards to conduct a register-based census, and a hybrid approach may be more feasible. In either instance, considerable capacity building, training, and advocacy is required to ensure that our administrative sources are fit for purpose for statistical use. In light of this, we request support not only in the technical aspects of census taking, but a show of support through collaborative advocacy. There is strength in numbers and partnership. We encourage member states to support support and rally around each other as we often face the same challenges, challenges, as was evident in the 2020 round. The hope is that all of our CARICOM member states, and indeed all of us gathered here, will be able to conduct and complete a population and housing census in the upcoming round, and that the number of countries not fulfilling this mandate will decrease and thus bring us closer to the ideal of leaving no country behind. We therefore endorse the draft resolution on the 2030 World Population and Housing Census Program. I thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Barbados. And we now come to the distinguished delegate of Colombia.

The need to promote regional cooperation in Latin America for the implementation of the 2030 World Program on Population and Housing Censuses. And supports the provision of technical assistance to national statistical office through regional and sub-regional initiatives that foster the exchange of experiences and best practices. The importance of innovation in census processes is recognized, including the use of administrative records. However, it is to emphasize that the adoption of these tools must consider the specific capacities and context of each country and national statistical offices. Where technical, institutional, and regulatory challenges persist that may limit their implementation. Finally, Colombia highlights the importance of strengthening the narrative surrounding the census cycle, allowing to establish complementarity elements between census operations. For instance, with the economic census and agricultural census. Better planning and policymaking. It is key to underscore the role of UN in-country teams surrounding data collection activities, Does streamlined messaging across the UN system, incentivizing data sharing between UN institutions and NSOs, contribute to bridging the data gaps?

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Colombia. I now come to the distinguished delegate of Burundi.

Merci, Monsieur le Président.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Burundi, on behalf of the African Group, would like to contribute to the report of the Secretary-General on the World Population and Housing Census Program for 2020 and 2030. The African Group welcomes those companies— those countries, rather, that have already introduced their census data in 2020. Over 40 African states provided their censuses during the last cycle, and many of them carrying out digital censuses. As we know, the cycle of 2020 fell in difficult circumstances in Africa. Namely the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, there was insecurity and scant financial resources. Now we're approaching the 2030 cycle, and during the meeting of statistics agencies in Africa in October and December of 2024, the African states recognized and recalled that there were gaps in implementing the agenda at hand and committed to doing it. All, all of the African states should carry out their census by 2030. Thus, the Africa Group approved a census program to address the period up to 2030, in the years 2025 to 2030. The African countries have also welcomed the 4th edition of the Principles for Conducting Censuses. The African group welcomes the proposals seeking that the Statistics Division, in cooperation with other regional and international organizations that are relevant, that the Statistics Division moves with them to ensure capacity building, to carry out technical training and virtual meetings in order to train participants on norms— on international standards, rather— and to train them in correcting data and on other issues that are relevant to technical assistance and successful cooperation. The African Group welcomes the work of the Special Team for Coordination of Statistical Activities in terms of their work on households. And we welcome— we reiterate the importance of timely data on household numbers. The African Group welcomes the work on identifying with more precision the number of households the impact of factors such as immigration and migration on the definition of households, and welcomes innovative techniques for data collection. Finally, while approving on the whole of the report of the Secretary-General on the World Population and Housing Census Program for 2020 and 2030, we have several recommendations. First, there needs to be a census of agriculture in order to address the effects of agriculture. We also want to see national efforts supported to ensure we address demography and agriculture. Next, an awareness of data collection on climate change. And lastly, an awareness of data collection for everything that is connected to civil status. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you very much to the distinguished delegate of Burundi. And I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Mongolia.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, distinguished delegates. Mongolia commends and appreciates the report on the implementation of the 2020 World Population and Housing Census Program and activities carried out by the Statistics Division to support the 2020 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses. We also appreciate the preparation work in support of the 2030 World Population and Housing Census Programme, including activities to update the principles and recommendations for the population and housing censuses. We recognize the selected team for the up— upcoming Revision 4 by the expert group and task teams set up, set up by it on topics such as transitioning from traditional methods, geospatial integration, data disaggregation and use, and quality assurance. The selected themes are important and timely for member countries as more countries are transitioning from traditional methods to new and innovative approaches with the advent and possibility of digital technology. Mr. Chairman, Mongolia conducted 2020 census using a combined method with administrative data and a sample survey of 10% of the population. This year, we will conduct an interim population and housing census using administrative and geospatial data. This interim census will be carried out with a strong emphasis on strengthening the whole-of-government data governance framework by focusing on administrative metadata, data quality, interoperability and integration, and the pilot use of geospatial data on housing for nomads to lay groundwork for the 2030 census. We would be happy to share our experience in this area. Thank you very much, Mr.

Chair.

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

Albania appreciates the work done by the group of experts for preparation of the report for the 2030 Census Program. Albania, recognizing the importance of this report, supports the prioritization of technological innovations, use of administrative data, and capacity building, particularly for countries facing resource and infrastructure constraints. Additionally, the importance of adopting tailored communication strategies was highlighted. Albania welcomes the draft principles and recommendations for Population and Housing Census Revision 4, particularly the guidance on managing culturally sensitive topics. The application of free declaration randomizing response response categories and allowing respondents to confirm their answers have proven effective in safeguarding data integrity. In line with the strategy for the publication of geospatial data, INSTAT has established the Geo Data Hub and the Web GIS platform, significantly enhancing access to and visualization of socioeconomic indicators. These platforms improve user interaction, enabling the preparation of customized maps, downloading of geographic and tabular data, and broader accessibility to census-related insights. Finally, Albania expresses appreciation for— appreciation for the comprehensive nature of the report, emphasizing the role of technology, data quality, and international collaboration in advancing census methodologies globally. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Albania. We now come to distinguished delegate of Egypt.

Shukran, Lissada.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We would like to thank the statistical division for all their effort in general and their effort to implement the 2020 census and the preparatory work of the 2030 cycle in particular. Turning to the implementation of the global program Minister of Population Census would like to stress that Egypt has undertaken this census in 2017 electronically using modern technology. We have collected data with geospatial and electronic means. This was the 14th census in our history. Which started in 1872, were also addressing a program for the 2030 census and draft principles and recommendations in their fourth review. Turning to the activities suggested for the 2030 cycle of census, Egypt is undertaking preparations for the general census for the 2027 cycle, implementing the principles of this program using administrative registers. We plan to implement the working methods of this, uh, statistical census through collecting the field data and also ensuring the implementation of different working methods as we collect census every 10 years. Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished representative of Egypt. And now we come to the distinguished representative of Iraq.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We would like to express our appreciation to the Statistical Commission of the United Nations for their important effort to promote the work in the field of statistics and ensuring decision-making based on data. Their important role to reach accurate statistics is of vital importance to reach sound decisions. Iraq also appreciates the important support provided to Iraq as well as the important support to provide technical assistance and building capacity to ensure general consensus. In November of last year, Iraq conducted its first general population and housing census in nearly 4 decades. It is a national effort that provided critical insights into our demographic, social, and economic reality. The census results Published in February of this year, showed that Iraq's population reached 46.1 million with a high urban population rate of 70.2% and notable progress in education and employment levels. This census was not just a data collection procedure, but a transformative tool for governance. For the first time, Iraq incorporated digital data collection methods which enhanced accuracy, efficiency, and transparency. Such results would guide national development strategies, resource allocation, and social service planning, ensuring that no segment of society would be left behind. Mr. Chair, Iraq recognizes that data governance is at the core of effective statistical systems. We welcome the discussions on data governance frameworks and capacity-building effort at this session. In this regard, Iraq stands ready to cooperate with international partners, including the UN Statistical Commission, to strengthen institutional capacity, promote statistical literacy, and utilize innovative technologies to achieve more inclusive and sustainable development. As we work to align our national statistical frameworks with the SDGs, we reaffirm once again our commitment to data-driven policymaking that prioritizes economic growth, social welfare, and human rights. In this vein, we would like to stress that the results of the 2024 census will be instrumental in shaping policies related to poverty reduction, access to education, and labor market mobility, all of which form the core of Iraq's long-term development vision. Mr. Chair, Iraq emphasizes the importance of continued global cooperation, technical assistance, and knowledge sharing to ensure that data acts as a catalyst for sustainable development. Iraq remains committed to strengthening its national statistical capacity and sharing its expertise to enrich the collective progress of the international community. Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you, the representative from Iraq. I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate from Malaysia.

Honourable Chair, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. Malaysia acknowledged the implementation of 2020 World Population and Housing Census Program despite the global challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, several modifications were made to the procedures and administration for population enumeration, including adjustment to the timetable for enumeration phases. To ensure the success of the 2020 Malaysia Population Census, several strategic actions were implemented. The development of the Malaysia Integrated Population Census System significantly enhanced the efficiency of the data collection analysis and dissemination. The adoption of digital data collection method resulted in 91.9% of the total responses. Malaysia fully endorses the draft principles and recommendations for Population and Housing Census Revision 4 and supports the proposed activities for the 2030 World Population and Housing Census program. As part of the 2030 Census, Malaysia is leveraging administrative data, adopting geospatial, HEC employment and migration, housing and social services data to build a comprehensive and updated population register. Malaysia is also enhancing digital data collection method through mobile application, web-based questionnaire, and online self-response option. For greater accuracy and efficiency. Extensive public awareness campaign using social media and collaboration with state and federal agency ensure smooth coordination and provide capacity building and technical support to key stakeholders. Malaysia strongly agree on the crucial of producing comparable time series data on the household worldwide. This data is essential for creating and evaluating policy allowing countries to compare and share best practices. Finally, Malaysia acknowledged the potential of artificial intelligence in transforming the 2030 World Population and Housing Census program and is committed to advancing toward this technology. By automating data entry and capturing real-time information, AI can streamline data collection, significantly reduce human errors, and enhance the accuracy of the data. Advanced AI algorithms can quickly clean, validate, and analyze large datasets. The integration of GeoAI with geospatial data enhances mapping and spatial analysis. The use of AI in sensor data collection will further improve operational efficiency and provide spatial visualization for sensor dissemination. Thank you, Chey.

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

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

The Kingdom of Bahrain would like to express its appreciation to the international effort made to enhance the population housing census. We stress the need to adopt modern technology and working methods based on digitization to ensure accurate information. In this vein, we support the draft resolution tabled by the committee to develop the working methods to achieve the World Population Housing Census program while taking into consideration the specificities of each country and providing the necessary financial support to the needy country. We are proud to have a great collection of database that allowed the Kingdom of Bahrain to totally depend on our administrative register since the 2010 census, which was followed by the 2020 census, which coincided with the world challenge of corona pandemic. We have learned from the lessons of the 2020, which stressed the need to adopt a flexible strategy. We call for regional cooperation and exchange of expertise with member states to enhance our effort in this field. And ensure the high quality of data that will help to make decisions, to reach the sound decisions. Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

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

Merci, Monsieur le Président.

Thank you, Chair. Canada thanks the Statistics Division of the United Nations for its activities that it has undertaken to help countries reach the World Population and Housing Census Program for 2020. And we thank it as well for the preparatory activities for the 2030 cycle, especially the revision of the new principles and recommendations document. The new document of principles and recommendations reflects the best practices and lessons learned during the census cycle of 2020 in terms of planning, organization, implementation and utilization. This revision addresses key areas, in particular the use of administrative data, geospatial integration, contingency planning, quality assurance, and it thus responds to technological advances, social changes, fiscal constraints, and emergent needs. As a member of the group of experts, Canada supported the updating of the guidelines for the 2030 version of the Principles and Recommendations for housing and population censuses, and we fully endorse their adoption by the Commission. We approve of the proposed resolution on the World Population and Housing Census Program for 2030. We affirm that internationally comparable time series data on the number of households are essential to compare data among countries, to address global trends, and to identify best practices in order to achieve global objectives such as poverty reduction, access to housing, and sustainable development. Canada stands ready to share its experience, and we encourage the other countries to follow suit as we prepare for the census cycle of 2030. Thank you, Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Canada. The distinguished delegate of Cuba.

Thank you very much, Chair. The current round of census in Cuba took place in 2012. To— in 2020, we started to prepare for it with new modalities. This, however, was halted by the enormous costs which my country had to allocate to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, including the creation of our own vaccinations and the following immunization of our entire population. As well as that, we saw the resurgence of the economic, financial, and trade embargo, which had a major impact over time with an impact on the ability to carry out journeys for the census. Although the government did decide to undertake it, we have kept up to date with lessons learned from the delivery of censuses from the 2020 round and international guidelines in this area. My delegation welcomes the preparatory activities for the global— or rather, World Population and Housing Census Program for 2030. Thank you.

Thank you, distinguished delegate of Cuba. And now we come to distinguished delegate of China.

Thank you, Chair. First of all, I'd like to congratulate on the successful outcome of the 2020 World Population and Housing Census. We support the 2030 World Population and Housing Census Program and revised principles and recommendations for the 2030 round. And we also appreciate appreciate UNSD's efforts in developing the handbook and establishing guidelines, which play a crucial role in ensuring that population census adhere to scientific standards and effectively integrate digital technologies.

We firmly support the need for internationally comparable statistics on the number of households. We look forward to the timely development of a globally harmonized methodologies for estimating the statistics. Third, as a responsible major nation, China has consistently upheld its statistical responsibilities and international commitments.

In 2020, despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, we successfully conducted the 7th National Population Census in an orderly manner.

This census incorporated new technologies, with all the data collected electronically through online submission by, uh, responders. Additionally, data processing was conducted using cloud and other internet-based technologies.

This extensive census mobilized over 7 million census takers across the country, covering more than 400 million households and 1.4 billion people. As planned, China will also conduct a national one population sample survey in 2025. In recent years, we have shared our expertise in census with many countries through international seminars and specialized training workshops. We remain committed to collaboration and will continue to expand and deepen our engagement with the global community to advance census worldwide. I thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Nepal explicitly acknowledged the effort made by Statistical Commission on development and encouraging to implement census guideline during 2020 and proposed 2030 old population and housing census program around despite challenges posted by COVID-19, financial constraint, and logistic difficulties. Nepal's experience can serve as a case study for other developing countries facing similar constraints. The Commission should especially emphasize on lesson learned from Nepal's census regarding population coverage, non-response adjustment, and data quality assurance. Nepal NSO ensured that census data effectively used for national policy planning particularly for the resource allocation, disaster preparations, and SDG monitoring. The Commission may be advised integrating census data with administrative records to enhance future population estimation and socio-economic planning. The Statistical Commission should support capacity building program for Nepal's National Statistics Office to adopt best practices. The Commission should recommend international organizations like UN-ESCAP, UNFPA, World Bank, provide additional technical and financial support for the— for intersectional demographic survey and Nepal upcoming census round. This includes questionnaire refinement, real-time data collection, training, software development, and guidance using alternative data resources like mobile data, satellite images, and citizen-generated data. Also, Nepal is sure to make census data openly accessible for economic research, policy analysis, and public engagement. Using modern data visualization techniques and open data platforms will enhance transparency and public trust. Thank you, sir.

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

Muchas gracias.

Thank you very much, Chairman. Spain takes note of the completion of the World Population Census program, we believe it's very positive. We think that administrative data can be a principal source, and we also need to have traditional sources, too. In the case of Spain, the 2021 census took place on the basis of administrative data only, with a methodology based on household to produce the census Statistics. We believe that this method has advantages such as reducing the burden on respondents and costs. We would be in favor of approving the resolution on the World Population Housing Census Program 2030. And in line with Spain's experience, I'd like to highlight item— Point 6 of the resolution urging countries to explore administrative data for its use in the next round. We also support the the proposed principles for the fourth edition of the recommendations, which we believe will provide high-quality information to better understand the global population picture. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Spain. And now we come to the distinguished delegate of Russia.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Russian Federation commends what the Statistics Division has done, that is, its work to produce the fourth version of the principles and recommendations based on BECT, the best practices from the 2020 census round. We thank the Statistics Division for the review of the last round, including the practice of the census being conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, which changed greatly the statistics surveys carried out, the census carried out. When preparing for the next round of the census, we don't plan to set aside completely traditional means of data collection, such as receiving information from households from registers and other sources. 2020 was one of the first digital censuses in the Russian Federation, and many respondents from major cities carried out— filled out the questionnaires themselves online. Of course, we'll be drawing in the future on UN recommendations. Features of future censuses will be using registers of the population and administrative data as well, and supplementing these registers, census registers, with online forms filled out. We are also looking into the use of big data and developments in artificial intelligence when preparing for the 2030 census. Our country has already— 2020, rather, we also used information from phone providers when planning fieldwork. The Russian Federation is actively drawing on innovative technological solutions when carrying out censuses. Specifically, we are part of— we're participating in the working group of the European Economic Commission of the UN. Here we note the high level of coordination in the work of the Economic Commission for Europe and the Statistics Division of the UN. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished representative of the Russian Federation. And I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of the Republic of Moldova.

Thank you, honorable chair, distinguished delegates. The Republic of Moldova highly appreciates the efforts and activities carried out by the Statistics Division in cooperation with other UN agencies and partners to support the conduct of the Population Housing Census of the 2020 World Program, contributing to the availability, international comparability, and overall quality of census data. Moldova, in its Population Housing Census conducted in 2024, widely used the census guidelines recommended by the UN Conference of European Statisticians and European Commission. The novelties used in the national census in terms of methodological improvements, leveraging relevant administrative data to supplement traditional census data collection, and use of technological innovations such as cloud, digital data collection, and GIS technologies that contributed to improved timeliness, operational, and statistical efficiency of census operation. Moldova endorses the draft principles and recommendations for population housing census, censuses for revision for the 2030 round, expressing high appreciation and gratitude to the Statistics Division and the international expert group for the preparation of the draft document that emphasizes advanced practices in overcoming the challenges encountered accounted by countries during the 2030— 2020 round. We highlight the importance of the preparation and update of relevant international statistical standards, methods, and guidelines to facilitate the planning and implementation of the 2030 round of the population and housing censuses, taking into account the advantages of new technologies and alternative data sources. We underscore the need for the provision of technical assistance to national statistical offices with the support of the UN agencies and other partners to strengthen national capacity for the implementation of the 2030 World Population Housing Census program. In this aspect, we welcome the initiative of the development of platforms of exchanging knowledge, national experiences, practices, and lesson learned in conducting population housing censuses, including the use of new technologies, administrative, and other alternative data sources. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of the Republic of Moldova. Now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Chile.

Gracias, President.

Thank you, Chair. Chile welcomes the presentation on the World Population and Housing Census Program 2020 and commend the many achievements of the Statistics Office throughout this Census round. That's been a particularly complex round, of course, and because of that, we'd like to highlight the need to shed further light on lessons learned, which will allow us to improve many elements for the next census round as we approach 2030. It's well known by all that this census round was difficult. The pandemic and other global events had a major impact on the delivery of censuses compared to what we're used to. A lack of trust from citizens, a perception of insecurity which is being experienced in many of our countries, and difficulties for contracting field agents alongside the incorporation of elements such as the use of new technologies, all invite us to reflect on the need to be more agile in the planning and rollout of these huge statistical operations. We need to start thinking about new ways of carrying out censuses where we must, I'm sure, intensively use administrative data, using these sources of information, but also analysing their shortcomings and limitations. Their integration into censuses should be therefore cautious, and we must ensure that there's constant monitoring of it. The 2030 round should build on gains in previous cycles, and we should also integrate a more robust standpoint in terms of the use of new technologies and emerging technologies in censuses, as well as digital censuses and those based on administrative data, which will help country to better deal with the high levels of cost and time involved in censuses. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to address you on behalf of the National Statistics Office of Georgia at the 56th session of the UN Statistical Commission. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Commission for its vital role in strengthening national statistical systems and fostering international collaboration. Reliable official statistics are fundamental for evidence-based policymaking and sustainable development. The UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics— guide our work, ensuring integrity, transparency, and accountability in producing high-quality data. Georgia welcomes the Secretary-General's report on population and housing censuses. Last year, we successfully conducted the first fully electronic census in Georgia's history,, starting with self-remuneration and followed by copy using tablets. Despite challenges such as adverse weather and public skepticism in some municipalities, the census was conducted in full compliance with international standards. The results will be published in June 2025, marking an important step as Georgia prepares to transition to register-based censuses in the future. In recent years, Georgia has made significant progress in developing its national statistical system. The adoption of a new law on official statistics in 2023, aligned with the GLOWS and the European Statistics Code of Practice, strengthens the independence, and quality of official statistics. Additionally, we have introduced paperless data collection methods, enhanced statistical capacity, and produced more disaggregated data to leave no one behind. A key milestone is the EU-Twinning project implemented in partnership with Statistics Finland, Germany, and Italy. This initiative plays a vital role in modernizing our statistical system, bringing us closer to EU standards and supporting Georgia's European integration aspirations. We remain committed to aligning our statistical system with the EU ACquis, ensuring the credibility, comparability, and transparency of our statistical output. International partnerships play a crucial role in advancing official statistics. Cooperation with the UN Statistical Commission, the EU, and other global partners strengthens capacity building, knowledge exchange, and methodological development, contributing to the harmonization of global statistics and better decision-making. In conclusion, Georgia remains fully committed to upholding the UN fundamental principles of official statistics, fostering international cooperation, and ensuring the production of reliable and high-quality data to support sustainable development and informed policymaking. Thank you for your attention.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Georgia. Now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Peru.

Buenas.

Good afternoon and thank you. Peru in August to October will carry out its next national population and housing census. We'd like to express our thanks and support to the UN recommendations and the support we've received from all its bodies. We are changing our census in Peru in terms of its methodology. We're going from a de facto census to a de jure census, so to speak. We are also looking at the recommendations now, having an online census modality, and over recent months we have, thanks to the UN, received 40,000 tablets so that we can carry out the census using this data capture methodology. We're going to intensively use these alongside administrative registers. We're going basically household to household to look at using satellite data for disaster reduction policies so that we can have immediate evacuation routes should there be any natural disasters in our country. Now, presently, we are developing two pilot projects with— The goal being to carry them out this month or by the start of April so that we have a definitive questionnaire which we can then roll out over the months to come in the run-up to August to October, the census window. We have received support from the Latin American Demographics Center and from the United Nations. We'd like to express our gratitude to both those organizations. Thank you.

Thank you very much to the distinguished delegate of Peru. And now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Portugal.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Portugal takes note on the— of the implementation of the 2020 World Population and Housing Census program and acknowledged the successful execution despite the challenges and obstacles presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a very challenging moment and an example of unity and co-responsibility at local levels to undertake the endeavor.

Portugal recognizes the importance of the Resolution on the 2030 World Population and Housing Census Program and fully supports its approval.

We endorse the broad principles and recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses Revision 4 and congratulates with the progress made on topics such as emerging planning, geospatial integration, the use of administrative data, and the transition from traditional methods.

We also welcome the activities proposed by the Statistical Division, both in terms of producing international methodological guidelines as well as in activities related to capacity building and technical support.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

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

Thank you, Chairman. On behalf of the Arab Gulf countries, the State of Qatar would like to commend the efforts of your team and, of course, of the Gulf countries are also members of the expert group on the fourth review of the World Population and Housing Census Program. We highlight the importance of strengthening capacities and we approve the decision of your commission in terms of its program for 2030 on housing— population and housing census programs. And we also welcome the The importance of internationally comparable time series data on the number of households. The countries of the Gulf are working on a reference register on successful practices which have been adopted in the 2020 censuses in the Gulf countries. These censuses were only based on administrative registers and new technical approaches, we are now drafting principles for the 2030 census and take into account appropriate ways forward, including potentially artificial intelligence and megadata, which should be integrated— or big data, rather— which should be integrated into censuses to improve the quality of the outcomes. Thank you.

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

Grazie, Chair.

Thank you, Chair. First of all, I'd like to commend the efforts which have been deployed, and we're of the view that it's particularly important to point to the recommendation to further integrate administrative data. However, that does bring with it major challenges in terms of how we implement and use these There are legal restrictions, of course, which various countries may face. Work needs to be done on that. There are also questions linked to individuals' privacy when it comes to integrating their identity numbers, and we need to make sure that they remain confidential and that their information is safeguarded. We also believe it's very important to work to work on practical guidelines to use these administrative data, ensuring that they are of high quality, looking at how they are incorporated. And we also need to look at cybersecurity measures so that we can safeguard individuals' privacy. There is also a major challenge when it comes to integrating land management data systems. These have complications in federal countries where there may be sub-national governments which hold this information, and there may be difficulties with the sharing of that data. It's important to work on that. Finally, I'd like to highlight that censuses are a bridge between various fields of statistics. Such as environmental, economic, and other statistics. And we think it's important to consider integrating new themes in questionnaires with questions on matters such as, for instance, individuals' links to the environment, to governance statistics, or various ways of measuring economic, social, and social and economic capital. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr.

Chair. Thailand appreciates the UN Statistical Commission and Statistics Division for their work on the 2030 World Population and Housing Census programs. We endorse the principle and recommendation to Population and Housing Census Division for valuable guidance for producing standardized, comparable data for national development planning. We fully support the transition to digital census format, including multimode data collection approach, innovative technical geoliferencing and increased use of government registry data. Thailand welcomes the Statistics Division's proposed capacity-building activities for the 2030 programs. Thailand will conduct its postponed census in 2025 using a digital-first approach that priority safe response participant from our residents. We have prepared a georeferenced digital frame and developed a fully digital system for our sensors, processed our cost-effective bring your own device strategy, enable emulator to use personal device with application that validate data in real time and capture precise geographical information. The public will complete online questionnaire in early April 2025, followed by copy-based field collection for non-response respondents. Thailand stands ready to share our experience with fellow member states after CENSAC completes.

Thank you very much.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Thailand. And now we come to the distinguished delegate of Maldives.

Thank you, Chair. Maldives comments and appreciates the work that went into the preparation of the Revised Recommendation on Population and Housing Census and the related guides. We would like to note that Maldives completed the Census 2022 during this round and using new technology and tablets for data collection and also did georeferencing. We appreciate the technical guidance and support provided by UN to Maldives Census 2022 data quality assessment work. We look forward to the implementation of the revised census recommendation and look forward to guidance and capacity support in this regard. We find the reference given to the register-based census in the revised recommendation very useful as we are moving towards using more administrative data in our future censuses. At present, we are working on the roadmap in moving towards a register-based census with support from UNESCO and UNFPA. We note the importance of producing internationally comparable time series data on the number of households and availability of more frequent data on population in countries. Thank you very much.

Thank you for the distinguished delegate of the Maldives. And now we are giving the floor to distinguished delegate of Hungary.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Hungary welcomes the effort of the Statistical Division concerning the implementation of the 2020 World Population and Housing Census Program and approves the draft resolution on the 2030 round. In light of upcoming census program, we believe it's essential to focus on the challenges and lesson learned from the previous round and reflecting back in deemed necessary to improve and innovate. Consequently, Hungary found the summary of the 2020 census very informative and useful. It was educational to get an overview and learn from best practices. We appreciate all the work and energy invested in the preparation of the fourth revision of the Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses and support its draft version. Hungary agrees with the the proposed activities regarding the 2030 Census program and consider them good objectives. Among others, producing internationally comparable time series data on the number of households is extremely important, not only per se, but in the way that it can be used as a denominator for some indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals. Thank you very much.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Hungary. And now we come to the distinguished delegate to Lao People's Democratic Republic.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Distinguished delegates, the Lao Bureau of Statistics, we express our sincere appreciation for the revised international standards for the world population and housing census program. We value the lesson learned from the 2020 census and also support the approval of the 2030 recommendations and program, particularly the use of modern methods, integration of the geospatial data, and the data disaggregation for the SDG, and emphasize the importance of international comparable time series data for global development monitoring. Even though our 6 country census will be conducted in the year 2035. Turning into current status, we are preparing our 5th population census in this year 2025. The census launching conducted last week, 28th of February 2025. The census will play a critical role in the supporting national development and achievement of the SDG. This is the first census in Lao PDR to utilize the modern technology such as GIS and the CAP-P. Our preparations are focused on ensuring accurate data collection for qualified final enumeration area and for the main household census, efficient fieldwork, and the post-enumeration survey to ensure the provision of the high-quality data for informed decision-making. We are pleased to contribute our experience after its completion for the future implementation of the census program from the country perspective. The Laos Bureau of Statistics would like to extend our deep gratitude to our government, to the National Census Committee, and development partner, as well as international donor, for their invaluable financial and technical and material support. Particularly UNFPA, the government of Republic of China, Luxembourg government, Australia Aid, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, ADC, the World Bank, and UNICEF. We look forward to continued collaboration and we welcome for support to fulfill remaining gap for ensure the successful of 2025 census in Lao PDR. Thank you very much.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Laos, PDR. As agreed before lunch, these were the countries that were on the list. I now come to the INOs, starting with the UN Population Division on behalf of CCSA, UN system.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I'm providing a joint statement on behalf of the Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities, or CCSA, which consists of 45 international and supranational organizations promoting interagency coordination and cooperation on statistics. The committee highlights the remarkable efforts of member states in conducting the 2020 round of population and housing censuses incorporating significant methodological and technological innovations despite the adverse context created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Committee welcomes the 2030 World Population and Housing Census program and the Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses, recognizing the fundamental importance of these censuses as an essential source for the National Statistical System. The Committee appreciates the invitation to member states to explore and expand the use of administrative data sources in support of census operations, acknowledging that the development and implementation of national statistical population registers is a medium and long-term process. Lastly, the Committee supports all requests submitted to the Secretary-General that we deem necessary for the effective implementation of the 2030 World Population and Housing Census Program. Thank you very much.

Thank you to the representative from DESA. Now we come to the representative of ECLOQ.

Thank you, Chairman. From the ECLAC, we commend all countries participating in this Statistical Commission for their support to the 2030 World Population and Housing Census Programme. Censuses, be they based on full-field enumeration or registers, are the backbone of statistical systems and are key for measuring progress towards sustainable development, leaving no one behind. As in the rest of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted the 2020 census round in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, many methodological and technological innovations were introduced, and most countries successfully conducted their population and housing census. Looking forward to the 2030 census round, it is important, as mentioned by many speakers, to systematize lessons learned and innovations of the 2020 census round, and to capitalize on this experience by identifying areas for improvement, also in light of new social and technological realities. The survey conducted by the United Nations Statistical Division, which most countries of the world have responded, is a great instrument to support this systematization. The ECLAC remains committed not only to provide technical assistance to countries with respect to their census operations, data dissemination and analysis with our free statistical software for microdata processing, Redatam, but also working with countries of the region on systematizing, analyzing and sharing lessons learned. We are also keen to exchange experiences with countries from other regions, as already done, for instance, last October with Norway and Italy at a workshop on register-based censuses carried out in partnership with the National Statistical Office of Uruguay, UNFPA, and IADB. Finally, for our region, it is particularly important to translate into Spanish Revision 4 of the United Nations Principles and Recommendations on Population and Housing Censuses, for which it would be desirable to count with the support of donors and countries. The UN Principles and Recommendations represent a key reference for any country conducting a population and housing census.

Thanks a lot.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of ECLOQ. And now we come to distinguished delegate of ACCWA.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

On behalf of ESCWA and the Arab states, ESCWA has the honor to deliver this statement. Several Arab states have made notable progress on the World Population and Housing Census Program for 2020 thanks to the use of innovative technologies, Inter-Alien. We've also used administrative records and various sources of data. This allowed for exactness in the quality of data. Nonetheless, several countries face challenges that are increasing due to conflicts and geopolitical pressures, which has hampered their capacity to carry out housing and population censuses. ESCOA provides technical assistance and shares best practices and experiences. We also conduct field visits and use tablets to help member states. We also work together with the UNDP and the Statistics Division and the Gulf countries And we're working in these areas. We thank the Statistics Division for the support it's provided in the context of the 2030 World Population and Housing Census program. And we will continue the support that we provide to our member countries, including in capacity building and in the use of new technologies. So as to carry out the next census. Thank you.

Distinguished delegate of ECWA, we now come to distinguished delegate of UN-Habitat.

Thank you, Chair. UN-Habitat welcomes the report of the Secretary-General on the 2020 and 2030 World Population and Housing Census Program and aligns with the joint statement presented on behalf of the Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities, and equally appreciates the already ongoing and coordinated efforts in providing guidance to countries as they prepare for the next round of population and housing censuses. UN-Habitat would like to emphasize the importance of the interrelated guidance provided to countries, particularly on the application of the Global Harmonized approach for delineating cities, urban, and rural areas, commonly known as the degree of urbanization approach. By integrating the degree of urbanization in the upcoming phase of population and housing census, this methodology will enable a clearer identification of rural and urbanization patterns, which are very key drivers of for the next phase of sustainable development as well as the transformation that we do desire. Furthermore, we appreciate the integration and guidance of the delineation of slums and non-slums enumeration areas in the latest round of the recommendations, which again is very fundamental to ensuring that the principle of leaving no one behind is addressed from a geographical perspective. Finally, UN-Habitat reaffirms its commitment to collaborating with all agencies and international partners to support countries in the implementation of the next round of population and housing census program.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to distinguished delegate of UN-Habitat. Now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of CISTA.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Statistics Commission of the Commonwealth of Independent States welcomes the World Population and Housing Census Program for 2030 and the draft reviewed principles and recommendations on the World Population and Housing Census, as well as the events to carry out the— for carrying out the World Population and Housing Census for 2030. A census is one of the key areas of work for the Statistics Commission of the CIS. The last round, 9 countries participated in that effort. The Statistics Commission of the CIS is already preparing for the 2030 round. As in the previous years, we have convened the heads of the relevant unit— units in the CIS in order to ensure results as good as possible. We're also looking at immigration and employment data in order to be as exact as possible. In looking at the immigration flows within the Commonwealth and always also to look at our joint labour market, which is a very relevant indicator for our region. Various techniques have developed for carrying censuses in the CIS, so we want to adopt specific recommendations in order to ensure the results of the census are comparable within our various countries. We'll do this in keeping with recommendations of international organizations too. As shown in the 2020 round and in the preparation for the 2030 round, many countries in the CIS have departed from traditional methods of censuses and are going to engage in combined censuses. In so doing, we're integrating data from various different sources. We also note the growing requirements for receiving data quickly about the population. So we're looking into conceptual approaches for looking into dynamic population models and integrating the results of the census into those models. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished of SISTAT. And now, um, I give the floor to distinguished delegate of the FAO.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. FAO extends its congratulations to the UN Statistical Division on the updated guidance document, Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses. At the same time, FAO would like to reiterate the importance of population and housing censuses as a contributing step for the census of agriculture. It is well acknowledged that when preparing an agricultural census, the household sector is often enumerated based on a frame drawn from the population and housing censuses. So it is very important to recognize the interlinkages that exist between these two instruments and improve the coordination between the population and agricultural censuses, which in most countries are the largest and most expensive data collection programs. To this end, FAO has prepared and distributed a floor document which provides an update on the development of the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2030 This document not only details the methodological development process for the updated World Census of Agriculture Guidelines 2030, but also outlines the remaining steps over the coming year. This includes, in particular, holding a global consultation between April and May 2025, during which the updated draft guidelines will be sent to all member countries for comments. Thereafter, FAO will finalize the draft guidelines between June 2025 and December 2025, based on the comments received during the global consultation. With this, the final draft will be presented to the next session of the Commission for adoption in March 2026. Commission members are encouraged to reiterate the importance of population and housing censuses as a contributing step for the Census of Agriculture and take note of the update process of the World Census of Agriculture 2030 guidelines. In particular, Commission members are invited to participate actively in the global consultation of these guidelines expected to begin in April 2025.

5.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of the FAO, and thank you also very much to everyone who stick to the time. That worked quite well. I have seen there were a couple of countries, they also pushed the button this afternoon, which I haven't read before we went to the break, but I hope you can understand that we closed the list already. But though these countries who want bring in some comments can do that of course also in a written statement to the e-statements. And I hope you can understand that in spite of the time we have, that this was it and we already mentioned it. So I invite now Mrs. Francesca Groome to summarize our discussion on the report.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Statistical Commission welcomed the report of the Secretary General on the 2020 and 2030 World Population Housing Census programs and appreciated the activities carried out by the Statistics Division and its partners in support of the 2020 census program. The Commission acknowledged the remarkable efforts of member states in conducting the 2020 census round, incorporating significant methodological and technological innovations, particularly by adopting digital technologies, georeferencing, and the use of administrative data despite the adverse context generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Commission underscored the critical importance of population and housing censuses as an essential source of data for the national statistical system and for evidence-based policymaking and monitoring. The Commission endorsed the Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses, Revision 4, commended the expert group who oversaw and contributed to their preparation, and encouraged countries to begin their implementation. The Commission recognized that countries may face technical and financial challenges in the 2030 Census Round and requested the Statistics Division and partners to develop guidelines, including on census modernization and innovations, facilitate knowledge sharing and provide technical assistance to that end. The Commission approved the program of work as contained in the report of the Secretary-General, recognized the importance of calculating internationally comparable time series data on the total number of households, and further recognized that the connection between between population and housing censuses and agricultural censuses, and encouraged countries to consider this relationship when planning their censuses. Thank you, Chair.

I thank Miss Groome. And now, in my capacity as Chair, I will introduce now for our discussion the draft resolution titled "2030 World Population and Housing Census Program." included in the annex to the report contained in document E/CN.3/2025/3 as revised with the change agreed during the informals yesterday and this morning. For transparency, this revision will be reflected in document E/CN.3/2025/L5 issued by COB this Tuesday, 6th of March. 1st of March. In line with our practice, we will take a decision on the draft resolution this Friday. I also want to thank the help and facilitation from Netherlands and Mexico. They really helped in that process. Thank you very much. The Bureau really appreciates this. My understanding is that the draft resolution as agreed during the informals has been thoroughly discussed Is there any delegation who would like to make a statement now? I appeal to delegation that we have already reached consensus this morning and I also want to thank for your cooperation to find common consensus and that for in some cases we also had to make compromises. Thank you very much for this. I don't see anyone who wants to take the floor, so thank you Thank you very much. I understand that there is consensus on the draft resolution with the revision proposed during the informals. As aforementioned, for transparency, this revision will be reflected in document E/CN.3/2025/L5 issued by COB this Tuesday, 1st of March. As already aforementioned, In line with our practice, we will take a decision on the draft resolution this Friday. The Commission has just concluded its decision of item 3B. I now invite the Commission to turn its consideration to agenda item 3C, entitled Working Methods of the Statistical Commission, under which the Commission has has before it for discussion and decision the report of the Bureau of the Statistical Commission on the working method of the Commission, contained in document E/CN.3/2025/4. A background document is available on the Statistical Commission's website. I will introduce now the report. The Commission will now begin its debate on the report of the Bureau of the Statistical Commission on the working method of the Commission contains in document E/CN.3/2024/4. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative— oh no, sorry, yeah, here. Distinguished delegate and colleagues, before I give the floor, I have to say something on behalf of the Bureau I would like to give a brief introduction to the report of the Bureau on the working methods. The report provides an overview of the work carried out by the Bureau of the intercessional period. It highlights efforts made in defining the role of the Statistical Commission, providing an assessment mechanism to evaluate progress towards a more inclusive and representative Commission, and though the background note offers suggestions on steps to achieve a strengthened statistical commission. In 2022, when the commission agreed upon and ECOSOC endorsed the revised term of reference, the significant role of the commission as the apex for discussions on data and statistics was strengthened, and this laid the groundwork for subsequent dialogue on the work contained in the working methods reported this year. The commission is invited to discuss the bureau's Background note on implementing the 2022 terms of reference and remaining relevant in the United Nations system. In this note, the Bureau lays out the questions we need to ask ourselves and possible scenarios to deal with the emerged issues and actively promote the Statistical Commission within the UN system. This is neither the beginning nor the end of the discussion, on the future of the Statistical Commission. This is really an ongoing long-term discussion. This is why we don't— we do not ask the Commission to take any concrete decisions on the future organization of the Commission today. We rather want to foster a discussion that will give inputs into the Bureau's continued reflection on this topic. Data governance is being discussed across various groups at the national and international level.— so the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development is establishing a working group on data governance. In the background note on data governance, which was published on Sunday, 1st March, the Secretariat provides an initial overview of data governance and how it is related to this Commission. The goal is to complement and contribute to this broader discussion on data governance. The Bureau is convinced that the topic of data governance that is important for the UN Statistical Commission, without duplicating the work of the CSTD. The goal is for the Statistical Commission's work on data governance to support and enhance coordination across the intergovernmental process. The Bureau should develop terms of reference of working mechanisms in consultation with member states and launch the work in the coming intercessional period. There would— or there should be a report from the newly established working mechanism to the next session of the Commission under a newly created agenda item relating to data governance. I would like to draw your particular attention to paragraph 21 on the report, which contains the point for discussion for us today. Thank you. I start now to give the floor to the distinguished representative of Austria.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Distinguished colleagues, Austria thanks the Bureau of the Statistical Commission for the report and background document. With regard to Section 3, we agree that the analysis of the gaps of the Statistical Commission's current agenda and would like to highlight the importance of the relevant emerging issues such as data stewardship and the use of artificial intelligence. These topics merit a deeper and more systematic consideration. We therefore strongly support the efforts of the United Nations, such as the United Nations Statistical Commission Working Group on Data Stewardship and the UNECE Task Force on the changing role of NSOs in the data ecosystem, which we had the honor to host its first in-person meeting in Vienna in February. We believe that the work will provide an important contribution for statistical systems all over the world. We encourage the Bureau of the Statistical Commission to promote the visibility of our data and statistics beyond the statistical community and frequent users. In the fifth decade In light of the digital revolution, our data should be first choice of AI tools when answering the questions of users worldwide. Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you, distinguished delegate of Austria. I already seen that it's an impressive list of countries who want to speak to this item. So again, I remind you, 3 minutes limit. It worked quite well for the past two issues we had. I hope that will work also for this issue. And I'll give the floor to the distinguished delegate of the UK.

Thank you very much. The UK welcomes the opportunity to discuss the role of the UNSC in the statistics and data ecosystem, and we thank them for all the consultations they've been— and we're asked to do two things, I would suggest. First, the creation of a new working group, and second, expanding the scope of work under the Commission's terms of reference. This morning, the UK was enormously privileged to be at a roundtable organized by Statistics Canada, which looked at misinformation. And one of the panelists there talked about us being in a situation of data obesity, data obesity.. And I have to say I agreed with this particular analogy because there are data everywhere. And if we talk about a statistics and data ecosystem, then we could just end up in a world of just oceans of data. Instead, the UK believes completely that we would support the Statistical Commission considering definitions of data governance as long as the scope of the Commission is clearly defined as data governance within official statistics. And the UK would therefore request that the Bureau of the U.N. Statistical Commission produces— should member states, of course, agree— a draft terms of reference which outlines the requirement for national experts experts and multi-stakeholder representatives focused on statistical data to be consulted throughout. Avoids duplication by accounting for work already undertaken by the Commission, other U.N. bodies, and other international organizations. In other words, focuses on what the Statistical Commission can do and should do. And thirdly, focuses the working group on creating terms that are specific, quick, targeted, and aimed at keeping the Commission's work technically focused and non-political. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of the UK. And I give the floor to distinguished delegate of the State of Palestine.

Shukran sayyid.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to begin by emphasizing how timely The Friday seminar on capacity development for relevant, resilient, and agile national statistical systems, Are We on the Right Track? was given the unprecedented transformation of the technology and the data landscape that national statistical offices must navigate. Our discussions helped clarify how to identify and eventually address these rapid changes while ensuring that official statistics remain timely, granular, relevant, resilient, and agile. We were all inspired by the Assistant Secretary General's remarks. She reminded us that data only becomes truly valuable when it is inclusive, capturing the lives of all communities, especially those most often left out, such as women and girls. She also highlighted the need to move beyond purely extractive data collection, calling for sustainable, gender-responsive approaches that genuinely involve and benefit women and girls. Allow me to briefly summarize 4 key outcomes that stood out from our discussions. First, the need for coordination and inclusive efforts. Partners must collaborate closely to optimize resources, guided by country priorities and national strategies in adherence to the Medellín Action Plan. Multilateral and bilateral donors, implementing agencies, NSOs, and other data stakeholders should enhance mutual accountability and leadership to strengthen the national statistical capacity and foster an environment where data-driven decision-making thrives. Second, the need for capacity development and institutional strengthening. Beyond building technical skills, We must reinforce organizational structures and the broader institutional environment for data and statistics. This requires an intersectional participatory approach, inviting the ministries and other partners to ensure that capacity development efforts truly align with national needs. Third, the need for adapting to the evolving data ecosystem. Emerging technologies such as AI and big data offer powerful opportunities for modernization. Innovative collaboration through South-South and triangular cooperation supported by regional and sub-regional organizations, including global and regional big data and data science hubs, may accelerate— progress while upholding methodological integrity and ethical standards. Fourth, the need for sustainable financing for statistics. Adequate, predictable financing is critical. NSOs should not remain passive. Instead, they must advocate proactively for the value of official statistics, making a transparent case for more substantial investments by highlighting current data gaps and how those may impede informed decision-making. Let me recall that while high-quality, timely, and granular statistics may entail significant investment, they are invariably less costly than misguided policy decisions. On the other hand, that donor fragmentation should be reduced through better coordination, possibly linked to financing for development processes. As we look ahead, the insights and recommendations gathered at the seminar will inform next year's capacity development report. Furthermore, these outcomes should stimulate deeper discussions at regional and sub-regional levels, ensuring that we shape and adopt these initial thoughts in a context-specific manner, thereby contributing meaningfully to the next report. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, the distinguished representative of the State of Palestine.

And now I give the floor to distinguished delegate de Fantigua and the Antiguan Babudo,

on behalf of the CARICOM region, commends the Bureau and Commission efforts in fostering an inclusive and representative Statistical Commission.

This has led to ECOSOC's adoption of the resolution to expand the Commission's membership from 24 to 54 by 2028.

Mr.

Chair, as CARICOM initiated the call for inclusivity, We are hopeful of our representation in the expanded Commission.

A structured evaluation of progress towards the objectives outlined in the 2024 Resolution will be crucial for ensuring transparency. We support the proposed framework for review, particularly Goal 3, which addresses sub-regional representation, a longstanding concern for CARICOM.

This framework face— is essential in ensuring accountability to ECOSOC and evaluating the success of a truly Economic and Social Council . However, Goal 4's reference to more investment from members should be carefully evaluated, as financial constraints often hinder SIDS and developing states from fully participating. Establishing a support mechanism would be instrumental in removing barriers to their engagement.

Addressing these fiscal challenges is essential to fostering truly inclusive participation.

As the Commission evolves on the Economic and Social Council Resolution 22/3, careful attention must be given to defining data governance and the Commission's role with the broader data landscape. Given the Commission's limited meeting time, its scope must remain realistic and focused. In this regard, Antigua and Barbuda and CARICOM support establishing a Commission working group on data governance.

This group would develop common terminology and definitions and support the Global Digital Compact under the Commission on Science and Technology for Development.

Development, ensuring structured discussions on data governance and the Commission's role in shaping it.

Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Antigua-Barbuda. And now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, for the floor, and thanks very much for introducing this important sub-item. We reaffirm the role of the Commission as the primary body for the coordination of the global statistical program with its technical nature. And then our first observation is that one, we fully support the strengthening collaboration among UN systems. And then on the text, of the report, especially paragraph 3, we focus on data governance. So the role of— the role and the voices of the developing countries should be heard when it comes to the data governance. And then they have to have their own roles and to have a balanced world and then with the voice of the developing countries. And then some of the initiatives that focusing and this part is not inclusive and then we would like to refrain from any initiative that is not inclusive and then just singling out just one of the goals of the sustainable development. And then on the text, on the text specifically on paragraph 21, we have several issues. We believe that the Commission should work work closely with the member state and the relevant organizations and then relevant stakeholders to create a global definition and a standard for responsible management and use of data. For the time being, we don't have a clear definition for this too. And then we believe that supporting and supporting the developing countries with the new tools and resources is necessary, especially when it comes to the establishing of the modern data infrastructure. It's an essential, especially for the developing countries. And then my third point focusing on especially establishing regional networks to exchange best practices and experiences in emerging fields such as the application of the AR for data and generation and dissemination among various countries. And then regarding the data, supporting the countries to access the new technologies, including the AI and big data analysis, is highly important, especially in today's world. And then finally, establishing— enhancing training and capacity building program to tackle the challenges including the big data, artificial intelligence, and effective data governance is highly recommended. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Iran. I have been told that the Vienna coffee closes at 5 o'clock, so my suggestion is that we will listen to one more representative before a short break of 5 minutes.. And please, after the next speaker, I will close the list. So please, if you want to speak, then press the button now. And I give now the floor to distinguished delegate of Estonia.

Honourable Chair, dear colleagues, I'd like to thank you, the Bureau, for addressing the issue of working methods. And please allow me to address this discussion today regarding the data governance. Last Friday, we discussed the need for relevant, resilient, and agile statistical systems with a visionary proposal from Ms. Hai Sun Fu from World Bank on adapting our business model to the adding value of LLMs and generative AI. Yesterday's discussion on integrating data governance into our activities further further expanded the idea of meeting the changing needs of our stakeholders and society. I fully support these developments in NSOs. My confidence is strengthened by discussions at last year's DGINS conference in Tallinn, where we explored together with the heads of European statistical systems the future of official statistics, and by preliminary insights from the UNECE task force on changing roles on NSOs in data ecosystems. So, few of my observations. First of all, NSO's transformation is on the way. The shift in NSO's product portfolios is in fact happening, and it is recognized across statistical system curators like ESS, UNEC-HLM, MOSS, and UNSC, all redefining their visions I'm glad that while focusing on keeping the systems coherent, all the visions also aim to create the best conditions for individual NSOs to innovate and lead by example. Second, data is an asset. NSOs must embrace data as an asset and as valuable public good. Also, we must understand its value creation. In this way, we can make a compelling argument to public funding.— meaning it is not only financing the provision of public good, but also a measurable investment into asset creation. Data governance involves many actors. We need to keep in that mind. Early findings from the ECE task force highlights that success in data governance depends on ability to manage complex networks of stakeholders and being able to create value to them. Them. Success seems to be further supported in legal mandate and resources, both financial and human, if they are also available. Third, leadership matters. Collaboration is crucial, but leadership is essential. With global, regional, and local transformations in data governance, we need leaders at all levels to shape the rules of data governance. Also, we cannot excuse our inability to act with the causes that we don't have legal mandate or enough resources. Why should we lead? Because we know what we are talking about. We have the expertise to manage complex multi-domain data products and thus bridge the gap between IT and data-centric worlds. This is our— also our value added when we cooperate with the CSTT and other partners in the field of data governance.

Governance.

And now to conclude, what should UNSC do in addition to standard setting and coordinating our work? First of all, I think we should set the tone at the top. We set— we set the tone at the top by recognizing the risks of inaction and consequences of staggered transformation. If data is not structured and quality controlled, official statistics production itself is at risk. We cannot afford to remain passive while data governance becomes privatized or dictated only by AI-driven processes. We need to prioritize data and making data usable. What I mean by this is that data should not be our worry only when it's unavailable or bad quality. We should be concerned if data is not usable or not used in general.— that should drive our efforts in data governance activity. Again, and last but not least, we have to be present in all UN levels when data or digital discussions take place. Data governance and ethical data use must be integral to every digital or IT discussion. The proposed UNSE data governance tasks, including the trusted data observatory idea, are great steps forward, but we need agility to adapt to a rapid-changing environment, especially as funding diminishes and new tasks arise. With active involvement, the UNSC can leverage its global mandate to coordinate not only the production of official statistics but also data governance, ensuring that final word regarding trustworthiness and quality of data across the domain remains under human control in AR-driven world. Thank you very much.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Estonia. The time is now, um, 10 to 5, and I propose to suspend the meeting at this point for a short break of 10 minutes to enable informal consultation among delegations. So we start 5 o'clock. The meeting will be resume at 5 o'clock. Yeah, the meeting is suspended. The Sting is delegates, please take your seat. We're continuing the Meeting is resumed. Please take your seat. Thank you. We continue. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative Chief of India.

Thank you, Chair.

Uh, being conscious of the time, I'll just make 3 quick points. Uh, number 1, while appreciating the efforts of Bureau, we also welcome the Working Group on Data Governance and look forward for deeper collaboration and knowledge sharing on artificial intelligence and big data and official statistics. Second, to enhance efficiency, we support optimizing inter-sessional activities and leveraging digital platforms for remote participation. And thirdly, we encourage the Bureau to further work on the updated terms of reference of the Statistical Commission, which recognizes the broadening of the data landscape and the Statistical Commission's role in issues related to statistics and data across all domains. India reaffirms its commitment to strengthening the global statistical ecosystem, and we look forward to a continued constructive engagement. Thank you.

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

Hello, Chair. It's nice to have you back up there. As the report of the Bureau shows, The Bureau has held extensive discussions on various aspects of the future of the Commission and its working methods over the course of the past months, and we would now like to put some of the outcomes of these reflections to the Commission. Switzerland had the honor of leading on behalf of the Bureau the drafting of the background document on the implementation of the 2022 Terms of Reference and on collaboration with within the United Nations system. The goal of drafting the document was not to provide answers or make recommendations on all aspects of the Commission's future working methods, but rather to outline the questions that need answering on the options available. We believe that this discussion is crucial for two reasons. First, with the emergence of new technologies and countless new sources of of data, the world of data and statistics has changed. This is why the ECOSOC adopted new terms of reference for the Commission 3 years ago. The document stated clearly that the Commission mandate is not limited to official statistics, but encompasses topics from the wider field of data and statistics. The adoption of this new mandate was an important step towards the future of the Statistical Commission, but we need to discuss how to put this mandate into practice. Second, other UN bodies are increasingly discussing data-related topics, for example, with regard to the implementation of the Global Digital Compact, which was adopted last year at the Summit of the Future. As members of the Statistical Commission, we know about handling data and have something to contribute to this discussion.— that is why we need to talk about how to collaborate with other UN bodies within the UN system and make our voice heard in this discussion that concerns us. One of the key emerging issues is data governance. Work is needed to develop a shared terminology and definition. It is important that our community contribute to the efforts of the Working Group on Data Governance Governance requested by the Global Digital Compact under the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, the CSTD. This working group has been tasked to engage in a comprehensive and inclusive multi-stakeholder dialogue on data governance at all levels as relevant for development. To be able to accomplish this task, we support all further work on data governance under the umbrella of the UN Statistical Commission. Switzerland also aligns with the very powerful statement by Estonia. Thanks.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Switzerland. And I'll give the floor to distinguished delegate of South Africa.

Let me thank you, Chairperson. On behalf of the African Group, South Africa takes note of the expanded role of the Commission., which is now charged not only with the traditional official statistics, but also addressing an expanded data landscape. Its primary function remains as the apex forum for coordinating global statistical programs, developing international standards, and ensuring that statistics are produced produced and used in accordance with the fundamental principles of official statistics. The Group notes the membership expansion mandated by ECOSOC Resolution 2024/2, which increases the Commission's membership from 24 to 54 by 2028 while preserving its technical focus. The Group takes note— meaning the African Group Chair— the Group takes note of the preparations of the World Statistics Day 2025, scheduled for 20 October, which is underway, with modalities and themes under discussions. The African Group also acknowledges enhanced work methods and coordination noting that the Bureau has engaged with regional statistical bodies and other UN entities to ensure that the Commission benefits from diverse regional perspectives while maintaining technical rigor. In this regard, the Commission is expected to work closely with the Committee of the Chief Statisticians and the Commission of Science and Technology for Development. Aligning efforts with the Global Digital Compact and fostering cross-agency collaboration. The African Group joins the Commission in reiterating the importance of the Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics. Finally, Chair, the Group endorses the proposed assessment framework for tracking the progress of the membership expansion and establishing a working group on data governance to develop common definitions and support related initiatives and reporting back in future sessions. Chairperson, I thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of South Africa. I now give the floor to distinguished delegate of Benin. There is no one at the seat at the moment, so I give the floor to Canada.

Thank you, Chair, and distinguished delegates. Canada would like to thank the Bureau and the Secretariat for preparing the reference and the background documents. We recognize the enormous amount of work being done by the Statistics Division. However, member states need sufficient time to read and consider the documents. I raise this now because data governance is an incredibly important issue, and most of what has been suggested could impact not only our working mod— uh, modalities, but also the technical nature of the Statistical Commission. We recognize that data is no longer the domain of official statistics and that data governance is important. However, we continue to have reservations about the Statistical Commission, um, taking on the expanded role of data governance outside of official statistics. Data governance can be political with with, uh, what data governance means to those producing official statistics is very different to how it is understood outside of the domain. That is why we believe our role should remain focused on data for official statistics and providing advice in the production of data more generally. This would ensure the commit— the Commission remains technical but also provide support to other entities in the production of data. With respect to the expansion of the Commission, which was endorsed last year and the utilization of members in its work. We are pleased to see the inclusion of Commission members on the Fundamental Principles Advisory Board as proposed in the terms of reference for Item 3D. Leveraging Commission members for these types of activities ensures our community remains relevant. There are likely many other areas where the Commission members can contribute to, to more, uh, to move important work forward. The proposed working group of the Commission on Data Governance, tasked with developing a common terminology and supporting the work of the Commission on Science and Technology, which has been tasked with data governance, may have value. However, if created, this group must develop tangible working modalities to engage and ensure that the work of the group under the Statistical Commission is meaningfully considered by the working group on this issue that falls under the Commission on Science and Technology for Development. The underlying premise is that national statistics offices should undertake data governance for the country. We should highlight, however, that NSOs in general have authority over data for official statistics, and that our data and statistics are used for statistical purposes only. The larger data community uses data for a multitude of purposes, including monitoring and often enforcement. This is— this then could be problematic and is not in line with Principle 6 of the UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics. So while we do not disagree with the creation of a group, we want to highlight these potential issues as we move forward, and Canada would be pleased to take part in this group and also to help ensure that we make links between the groups. Finally, StatsCan was pleased pleased to work with the Secretariat on the creation of the framework for assessment and reporting on the progress towards the achievement of the objectives for the expansion resolution of last year and support it as a tool to ensure expansion is on track. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Canada. And now we come to distinguished delegate of Benin.

Merci, Monsieur le Président.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr.

Chair, many conditions in Africa have been involved and benefits for UNCTAD's work in statistical capacity building related to measuring productive capacities. We also note with satisfaction Considering the recent progress made in developing methodologies to measure productive capacities in their various dimensions, we find the proposed guidelines useful to operationalize the Productivity Capacity Index, PCI. Therefore, we would like to refer to the Bureau report agreeing that the Commission could provide its expertise on various indices when requested. We would like to request the Commission to circulate the UNCTAD Handbook of Measuring Productive Capacities for global consultation to receive broader feedback on the concepts and methodologies applied from member states and organizations. Two, we note that the PCI is a composite index that maintains a full focus on the underlying source statistics, drawing attention to the need to enhance national statistical capacities to fill data gaps. Therefore, we would like to ask the Statistical Commission to discuss the index and its further development at its 77th session in 2026.

3.

We note with interest that the new generation of the productive capacities in DES is being generated with the support of the Statistical Advisors Board, and the broader feedback will help further enhance the index. Therefore, we would like to encourage collaboration between UNCTAD and UNDC and other UN entities to strengthen capacity building forward in this area.

Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Benin. Now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of the United States.

Thank you, Chair.

The United States appreciates the work of the Bureau in advancing discussions on appropriate data governance initiatives within the UN Statistical Commission. The U.S. recognizes the improvements in the latest paper, particularly its more balanced assessment.

We support the establishment of a working group on data governance within the Commission, provided its scope remains clearly defined and centered on data governance for official statistics. Maintaining this focus will help us avoid overlap with ongoing efforts, such as those with the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development.

Meaningful engagement and collaboration with relevant stakeholders across the UN and with other international bodies will also be critical to fostering alignment with additional data governance efforts within the broader data ecosystem.

On expanding the Statistical Commission's mandates and roles, we underscore the importance of keeping the Commission's work focused on its core technical statistical expertise.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of the United States. I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Qatar.

Shukran khairat al-raees.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. On behalf of the GCC countries, we would like to talk about the reform to implement the new working methods. We support the proposal to put in place a working group on terminology with regard to international data governance terms, and we support its increasing cooperation in the area of data governance. And we would propose the establishment of a mechanism at the international level to ensure a unified framework for data governance so as to guarantee data governance in transparent fashion and also to ensure the privacy of data and to prioritize new innovations. We underscore the role of the Commission in strengthening international cooperation. The Gulf countries support the increasing of dialogue on essential questions. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Qatar. And I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Norway.

Thank you, Chair. We agree that the Statistical Commission needs to engage in the discussion and processes linked to the Global Digital Compact. And I believe that my Estonian colleague had a good point yesterday at the high-level forum when he emphasized the urgency and the need for us to move faster than usual. Therefore, it was, it was good that also the Commission on Science and Technology for Development took part and was present at our discussion yesterday. We need to understand the different roles and try to complement each other. We support that the working group under the Commission should work on data governance and that it collaborates with the working mechanisms established under the Global Digital Compact. Given the short timeframe, the group will need to work efficiently. Hence, it's important to build on findings from the already extensive international work about governance and data stewardship, drawing on the outputs from, for instance, the recent UNICEF E, Report on Data Stewardship and the Role of National Statistical Offices, which already has dedicated paragraphs on defining data governance. This work was also referred to yesterday. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Norway. Now I give the floor to distinguished delegate of China.

Thank you, Chair. First, We strongly endorse this important initiative to increase the membership of the Statistical Commission, agree to the assessment framework for the achievement of this goal, and look forward to the timely completion of the relevant enlargement work so that the Commission functions more effectively as the apex forum of the global statistical system, actively responds to the new emerging issues and challenges in the ever-evolving data ecosystem, and vigorously advances the statistical monitoring SDGs and improvement of the statistical capacity of all governments. Also, it is very important for the Commission to promote work on data governance. As the world and economy is embracing digital transformation, we are faced with a lot of challenges and we see a lot of non-traditional data and statistics that are widely used in production life and we see even The granular nature of statistics in terms of collection, storage, and other traditional ways to dealing with statistics will not be able to deal with such a large scale and variety of statistics. The governance and organization of statistics, as well as the standards, norms, samples, and targets, as well as techniques used in this way, need to be adjusted so that we could help inform the decision in addressing such issues and challenges is our common cause.

We will continue to actively pursue such work.

Thank you.

Thank you, the distinguished delegate of China. And I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Germany.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We would like to thank the Commission for submitting the update background document. As we agree with the view that the increase in data sources and stakeholders involved in the collection and analysis of data will change the requirements placed on statistical systems and the ways in which data are produced, processed, and used, it is therefore important to clarify how this requirement can be met. As already explained in our statement in December, we wish to emphasize the importance of ensuring the independence of official statistics at all times when extending responsibility and including new actors. In this context, we also have reservations regarding the proposal to change the Commission names to the UN Commission on Data and Statistics. Further, it must be ensured that all data are processed to deliver high quality and transparency and in compliance with the international standards. The role of official statistics should be strengthened, in particular in the context of monitoring policy measures, and reliable data should be provided, particularly data that can be compared internationally. Thank you very much.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Germany, and I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Japan.

Thank you, Chair.

Japan would like to express its gratitude for the Bureau's effort to enhance the inclusivity and representativeness of the Statistical Commission. We believe that the proposed assessment framework for the expansion of membership includes appropriate indicators reports that will help evaluate efforts to ensure the participation of the diverse range of countries in line with the Statistical Commission's inclusive and representative nature.

Thank you, Chair.

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

I just wanted to register brief thoughts, especially on the two papers that were under this agenda item: the draft note on data governance and fostering AI readiness and responsible redistribution of official statistics. Chair, I just wanted to recommend a more clear action plan around this effort. I think this is a fundamental work that the Commission needs to give due attention. If we can have a work plan of what we can pursue so that in the next session we have a clear way forward, especially when it comes to the work on making our data more ready for accessibility, either through AI and other means, but also the work on data governance. I think it would be even befitting to have a dedicated session like the one we had yesterday on Monday, where we share experiences and progress towards the work in this regard. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate for Rwanda, and I give the floor to distinguished delegate Republic of Vietnam.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, distinguished delegates. Vietnam appreciates the efforts of the Bureau and Statistics Division, UNSD, in implementation of working methods of the Statistical Commission amid rapid change in data ecosystem in the context of global changes. The efforts of the Bureau and UNSD assist to increase the efficiency and innovation of the statistical community. Vietnam expresses its support for the membership enlargement while preserving its technical nature. As a result of expanding the representative— Vietnam proposes to focus on statistical capacity enhancement activities on official statistic production for NSO. Especially least developed and developing countries. Regarding the assessment framework prepared by the Secretariat of the United Nations and Statistics Canada for the achievement of the objectives in Economic and Social Council Resolution 2024/2 on enlargement of the statistical commission's membership, Vietnam notes the importance of the six goals to ensure that that the Commission is and remains inclusive and representative today and in the future. Besides, although expanding its activity to other data domains, Vietnam expresses its wish that the UNSC will allocate a majority of its resources to official statistics. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Vietnam. I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of the World Bank.

Thank you, Chair. The World Bank appreciates this opportunity to introduce a room document titled Fostering AI Readiness and Responsible Redistribution of Official Statistics, which is shared by the Secretary online under this agenda item. And I also want to express appreciation to the distinguished delegate of Estonia, Rwanda, and Switzerland, for already highlighted the importance of the issue we are addressing in this room document. Indeed, the world is changing fast along with the rapid advancement of AI. We in the official statistics community are learning, exploring, and adapting, and must do so fast. With this room document, we wish to draw the attention of the Commission to one urgent priority, which should become a new dedicated program of work of the Commission. The issue is the growing reliance on AI-driven applications to access and interpret data presents both opportunities and challenges for official statistics. Ensuring that official data remains widely accessible and properly understood by all stakeholders— researchers, policymakers, businesses, and the public— requires adapting to the evolving digital landscape. However, AI systems currently struggle to interact effectively with structured statistical data, often misrepresenting and misinterpreting key information. This poses risk to the integrity and trustworthiness of official statistics as users increasingly receive information from AI-generated summaries rather than directly from authoritative sources. To address these challenges, we statistical agencies must invest in high-quality, well-documented, and machine-readable and machine-understandable data. Enhancing AI readiness involves adopting metadata standards, strengthening data quality control, and improving interoperability with AI systems. Additionally, a coordinated approach is needed to guide AI developers and data redistributors towards responsible practices, ensuring that AI-generated outputs correctly represent official data. The room document proposes 3 key actions to strengthen the role of official statistics and their partners in AI-driven information ecosystem. Action 1: Standards and tools to modernize data curation and dissemination. Developing and implementing tools and guidelines as global public goods to support adoption of international metadata and data exchange standards and the enhancement of data discoverability to foster AI readiness of our official statistics. Action 2, support data producers in low and middle income countries, providing training and technical support to the adoption— for the adoption of best practice in data documentation, API-based dissemination, and discoverability improvements. Action 3, establish guidance for data redistribution and collaborate with redistributors. We need to develop principles and best practices for responsible third-party data use and engaging with private sector redistributors. These actions are intended to help the official statistics community to ensure that AI-powered systems more accurately represent our data, but ultimately increasing the trust and use and reuse and the value of the data we produce. This, I must stress, is not just a technological or technical issue. Issue, but a strategic matter with high urgency for the official statistical community. Let's imagine if we could do so, NSOs would be really leading the whole-of-government national statistical system towards a meaningful connected national statistical system. It will also help us to begin to build productive relationships with non-native non-official data players, including the big tech third-party data reproduce— uh, distributors. And we must learn to leverage them to amplify the role of official statistics, expand our reach, and materialize our value and impact. To do so will indeed help maximize the value of official statistics, demonstrate our impact, and maximize the return to the current investment. At the same time, I hope to motivate further commitment to invest in more official statistical systems. I thank you for your attention.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of the World Bank. I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of UNESCO on behalf of the CCSA.

Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. I am providing a joint statement on behalf of the Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities, CSA, which consists of 45 international and supranational organizations promoting the interagency coordination and cooperation on statistics. The committee acknowledges the World Bank Group work as presented in the document Fostering AI Readiness and Responsible Redistribution of Official Statistics. And concurs with the imperative to enhance the AI readiness of official statistics, engages into immediate action to develop proposals to support the responsible use of AI with official data, and commits to submit a comprehensive report to the 57th session of the Commission in 2026, following a process of open consultation with member states and stakeholders engagement through different mechanisms. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, distinguished delegate of UNESCO. And I give the floor to distinguished delegate of the OECD.

Thank you, Chair. The OECD supports the proposal for a new Commission work stream on data governance. Such a work stream can make a valuable contribution on scope, definitions, terminologies, and elements and can explore the relationship between data governance and data stewardship and the role of official statistics vis-à-vis other data communities. Furthermore, the OECD would like to align with the room document, Fostering AI Readiness with Responsible Redistribution of Official Statistics, submitted by the World Bank.

We believe this paper addresses an issue of great importance and urgency.

We fully endorse the view that SDMX will form an important pillar in the roadmap proposed in this paper. The OECD stands ready to assist. Thank you.

Thank you, distinguished delegate of the OECD. I see no further requests for the floor and now invite Mrs. Linda Hooper, statistician at the Office of the Director of the United Nations Statistical Division, to summarize our discussion on the report.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

The Commission took note of the Friday seminar on capacity building and the Monday forum on data governance. The Commission welcomed the report of the Bureau and expressed its appreciation of the active engagement of the Bureau and its work to strengthen its outreach and exchanges with other subsidiary bodies of the Economic and Social Council especially on topics where expertise and competencies potentially overlap. The Commission commended the Bureau on the work exploring the fulfillment of the 2022 terms of reference, emphasizing the need for the Commission to remain technical in nature. The Commission approved the proposed framework for review, assessment, and reporting on progress towards the achievement of the objectives of the Economic and Social Council Resolution 24/2, recognizing the framework as a tool for ensuring accountability and measurement— measurable progress. The Commission supported the establishment of a working group of the Commission on data governance, focusing on data governance for official statistics, and requested the Bureau to develop the terms of reference of the group and requested the newly established group to report back to the Commission at its 57th session in 2026. And the Bureau— and the Commission took note of the different initiatives on artificial intelligence to keep official statistics relevant and invited the Bureau to consider how the topic can be included in the discussions in 2026. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I thank Ms. Hooper. The Commission has concluded its discussion of item 3C. Distinguished delegates, I now invite the Commission to turn to agenda item 3D, entitled Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, under which the Commission has before it for discussion and decision the report of the Secretary-General on the fundamental principles of official statistics contained in document E/CN.3/2025/5. Background documents are available on the Statistical Commission's website. I now give the floor to Mr. Gabriel Gámez, Chief of the Statistical Capacity Management Section of the UNSD, to introduce the report.

Thank you, Chair. Distinguished delegates and colleagues, the Commission has before it the report of the Secretary-General— on the fundamental principles of official statistics, prepared in response to Decision 55/101 of the Commission. As an outcome of a global consultation, the Board is now proposed to function as a consultative and advisory body supporting national statistical authorities in strengthening adherence to the principles through awareness-raising, technical guidance and review of best practices while respecting national context and governance structures. The terminology used in the revised terms reinforces this approach, replacing independent with consultative and shifting from compliance to adherence. The revised terms also define a transparent selection process ensuring regional and gender balance while maintaining a manageable size. The Board will comprise 10 to 12 members, including 5 representatives from the Statistical Commission nominated for their tenure, and additional experts serving 3-year renewable terms. The Bureau, in consultation with the chairs of the statistical bodies of the 5 regional commissions, will oversee the selection to ensure an inclusive process. Board members will serve without remuneration, and meetings will be held remotely to facilitate participation from all regions. The annual report will consist of two parts: a general overview of activities, key findings, and recommendations, ensuring no country is identified directly or indirectly, and the second part developed with national statistical authorities on a voluntary basis, providing more detailed information on country-specific engagements. The two draft implementation guidelines presented as background documents serve as key references for embedding the principles in statistical systems, and decision-making. In the next couple of months, they will undergo a final round of refinements in consultation with Member States and other stakeholders. Once finalized, the Board will oversee their regular review, incorporating national experiences, best practices, and emerging challenges to keep them aligned with the evolving needs of official statistics. The Statistical Commission is invited to endorse the revised terms of reference of the Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, b) request the Bureau, following the provisions of the terms of reference, to initiate the selection process for the members of the board to be appointed by the Commission at its its 57th session in 2026. And c) take note of the two sets of draft implementation guidelines provided as background documents tailored respectively for producers of official statistics and policymakers. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Gomez. I now open the debate on the report of the Secretary-General on the fundamental principles of official statistics containing document E/CN.3/2025/5. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of State of Palestine.

Thank you, Chair.

On behalf of the Arab countries, We'd like to express our support— —for this update, which will allow us to strengthen governance, transparency, and ensure high-quality statistical data for the countries in our region. We support the choice of members of the Advisory Council. We think this choice needs to take into account principles which uphold geographical— equitable geographical representation and equity among member states. Our countries Welcome these vital— fundamental, rather— principles, which are useful for decision-making and will allow national statistical offices to develop their methodologies and provide up-to-date, accurate information. Allowing these organizations to play their role at national level.

Delegated of Palestine, I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Belarus.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Belarus supports what is proposed for discussion of the 56th session, that is the revised terms of reference of the Independent Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, and we take note of the recommendations for policy and the recommendations for the producers of official statistics on implementation. We are dedicated to international standards for statistics. The statistical legislation of Belarus is harmonized with the model law on official statistics developed by the UNECE. The principles for statistics in Belarus are in keeping with the fundamental principles of statistics as confirmed by international experts. Belarus has a new law on state statistics, and it contains— it also enshrines the fundamental principles for statistics and systematizes work with administrative data. At the institutional level, for example, the access by statisticians is provided for, including remote access to any information needed. This can be done from information systems not only from state agencies but also from private holders, ensuring of course that the data protection requirements are adhered to. The law provides for a clear mechanism for administrative data, and this also allows the members of BELSTAT to participate in designing Agency Information Systems. Today, BELSTAT has 600 sets of administrative data that are used in all areas of statistics based on data from alternative sources, and estimated over 40% of indicators of the national, uh, indicators for the SDG are drawn from there. Belarus took part in the electronic consultations on Models for conduct in the context of the UNECE. And in fall of 2024, we participated in global consultations on the specifications of the Independent Advisory Board on Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics. We highly approve of the Statistics Division's work to implement, encourage, and ensure compliance with the fundamental principles of official state data. Belstat is particularly interested in the activities of the UN Statistical Commission on studying the ability to introduce the fundamental principles of official statistics when using various sources of data in statistics. Thank you.

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

Very good afternoon, Chairman. My delegation has reservations about the mandate which has been proposed. It's very important to have a definition about the concept of ownership for the fundamental principles, and that needs to be properly established to avoid ambiguity and ensure that national statistical organizations can roll out the principles effectively. It's important to clearly define the major stakeholders in this process because some responsibilities are linked to the— of the mandate are linked to that. It's also vital to look at the responsibility of the board when it comes to requests from national statistical offices and other key stakeholders when it comes to cases of non-compliance with the fundamental principles, which may not be in line with their— the board's advisory function and could run against the rules about the board as set out in the document which has been presented. Non-compliance with these principles could be problematic. Even when it highlighted that national statistical offices are the key focal points, the principle of subsidiarity is also highlighted. Before dealing with possible cases of non-compliance, the board should check with relevant NSOs or the applicant for verification, but there are no procedures outlined for dealing with this at a regional level. When it comes to selection of the board's members, we welcome the transparency demonstrated in the report. But we would like to ask for clarification about whether this 6-month period for appointment could have 2 additional months for the screening of candidates. Ensuring that this process can take place without delay or hindrance will be vital to ensuring that the board is properly established. This will require us to take into account specific national circumstances, the institutional environment, and the characteristics— of each member state as well as the level of maturity of national statistical systems and consistency with their national legal systems. A lack of definitions for these procedures could lead to divergent interpretations leading to challenges for the national authorities which run against the purpose of having clear and transparent follow-up mechanisms. Ensuring that the principles can be properly implemented. Because of that, we think it's timely to propose before the Commission welcoming the progress made with the mandate on the advisory board. But we should take into account the fact that we need to continue to define the mandate over the next session. Thank you.

Thank you to the representative of Cuba. I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Dominican Republic.

Muchísimas gracias. Thank you very much, Chairman. The Dominican Republic welcomes the progress made in the review and update of the mandate of the advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics. It is in our interest to ensure that a matter of such importance to our countries continues to make progress bearing in mind the recommendations issued. We therefore very much welcome the efforts made to have a new version of the document which reflects the fact that countries such as members of the Statistical Commission of the Americas and ECLAC have in the past held sessions and consultations on this matter. We agree with the adoption of the revised mandate, but we think it's important to point out that we need to have criteria for concepts such as compliance or non-compliance with the principles against that In this backdrop, it's vital that the principles associated with these concepts are clearly defined so that there are no ambiguities and so that national statistical systems are in a position to implement the principles effectively. Similarly, we welcome the presentation of the improved process for selection of board members, taking into account the involvement of chairs or presidents of the statistical commissions of the 5 regional commissions. We also highlight alongside Cuba that there was the issue of 6-month— the 6-month appointment period for members, and we would also ask for another further 2 months of the screening of potential members. We would highlight the importance of further defining key stakeholders in this process given that certain parts of the mandate will be related to that aspect. It's vital that the follow-up mechanisms are clear and that the guidelines are effectively implemented in various national contexts. We take note of the document containing the guidelines requesting that these be translated into the Spanish language as soon as possible so that that can support the advocacy work which we undertake in our countries. We also reiterate our support to— for the initiative and hope that in future iterations we will continue to strengthen the board so it can carry out its duties effectively and promote compliance with the fundamental principles within our countries. Thank you very much.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of the Dominican Republic. I see that we have 5 minutes more to go, so that's enough time for 2 more countries Barbados and the Russian Federation. If you want to speak tomorrow morning, please press the button now. We still have now 9 countries and 4 IGOs. So I will then also announce which country that will be. So that's why if you want to speak tomorrow, please press the button now. I will give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Barbados.

Barbados, on the behalf of the CARICOM region, acknowledges the efforts of United Nations Statistics Division in revising the terms of reference for the Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics. These revisions, which were informed by global consultations, in our opinion, now effectively address the concerns raised at the 55th session. We therefore endorse the updated terms of reference, and in accordance with their provisions, we look forward to the appointment of a Consultative Advisory Board that is both gender equitable and regionally representative. We also recognize the extensive work that has gone into producing the two comprehensive draft guidelines on the fundamental principles, one tailored for producers of official statistics and the other for policymakers. We generally support these guidelines and anticipate their, and anticipate their implementation. These guidelines are particularly crucial for our region given the pressing need to raise awareness and and foster appreciation among all stakeholders, especially policymakers and other data users, on the importance of adhering to the fundamental principles, their relevance to policymakers, and their role in strengthening democratic societies. Given that government administrations may change every 5 years, and that senior managers within ministries normally change due to reshuffles, transfers, reassignments, or retirements, Continuous sensitization efforts are essential in embedding a culture of statistical ethics in our countries. As such, the risk of policymakers inadvertently violating the fundamental principles due to a lack of awareness will therefore be mitigated by the guidelines. The guidelines are also imperative in reminding all governments of the commitment they made in 2014 when these principles were endorsed by the UN General Assembly. It is also important for policymakers to fully understand that the implications of non-compliance, which are covered in the guidelines, particularly the erosion of public— particularly the erosion of public trust. Additionally, public awareness of these principles is vital in ensuring that governments are held accountable in respecting and upholding them. Beyond serving as a critical resource for both data producers and policymakers in fostering greater public trust in the national statistical systems. The guidelines will also benefit from the support of the Advisory Board in facilitating sensitization efforts across our subregion. The CARICOM region therefore welcomes any engagement, collaboration, advisory services, and assistance from the Advisory Board in advocating and promoting awareness of the fundamental principles of official statistics among our relevant national and regional stakeholders, including addressing instances of non-adherence to the fundamental principles and supporting the implementation of the guidelines and building trust in official statistics. I thank you, Chair.

Thank you very much, distinguished delegates. For Barbados. As I must mention, now I will then give the floor to Russia. Just to remind you that after that Russian Federation has spoken, I will close the list and then mentioning the countries. I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of the Russian Federation.

Thank you very much, Chair. I will try to be brief. The Russian Federation affirms its support to the initiative to create an advisory board on fundamental principles of official statistics. During last year's 55th session, there were many comments about the proposed terms of reference of the board, and we thank the Statistics Division for its work here and for the corrections that were made, including based on the comments of our delegations. However, one should not allow for this board to be a tool for infringing on the sovereign affairs of member states. So in points C and D of the terms of reference, in the area of mandate and duties, we need to unequivocally state that the board is guided only by the requests of the countries, especially because the term— the, the scope of the interested states is not clearly spelled out. We welcome the board, the advisory board. We think it's important to ensure the advisory nature of the board and to ensure the confidentiality of the results of country-based analyses. As a member of the board, we think it would be appropriate to look at the opinions of academia. These are people that are forming the future of statistics, and we would like to propose a candidate from our country. One thing is clear, the advisory The board is going to engage in large-scale analytical work thanks to the Statistics Division, which is prepared to serve as the secretariat for this body that will be created. We think it is correct to have the idea of ensuring two guidelines on fundamental principles for statistics and the governing bodies. However, the document needs to be discussed comprehensively and requires some fine-tuning, and we're hoping to receive a draft document following this current session for further consideration. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of the Russian Federation. It's now 6 PM. We still have a speaker remaining on the list of the agenda item 3D entitled Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics. The Commission will do— continue this with the list of speakers on item at 10 o'clock AM tomorrow morning, 5th March, in this conference. Room. There are still— the list is closed, as mentioning. There are 9 countries and 4 NGOs. I see Cameroon, Poland, Canada, India, Japan, Georgia, China, Philippines, Uganda, CARICOM, OHCHR, and the ISI who asked for the floor. The meeting is adjourned. Oh my God.