(3rd Meeting) 56th Statistical Commission

The Sting is delegated, please take your seat. The third meeting of the 56th session of the Statistical Commission is called to order. I invite the Commission to continue its consideration of agenda item 3D entitled Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics and to hear the remaining speaker in the debate, on this item. I kindly recall delegations that the list of speakers for them for this item closed at the end of yesterday's meeting and ask delegation to adhere to the time limit of 3 minutes. Delegations are invited to send their full statement to eStatement@UN.org. I now give the floor to the distinguished delegates of Cameroon.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, for giving me the floor. Cameroon delegation, on behalf of Africa Group, commends the inclusion of key revisions to the terms of reference based on the consultation feedback and endorses the revised terms of reference of the Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics. The Africa Group supports the request to the Bureau of the Commission to initiate the selection process for board members to be appointed by the Statistical Commission at its 57th session in 2026 in accordance with the terms of reference provided. The Africa Group takes note of the two sets of draft implementation guidelines provided as background documents to strengthen adherence to the fundamental principles of official statistics by offering accessible, relevant, and actionable frameworks for both practitioners and policymakers. Furthermore, the Africa Group emphasizes the need for strong awareness raising, especially among policymakers as target key data users, to harness trust in official statistics for shaping intervention for sustainable development. The Africa Group iterates its commitment to upholding the fundamental principles of official statistics, and the Africa Charter of Statistics has key underpinnings for the transformation and the modernization of Africa's national statistics in the rapidly evolving data landscape through legal and regulatory frameworks to promote innovation and agility in meeting user needs. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate from Cameroon, and I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Poland.

Thank you, Chair, for getting the floor. And this statement is delivered on behalf of the European Union and its member states. The EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland align themselves with the statement. The fundamental principles of official statistics represent the DNA of the international statistical community. As the European statistical system welcomes the report of the Secretary-General on the fundamental principles of official statistics and approves the revised terms of reference of the Consultative Advisory Board on the fundamental principles of official statistics. The ESS welcomes that the revised terms of reference delineates the Board's capacity to provide technical and strategic guidelines without over— overlapping with national and regional mechanisms and ensures a transparent member selection process and further gender and geographical representation. The ESS also supports the refinement of the composition of the Board, specifying a structure with two categories of members: 5 statistical commission members serving during their tenure, and additional members from fields such as data science and ethics serving a 3-year term, renewable once, which ensures the inclusion in the Board of relevant and recent experience in the field of official statistics. In addition, the ESS supports that the Commission asks the Bureau to initiate the selection process for board members to, to be appointed by Statistical Commission at its 57th session in 2026. Finally, the ESS takes note of the two sets of implementation guidelines provided as background documents to the report, one tailored to producers of official statistics and serving as a comprehensive toolkit for strategic planning and daily operations, and the other one aimed at policymakers and allowing to establish and safeguard a favorable environment for trusted and high-quality official statistics. The ESS believes that both sets of guidelines will collectively support adherence to the fundamental principles by offering accessible, relevant, and actionable frameworks for both producers and policymakers. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Chair. Canada would like to thank the United Nations Statistics Division undertaking the global consultation on the terms of reference for the Advisory Advisory Board. We provided substantial comments on the draft documents circulated in the summer of 2024 and are pleased to see these comments reflected in this version of the Terms of Reference. We endorse the Terms of Reference as found in the reference document, and we take note of the draft implementation guidelines that have been circulated as background documents. Implementation guidelines are important tools, particularly those for outside the National Statistics Office who may not be familiar with fundamental principles. While we are happy to see that these tools have been developed, we would ask that these guidelines be circulated for comment prior to finalizing them. We look forward to contributing to the international efforts to establish consensus around this important work.

Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate from Canada, and I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of India.

First of all, let me join my other colleagues in congratulating the Bureau and the Statistics Division for doing the work in revising of the TOR on the United Nations Consultative Advisory Board. However, we still have a few reservations regarding the paragraph on addressing instances of non-adherence and the way it will propose to be implemented. Our suggestion would be that we need some more consultation regarding that, especially on the fact that the Board can address requests from national statistical authorities and other key stakeholders and that's the area of our concern where— because the other key stakeholders are not defined anywhere. Keeping this in view, our suggestion would be that there could be a round of consultations before finally taking up and adopting the TOR.

Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of India. Now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Japan.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Japan thanks everyone who contributed to the drafting of the terms of reference—

pardon me—

the Advisory Committee on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics. We hope that this committee will function transparently and that it will build on the efforts of countries to apply their fundamental principles. We also think that the two series presented yesterday will facilitate cooperation among the different stakeholders in national statistics systems, thus helping countries to respect these principles. Japan would like to contribute to this process by sharing its practical information. Thank you.

Merci beaucoup. Thank you very much, distinguished delegate of Japan. And I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Georgia.

Thank you, Chair. The National Statistics Office of Georgia welcomes The report of the Secretary-General on the fundamental principles of official statistics. We commend the transparent and inclusive process through which these revisions have been undertaken and fully support their objective to strengthen adherence to the Fundamental Principles. Georgia also endorses the development of two sets of implementation guidelines, one for producers of official statistics and another for policymakers. These guidelines will serve as essential frameworks for the application of the Fundamental Principles in both the production and use of official statistics. As a longstanding member of the UN Statistical Commission, GeoStat is dedicated to the effective implementation of the fundamental principles of official statistics, ensuring that all statistical activities comply with legal standards and established principles. We fully support the UN Statistical Commission's effort to modernize statistical frameworks, ensuring that statistical systems at both national and international levels uphold the highest scientific standards. On behalf of GeoStat, we reaffirm our commitment to Principle 3, accountability and transparency, by presenting statistical data with clear, scientifically robust explanations of sources, methods, and producers. We prioritize transparency and accuracy of— to support the correct interpretation of data and will continue enhancing the communication of our methodologies to maintain public trust and support informed decision-making. Georgia reaffirms dedicated to upholding the fundamental principles of official statistics and fostering global transparency and impartiality in statistical practices. Thank you, Chair.

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

Xièxiè, kūnshī.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

We subscribe to the revised terms of reference, and we appreciate the efforts made by the Statistical Commission in this regard. We believe that with the revision, the Consultative Advisory Board can play a better role and provide strategic and technical guidance. We recommend that when selecting the board members, full consideration should be given to the representation of diverse sectors as well as geographic regions. Consultation must be made with national statistical agencies, regional commissions, and other relevant parties to listen to their view and ensure the transparency of the selection process. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Okay, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, the Philippines, uh, through the Philippine Statistics Authority, recognizes the need for a structural improvement within the global statistical system. This improvement will cater to the needs of member states, international organizations, development partners, and other stakeholders in a rapidly evolving data landscape and a growing global statistical community. The PSA supports the establishment of an independent advisory board to advocate for increased awareness of the United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics in the global statistical system and provide guidance on adherence to the UNFPOS. The PSA emphasizes the importance of the functions of the independent advisory board, particularly its oversight in reinforcing public trust, in official statistics. It is crucial that the Independent Advisory Board becomes a stalwart for professional, ethical, and reliable official statistics across the globe, beyond political considerations and realities. The PSA further expresses support for the updating and streamlining of comprehensive implementation guidelines to aid producers of official statistics policy makers, and other stakeholders. There will be an advisory board that oversees the implementation and adoption, and it is important to recognize country-specific scenarios that highlight best and challenging practices at the global level to highlight concerted efforts in the adoption of the UNFPA. The PSA ultimately recognizes this as a step forward to a more reliable, responsive, responsible, resilient, and responsive production and use of official statistics. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegates of the Philippines. And now I give the floor to the distinguished delegates of Uganda.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. May I present the views of Uganda on fundamental Principles of Official Statistics. Uh, first, we would like to congratulate the UNSD for satisfactory highlighting the areas of compliance and types of evidence base, and also highlighting the inherent risks of non-compliance for environmental principles of official statistics. However, we have some few observations and reservations One of which is to be mindful of not duplicating the functions of the national statistical boards and the regional frameworks, like how the Cameroonian delegation has mentioned, you have Africa Charter for Statistics that establishes the mechanisms for oversight.— in compliance to fundamental principles of official statistics. We also note that the Board will strictly be focusing on promoting and advocating for compliance. The aspect of enforcement should be left to the national and regional legislations and frameworks. We have a comment on the composition of the board. Whereas the paper argues that members won't be remunerated, it acknowledges that UNSD will provide human and financial resources for facilitating the advisory board. Of course, we know facilitation costs includes money. We note that the composition will be 10 to 12 members, and the reservation is that this board looks to be on the higher side. We propose a maximum of 7 members, 2 from the South African Commission and 5 additional members from member states representing each regional economic grouping. Thank you very much.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Uganda. And now I come to the distinguished delegate of the UNESCO on behalf of the CCSA.

Thank you, 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 welcomes the report on the fundamental principles of official statistics and supports the revised terms of reference of the Consultative Advisory Board on the fundamental principles of official statistics. Welcomes that the revised terms of reference delineates the Board's capacity to provide technical and strategic guidance without overlapping with national and regional mechanisms and ensures a transparent member selection process and fair gender and geographical representation. The Committee also supports the refinement of the composition of the Board, specifying a structure with two categories of members: five statistical Commission members serving during their tenure, and additional members from fields such as data science and ethics serving a three-term year, renewable once, which ensures the inclusion of the Board of relevant and recent experiences in the fields of official statistics. The Committee supports that the Commission ask the Bureau to initiate the selection process for Board members to be appointed by the Statistical Commission at its 57th session in 2026. Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of UNESCO. And I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of CARICOM.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

CARICOM Secretariat supports the intervention by Barbados which was made yesterday and therefore also supports the two draft guidelines for the implementation of the fundamental principles. Of great significance is the trust in official statistics these guidelines aim to instill, which are grounded in established frameworks such as the Generic Statistical Business Process Model and the United Nations National Quality Assurance Framework for Official Statistics The CARICOM Code of Good Statistical Practices and the CARICOM Quality Assurance Framework have already been established and adopted in our region. These frameworks are grounded in the fundamental principles of official statistics. As our national statistical systems struggle to remain relevant in a rapidly changing data ecosystem, these frameworks, along with the adaptation of the GSBPM, which are consistent with the guidelines, are currently being implemented at national levels in the CARICOM region through partnership with the CARICOM Secretariat. We must acknowledge the financial support of the European Union under the 11th European Development Fund in the implementation of these frameworks. Which can be seen as complementary to the global initiatives geared towards implementing the fundamental principles. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of CARICOM, and I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of OHCHR.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights aligns itself with the statement of the CCSA and welcomes the establishment of the Consultative and Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics.

The UN Human Rights would like to emphasize the crucial role and value of official statistics in the respect, protection, and promotion of human rights.

To fulfill this role, however, adherence to the fundamental principles of official statistics is imperative. To ensure trust in data and statistics. While people's entitlements to access public information and to data protection, for instance, are anchored in the fundamental principle of official statistics, they also relate to fundamental human rights enshrined in international treaties widely ratified by member states. Ensuring adherence to the fundamental principle— by both producers of statistics and policymakers is therefore vital for human rights, for the societal relevance, and for the future of official statistics.

Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Confronted with serious questions, the societies of our time need worthy information to inform related decisions. And to overcome crisis, to achieve global agendas, as with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate, statistical evidence must be fit for purpose. The necessary prerequisite for this is an efficient as well as ethically sound use of the ever-growing and diversified existing data sources methods of data science. In order for statisticians to be able to do their work along professionally recognized best practices and with undue political interference, the political framework conditions must be right. So statistical production and dissemination need to be— need to benefit from proper implementation of the rule of law. Independence and integrity are the leitmotifs that mark the critical conditions for this. And the question of how the independence and integrity of statistics can be guaranteed is one with rising attention by many actors in society and should benefit from a proper political weight. In a situation where alternative facts tend to be considered by many as equal to solid statistical facts, we can witness that the door is wide open for manipulation and populism of any kind. From past experience, professional ethics and principles of good governance in official statistics emerged, which have been universally acknowledged and partly codified in a legally binding way. These principles, whose aim is the truthfulness and integrity of statistics, are being worth recalled. The ISI is concerned to raise and maintain professional ethical standards in statistics across the world. As a non-governmental organization, ISI can take actions which may be politically difficult for other organizations. And the ISI considers submissions on ethical issues, issue statements, and works with other organizations to raise and maintain ethical standards with the statistics profession.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you very much. This was the last speaker on my list for discussion on this item. We closed We received the list yesterday, as you can remember. If you have more, you can send by email the e-statement. And now I invite Mr. Gabriel Gomez, Chief of the Statistical Capacity Management Section of the Statistical Division, UNSD, to summarize our discussion on the report.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

The Commission acknowledged the Secretary-General's report on the fundamental principles of official statistics and expressed appreciation to the Bureau and the Statistics Division for the transparent and inclusive consultation process in revising the terms of reference of the Consultative Advisory Board. Welcomed renaming the board to the Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics.— emphasizing its advisory and non-prescriptive nature while maintaining confidentiality and respecting each country's governance framework. Endorsed the revised terms of reference, subject to agreement on the following amendments: Replacing throughout the text the phrase addressing instances of non-adherence with providing guidance to strengthen adherence, thereby emphasizing a supportive approach, and amending Section C, Paragraph 8 to allow 2-month for the Bureau to finalize the selection of the Board's members to be submitted to the Commission. Requested the Bureau of the Commission to initiate the selection process for members of the Consultative Advisory Board for appointment by the Commission at its 57th session in 2026. Welcome the two sets of draft implementation guidelines Supported further consultations with Member States and stakeholders to ensure their final refinement and encourage their translation into the official languages of the United Nations. Took note of the Board's role in overseeing the regular review of the Guidelines to keep them relevant in a rapidly changing data landscape.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I thank Mr. Gomes. The Commission has just concluded its discussion of Item 3D. I now invite the Commission to turn to Agenda Item 3E, entitled Data and Indicators for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, under which the Commission has before it for discussion and decision report of the Interagency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goals Indicators contained in document E/CN.3/2025/6, the report of the High-Level Group for Partnership Coordination and Capacity Building for Statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development contained in document E/CN.3/2025/7, and the report of the Secretary-General on the work of the review of the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals contained in document E/CN.3/2025/8. Background documents are available, available on the Statistical Commission's website. The Commission will consider the official documents for discussion one by one. We will start with the document E/CN.3/2025/6 containing the report of the Interagency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators.. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Canada to introduce this report.

Thank you, Chair. Distinguished delegates, colleagues. As co-chair of the Interagency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators, or the IEEG SDGs, I am pleased to report on the work of our group throughout 2024. The IEEG SDG regularly conducts methodological reviews of the indicator framework. The group updated the tier classification and proposed indicator refinements for the adoption by the Commission. It also continues to review major changes to the metadata and provide suggestions to custodian agencies for improvement. Following the adoption of specific criteria and submission requirements at its 55th session, the group conducted the 2025 comprehensive review of the Global Indicator Framework, presenting a list of proposals for the Commission consideration. The review includes 11 changes, 2 indicator replacements, 6 revisions, and 3 additions, bringing the total number of unique indicators to 234. These changes are not expected to significantly increase the reporting burden, as data for these indicators is already being collected. We invite the Commission to endorse these proposals. The group also reviewed indicators with low or no data coverage to identify challenges in data collection and the efforts of custodian agencies to address these issues. While acknowledging the progress made, the group recommended retaining these indicators but stressed the importance of balancing the reporting burden with data, data usefulness. It was also suggested to adopt a more practical approach for future indicator development that considers practical utility over theoretical perfection, as there may be alternatives that still provide valuable insight into progress. The Commission is invited to take note of the progress made by the working groups on geospatial information and on the Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange . I kindly invite you to consider the points outlined in our report in paragraph 47 and express your views. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegate of Canada and now open the debate on the report of the Interagency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goals Indicators. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Burkina Faso. No one is there.

Okay.

I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Austria.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair, distinguished colleagues. Austria would like to highlight the importance of taking the number and in particular the interplay between the indicators of environmental, social, and economic sustainability into account. Current economic crisis in many countries hint at the fact that this is not considered sufficiently. It becomes more and more clear that climate issues are not just environmental problems. They can endanger the economic and social stability in many countries. To enable evidence-based measures and the best course of action, the role of official statistics is indispensable. One example of progress is the tourism sector. As co-chair of the United Nations Tourism Committee on Statistics, Austria welcomes the excellent work conducted by the task team on sustainable tourism and fully supports the Interagency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Indicators' agreement to include the UN tourism proposal for a new indicator, employed person in the tourism industries.

Moreover, we believe that the framework for measuring the sustainability of tourism as endorsed by the United Nations Statistical Commission at its 55th session could act as a role model for other economic sectors. Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

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

Statistics Poland highly values the work of the expert group in implementing the global indicator framework. Um, we appreciate the expert group's insight on indicators with limited data identified during the 2025 comprehensive review and supports a practical approach to future monitoring frameworks. As co-chair of the UNECE steering group on statistics for SDGs, we led a similar exercise and compiled lesson learned from providing SDG statistics for the Conference of European Statisticians in-depth review. Acknowledging the significance of synergies, Statistics Poland encourages the expert group to utilize the Conference of European Statisticians in-depth review paper as a reference for further work. We trust that outcomes from UNAID region will enhance the expert group's efforts, especially by complementing the planned task team on lesson learned. Therefore, we are eager to collaborate and share our findings. Building on the conclusions from the review, we recognize the importance of the Statistical Commission and the whole statistical community in shaping the next global framework and look forward to their proactive engagement in this process. The expert group's work on integrating geospatial information with statistics and fostering data innovations has been particularly valuable to Statistics Poland. Over the past year, we have produced several SDG measures, including those monitoring access to public transport in cities and protection of key biodiversity sites. Statistics Poland fully supports the expert group's work program for 2025. We plan to incorporate its objectives into national initiatives with a particular focus on data innovation for SDG monitoring.

Thank you.

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

On behalf of the African groups, thank you.

The Gambia, on behalf of the African group, takes note that the expert group was mandated under General Assembly Resolution 74/1 to develop and implement the Global Indicator Framework for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The group notes that the expert group held 13 virtual meetings and one open meeting in February 2024 focused on the upcoming comprehensive review and convened a successful in-person meeting in Oslo in October 2024 with approximately 120 participants, both in person and online, to review progress and update methodologies. During these sessions, the group reviewed the implementation of the framework, discussed updates from the working group— groups on SDMX and geospatial information— and addressed challenges related to low data coverage. In addition, the entire classification of indicators was updated as of November 2024. Out of 231 unique indicators, 161 are now classified Tier 1, 62 as Tier 2, and 8 as multi-tier, representing a notable improvement over the previous years. Nearly all indicators now have data available, that is 22 out of 200— 229 out of 231, with plans in place to submit data for the remaining indicators. The group also notes the ongoing work being conducted within the various workstreams, including data disaggregation, the Working Group on SDMX, the Working Group on Geospatial Information, and the TAG team on sustainable tourism. The Africa Group endorses the annual refinements, that is, as contained in Annex 1, the proposed indicator changes, that is, replacement, revisions, and additions as contained in Annex 2, the overall work program for 2025 and the background document on leveraging geospatial information for SDG monitoring. I submit, Chair.

Thank you, distinguished delegate of Gambia. And I'll give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Singapore.

The Bureau of the Asia-Pacific Committee on Statistics, comprising China, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Maldives, Singapore, and Uzbekistan, acknowledges the work of the High-Level Group on Partnership, Coordination, and Capacity Building for Statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Governments in Asia and the Pacific have committed themselves to advancing official statistics for the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development as set out in two documents: in the Collective Vision and Framework for Action by the Asia-Pacific Statistical Community, endorsed by the Committee on Statistics at its 5th session in 2016; and in the Declaration on Navigating Policy with Data to Leave No One Behind, which was endorsed by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific at its 75th session in 2019. The Bureau thanks the Government of Colombia for hosting the 5th United Nations World Data Forum, which was held in Medellín, Colombia, in November 2024, and notes the Medellín Framework for Action for Data for Sustainable Development, which recognized that advancing the role of data and statistics requires a whole-of-society approach to spur innovation, use, trust, and partnership from stakeholders in both global and local data ecosystems. The Bureau would like to draw attention to the decision taken by the 9th session of the ESCAP Committee on Statistics, which took place in December 2024, and decided to promote a whole-of-society approach to advance the implementation of the Declaration on Navigating Policy with Data to Leave No One Behind. This transformative decision to shift from a whole-of-government to a whole-of-society approach is necessary for statistical systems to achieve the "leave no one behind" ambition of the 2030 Agenda. We encourage the whole High-Level Group to give priority in their future work programme to implementing the Medellín Framework, including advancing a whole-of-society approach to building inclusive and responsive statistical systems. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Singapore, and I now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan, sorry.

Thank you, Chair, distinguished delegate. The State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan highly appreciates the report of the Intersecretariat and Expert Group on SDG indicators. We believe that the correction of the names of indicators in the Global SDG Indicator System, the updating of metadata for the indicators, the addition of new indicators to the system, and the replacement of indicators are crucial steps in improving the Global SDG Indicator System. Using the opportunity, I would like to inform you that, in accordance with the President's decree of the Republic of Azerbaijan, The National Coordination Council on Sustainable Development has been established, and national priorities and corresponding indicators have been identified in alignment with global goals and targets. To ensure widespread public awareness of the SDG indicators at both global and national level, as well as to monitor and evaluate SDG progress at the national level, the National Information Portal on Sustainable Development Goals of the Republic of Azerbaijan has been created and made publicly easily accessible. Metadata for SDG indicators has been prepared in a format consistent with the EuroSDMX metadata structure and published on the portal. Additionally, with UNICEF's support, the MICS survey was conducted in Azerbaijan collecting data for 18 SDG indicators. Since 2018, the annual publication Sustainable Development Goals Statistical Overview has been released. Azerbaijan has submitted 4 voluntary national reviews on SDG implementation to the UN High-Level Political Forum. Azerbaijan is one of only 5 countries worldwide and the only country in the region and the Commonwealth of Independent States to have submitted its 4 national reviews. It is also important to note that in March 2023, during the summit of the Contact Group of the Non-Aligned Movement on the fight against COVID-19 held in Baku, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan proposed the addition of an 18th goal related to mine action to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. National Coordination Council on Sustainable Development approved a national 18th SDG project titled mine action. This includes 5 targets and 15 indicators. In 2023, methodological, uh, for the national 18th SDG indicators were developed, and 2024 statistical data was complied for, uh, 14 of the 15 indicators. The SDG 18 covers various indicators, including the number of mines and other explosive ordnance cleared in liberated territories, the area of land demined, the amount of funding allocated for demining efforts, the number of restored settlements in liberated territories, the number of resettled and employed individuals, and the areas reclaimed for agricultural use. Azerbaijan remains committed to the SDG agenda. Azerbaijan is currently working with United Nations on the direction of a new framework agreement 2026-2030, and progress on the SDG will be one of the main directions of this agreement. However, we consider it is essential for the international community to support Azerbaijan's Mine Action Initiative at the global level, as we believe this experience can be beneficial for the world community. We can also provide relevant materials for the expert group for discussion and consideration.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, the distinguished delegate of Azerbaijan. And I give the floor to distinguished delegate of Japan.

Thank you, Chair. Japan would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude for the work done by the IAEA ESDGs in 2024. We are especially grateful to the co-chairs, Canada and Brazil, and to Norway for hosting the IAEZ SDGs meeting last October. Of course, we also extend our sincere appreciation to UNSD for its invaluable support. As a member country of the IAEZ SDGs, we are honored to have participated in the discussions related to the comprehensive review and would like to express our support for the proposed changes. Although the comprehensive review of SDG indicators for the 2020 2030 Agenda is now complete with the 2020 and current 2025 reviews, we believe that the work of the IAEZ SDGs will continue to be important, including the task of capturing lessons learned, which is included in the proposed work program. With the year 2025 marking the 10th year since the adoption of the SDGs, Japan would like to continue to contribute to the activities of the IAEZ SDGs by supporting the holding of its meetings.

Thank you.

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

Muchísimas gracias.

Thank you very much, Chairman. The Dominican Republic values the work of the Interagency Expert Group on the SDGs and supports the need to include geospatial data for the production, measuring, supervision and dissemination of the SDG indicators. We recognize that it's a challenge to make headway incorporating these sources to include important data, not only on including the development of guides with clear methodology, but also to provide technical support during the production and socialization processes of good practices associated with these sources. And ongoing training, considering the level of statistical maturity that the reporting countries have. We recognize as great progress the definition of a geospatial roadmap for the SDGs. On the review of metadata, we believe that the updates that are being carried out to the additional methodologies, including the deadline for updates and to specify what the change to the methodology was to establish the change to the indicator. We also recognize that it's a challenge for countries that are not English-speaking, the fact that the metadata is only available in English. That's a challenge. Access to non-official forms of translation can lead to bias when— and difficulties when calculating indicators. We value the annual updates to the global indicators corresponding to Annex I. On the changes proposed within the framework of the global indicators contained in Annex II, we propose reevaluating the indicator 4.6.1, rate of literacy of young adults, given that it doesn't guarantee complete analysis of the goal that it is analyzing. And the traditional calculations do not include element— basic arithmetic. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Chair. Slovenia congratulates the Interagency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators for the work done and supports the proposed annual refinements of the list of the indicators and the changes to the content to the current global indicator framework. In particular, Slovenia strongly supports the proposal for a new indicator on employment employed persons in the tourism industries to be included under Target 8.9. Tourism is a cross-cutting, cross-cutting industry that intersects with various sectors such as hospitality, transportation, entertainment, and retail. Each of them can contribute to promotion of sustainable tourism with the creation of jobs which will enable the promotion of local culture and products. We are convinced that the proposed indicator fulfills the specific criteria for additional indicators and addresses the critical data gap in monitoring employment within tourism industries. The proposed indicator also builds on internationally agreed methodologies and has substantial data coverage.

Thank you.

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

Um, thank you, Mr. Chairman. We express our gratitude to the Interagency Expert Group for their high level of preparation of this comprehensive review for, uh, for 2025. On the updating of certain indicators into AILIA. We also support the proposed plan of work of the expert group for 2025. We welcome the exchange of experiences and best practices, and we're prepared to provide our best practices in tracking the SDGs. Recent years, the Russian Federation's work was focused on localizing the SDGs, and we have been working on implementing the 2030 Agenda at the level of the regions, which is in accordance with the principle leave no one behind. Recently, we've established a task of disaggregating all of the indicators at the regional level for which such disaggregation is possible in principle. We welcome the opportunity to trade experience in the Interagency Expert Group, and we are prepared to contribute to this timely and useful work. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Chair.

Belstat supports the work done by the Interagency Expert Group for the SDGs in terms of improving the Monitoring— improving the system for the SDG framework. We commend the work carried out by the group on the methodology review of the indicator framework and tier classification updates. We support the annual corrections in the annex of the document, and we also support the proposal to replace and review existing indicators on the SDG indicator list. However, we would like to note the following: the use in the context of Goal 8.9 of the absolute indicator 8.9.2, persons employed in the tourist industry, is not correct in our view. We would propose for monitoring employment in tourism for international comparison, we would propose using the relative indicator, the share of those employed in tourism as a share of total employment. This comment was sent by Bellstat when we considered the materials in the global consultations. Indicator 11

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

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Distinguished delegates, Italy agrees with the annual refinements as well as the proposed indicator changes within the 2025 comprehensive review of the indicator framework. Additionally, we support and adopt the proposed work program of the expert group. Furthermore, Italy expresses its appreciation and strong support for the efforts of the Working Group on Geospatial Information in promoting the integration of geospatial perspectives to address data gaps. We recognize the critical role of geospatial information in enhancing data accuracy, accessibility, and policy relevance, as well as its potential in advancing the sustainable development goals. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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

Thank you, Chair. Portugal welcomes the report from the Interagency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators and takes note of the activities and proposals for refining the global indicator framework as part of the 2025 comprehensive review. Portugal also welcomes the expert group's notable efforts to improve data collection and reporting process, as well as to address gaps in data availability. We generally support the indicators refinement as proposed in Annex I. Regarding the changes proposed in Annex II, And to assess their availability at national level and feasibility at technical level, it would be important to have access to the metadata of the indicators proposed in the revision. Portugal supports the expert group's work program for 2025 and wishes the group every success in its future work. Thank you, Chair.

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

Muchas gracias, señor Presidente.

Thank you very much, Chairman, and a very good morning, everyone. We're grateful for the report presented and also for the technical work undertaken If I may, Chairman, please allow me to make a brief general comment on this agenda item. And we also extend this to other items on the agenda of this meeting where applicable, because we'd just like to express a few elements of our national position on this issue. Chairman, the Argentine Republic considers that the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda is made up of non-legally binding provisions that every state, in the exercise of their sovereignty, has the right to interpret and pursue with freedom. In light of this, Argentina reserves its national position as pertains to mentions to the— of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, as well as other things that could go against the principles of the protection of life and freedom and private property. Thank you very much, Chairman.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Argentina. And now with the floor to the distinguished delegate of Switzerland.

Thank you, Chair. Sometimes it's good to look back why we're doing all this work, and then we will checking the documents we discussed here in the Commission, and it was already in 2012 when there was this decision by the United Nations to merge the development agenda, the Millennium Development Goals, together with the Rio+20 discussion. And then there was the statistical commission had a first discussion in 2012 but also in 2013, and I want to reiterate that one of the decision, it's about The Statistical Commission recognized the importance of developing adequate measures to support the evolving debate on sustainable development policy at both the national and international level and noted in this context the significant work has already been done in the past years and is currently being carried out by the Commission. For example, the Millennium Development Goals indicators the framework for the development of environmental statistics and the system of SEEA, as well as by the national, regional, and international organizations. So it's always great to look back. And then we had discussions here, and the chair at that time, he went to the negotiations supporting the drafting the targets of the SDG indicators we have. Finally, we had the UN General Assembly Resolution 71/313, work of the Statistical Commission pertaining to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Many of you have been involved in discussion we had at that time, and now with the revising, the second revise of the SDG Indicator Framework, we fulfilled a key task of this UNGA resolution. I think that's always very important to look back on that. So Switzerland supports the creation of the IHE SDGs of a task team to capture lessons learned from the development, implementation, presentation of indicators for global development agendas. Collecting lessons learned and making them available to policymakers is crucial with a view on the any post-2030 development agenda. The Statistical Commission must be ready to contribute from the outset to any discussion what's beyond 2030, and we have seen now several good examples that this commission is very able to do the technical work to support political discussions. Finally, we would really like special thank— give special thanks to all everyone who worked at the Secretariat in the last 12 years on this work, but also international organizations working on the data flows and many member states. Finally, personally, I want to give a very special thanks to Canada and to Cara, who worked many years on that and is one of the key person to push forward the revisement of the SDG indicator frameworks. Thanks.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Switzerland. And now give the floor to distinguished delegate of Saudi Arabia.

Shukran sahib.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would like to welcome including indicator 8.92 persons working in the tourism industry in the indicator framework for SDGs. This is important in managing tourism's impact on labor, which is an important aspect of sustainable development. We are proud of our contribution to this achievement through collaborating with the World Tourism Organization and the ILO and the CARICOM and Austria and Spain as the vice chair of the UN Tourism Commission concerned with statistics. By adding Indicator 892 to Indicator 891 of Sustainable Development Goals concerned with the direct GDP contribution of tourism, such indicators become more inclusive of the economic and social contributions of tourism, and this also targets the connection between tourism and labor, and this now creates more ability to measure Target 8.9, and this also improves the statistical framework that was recently adopted to measure the sustainability of tourism. The development of Indicator 8.9.2 relies on the current information and data provided by the WTO and the ILO, which guarantees the sustainable use of resources, it also fulfills the urgent need for public policies to have visions based on data on tourism-related labor. This facilitates also evidence-based policies. We believe that this will enhance our ability to analyze the complex relationship between tourism and labor. We also commend the efforts of the World Tourism Organization and the ILO and all member states participating in this important initiative. We look forward to continuing to cooperate with everyone for a better future for sustainable tourism.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Saudi Arabia. And I give the floor to distinguished delegate of Sweden.

Thank you, Chair. Sweden would like to thank the expert group and its secretariat for yet another successful year of taking the monitoring of the 2030 Agenda forward. We agree with the proposal from the Group on the revisions and additions to the framework and commend the Group for managing the process in a way that the framework gets better while not negatively affecting response burden. Sweden endorses the proposal. We also endorse the proposals for annual refinement. Sweden notes the recommendations that the group makes on balancing data collection burden with the intended value of indicators and on adapting a practical approach when selecting or developing indicators for a possible coming development agenda. The group is uniquely qualified to make recommendations after struggling with these complex task for almost a decade now. For that reason, we support the proposal to establish a task team to capture lessons learned from the development and implementation of indicators for global development agendas. However, for those lessons to have a practical effect, this is— it is vital that the statistical community find a way to position itself so that we can inform the process of developing whatever it is that comes next in matter of regarding measurement and follow-up. The statistical community need a seat at the table early on in the process for our advice to have meaningful impact. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Sweden. And now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Egypt.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The ESCWA is watching very closely all work on the Interagency Expert Group on the SDGs. ESCWA, through Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia, is participating in this Interagency Expert Group. We have participated actively in the work of 2024, virtually and in person. These countries were also participating in all events concerned with the comprehensive review of the Indicators Framework for 2025. In this context, the ESCWA states support the contents of this report submitted to the Statistical Committee in its current session, and we call for its adoption. We also agree for the annual refinements in light of the comprehensive review of 2025, and we also approve the proposed work plan for the group for 2025. And in this regard, we emphasize the importance of continued coordination and cooperation in capacity building and the exchange of best practices and expertise under the umbrella of UN entities concerned with these indicators in order to manage the implementation and assessment of Agenda 2030. Thank you.

Thank you, the distinguished delegate of Egypt. And now with the floor, the distinguished delegate of Malaysia.

Thank you, Chair. Malaysia takes this opportunity to acknowledge and support the invaluable work conducted by the interagency and expert group on Sustainable Development Goal indicators in ensuring a robust and data-driven approach to tracking global progress on the 2030 Agenda. Malaysia would like to express our appreciation on the effort and dedication of the Interagency Expert Group on SDG indicators in developing and refining the Global Indicator Framework. The advancement in data disaggregation indicator refinement, and methodological improvement are commendable. The 2025 Comprehensive Review has been a rigorous and inclusive process, ensuring that the Global Indicator Framework remains relevant, actionable, and responsive to emerging challenges in poverty reduction and inequality. Malaysia remains dedicated to working alongside the interagency and expert group to support the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Malaysia also acknowledged the annual refinement outlined in Annex 1 and support their adoption to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of SDG indicators. This refinement will enhance data comparability and support evidence-based policymaking. Finally, Malaysia takes note of the background document, Rescuing the SDGs with Geospatial Information, and recognizes the importance of geospatial data in enhancing and strengthening SDG indicator measurement, monitoring, and dissemination. However, it's important to emphasize the need for developing human capital and infrastructure to effectively utilize geospatial technologies. Malaysia also supports the continued collaboration in using geospatial tools to identify poverty hotspots and track regional inequalities and leverage Earth observation data to enhance rural-urban poverty assessment. This approach will drive more precise, actionable insights for policy intervention. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Malaysia, and I give the floor to distinguished delegate of Georgia.

Thank you, Chair.

Distinguished colleagues, on behalf of the National Statistics Office of Georgia, it is a great privilege to contribute to the global dialogue on data and indicators for the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. Georgia remains fully committed to the implementation of the SDGs. Aligning national priorities with the Agenda 2030. Since 2015, Georgia has taken active steps to nationalize the SDG agenda with the administration of the Government of Georgia leading the coordination process at the highest political level. This process involves all relevant institutions— civil society and UN agencies, ensuring an inclusive and collaborative approach. GeoSTAT plays a central role in this process, coordinating the production of SDG indicators and serving as the primary data provider. Currently, GeoSTAT produces data on 94% of nationalized indicators. With efforts underway to close remaining gaps. To further strengthen statistical capacity, a strategy of national statistical system was developed and adopted for 2024-2027. With its successful implementation, GEOSTAT aims to produce all nationalized SDG indicators by 2027, ensuring comprehensive and reliable data for decision-making and policy execution. Georgia recently submitted its third VNR highlighting progress, challenges, and key reforms to accelerate SDG implementation. GeoSTAT reaffirms fully committed to supporting the global SDG agenda by enhancing statistical capabilities and fostering data-driven policymaking for a sustainable future. Thank you, Chair.

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

Muchas gracias. Thank you very much, Chairman. Spain is grateful for the work undertaken by the Interagency Expert Group on the SDG indicators. We support the proposal of annual refinements of the indicator framework as well as the in-depth revision. In particular, we wish to express our total support to the incorporation of indicator 892 on employment in the tourism sector promoted by UN Tourism that will enable better follow-up of Goal 8.9 to draft and implement policies geared towards promoting sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products. We also warmly welcome the introduction of Indicator 11C.1, ODA and other support for urban infrastructure and other urban projects. However, it doesn't have any follow-up indicator. Now, when it comes to the global database, we believe that we should continue to support to eliminate discrepancies between the global database of SDG indicators and national databases. When it comes to the Working Group 2024, we appreciate the fact that it is continuing to work to establish standards, the SDMX standards, to make progress in other areas. It's also necessary to— necessary to ensure that this is in line with national platforms, and this will reduce the workload for statistical offices. We believe that this is something that we can continue to improve. Thank you very much, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Spain. And now with the floor to the distinguished Delegated of Bangladesh.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Bangladesh endorses the proposed annual refinement by Interagency Expert Group on SDG indicators. We appreciate the initiative to review and update the SDG metadata and hope that the member countries will provide enough technical support to the from the custodian agencies on the refinement. We also expect extended support from the custodian agencies on refinement of metadata for the capacity building of the member countries. Bangladesh strongly endorses the guiding principles of 2025 Comprehensive Review. We appreciate the progress of the expert group and would like to thank and endorse the proposal of replacement and revision of existing indicators. We highly appreciate the proposal of adding 3 new indicators, particularly for monitoring the nutrition indicators: prevalence of minimum dietary diversity and population group of children aged 6 to 23.9 months and non-pregnant women of age 15 to 49 years. We also appreciate the proposal of adding other two indicators on employment in tourism industry and ODA on urban infrastructure. Bangladesh has prepared and following the strategic document titled Action Plan and Methodological Guidelines towards Data Generation and Disaggregation for Monitoring and Evaluation of SDGs. Now we'll start working to revise the document for addressing the refinement, revision, and addition that will be taking place. We would appreciate if the custodian agencies extend their support in this regard. Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair, distinguished delegates. Tajikistan recognizes a great contribution of Interagency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goals Indicators in 2024, and we highly appreciate its work. The enhancements made through the annual updates to the global SDG indicator framework have been thoroughly reviewed and fully endorsed. Although there has been progress in refining methodologies and enhancing data quality, considerable challenges persist. This challenge includes limited technical capacity and financial constraints on producing and available indicators. Overall, there has been noticeable lack of cooperation between some custodian agencies and national statistical offices. Tajikistan agrees and supports comprehensive review of SDG indicators in 2025 and its criteria. We fully support the adoption of this proposed work program of expert group for 2025. It is crucial to highlight the valuable opportunity to learn from the experience and best practices of custodian agencies, other countries, and working groups in monitoring Sustainable Development Goals. This includes their work on national SDG platforms, dashboards, and efforts to address data gaps for SDG indicators at the national level. A user-friendly and easily updatable platform is essential for the timely updating and dissemination of SDG indicators for the NSEOs. Thank you very much.

Thank you, the distinguished representative of Tajikistan. And I'll give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Norway.

Thank you, Chair, and apologies for keeping the discussion going, but it's important that we keep up the good work, uh, entering the final 5 years of the 2030 Agenda.

And I do hear much support of the statistical work, which is important to note that has implications also far beyond the SDGs. Norway congratulates the IAG SDGs with strong support from the Secretariat for its substantial work in preparing and proposing changes and additions during the 2025 comprehensive review, as well as in the annual refinements of strategy indicator framework. This was finalized in Oslo in October 2024 in the annual in-person meeting hosted by the UNDP Global Policy Center for Governance in collaboration with Statistics Norway, and we look much forward to meet again in Japan this autumn. The gratitude also extends to the custodian agencies who have taken on significant responsibility in developing indicators and compiling data for the global database and in their continued with effort to refine indicators that we can anticipate will be relevant far beyond the year 2030. Referring to the work program, we support the establishment of a task team to capture lessons learned from the development and implementation of indicators for global development agendas. As already asked by Sweden, we hope that the extensive experience we have gained as a community since the adoption, adoption of the SDGs can be shared also beyond this community to inform future and similar processes in the UN and hereby certain early involvement of the statistical community in such processes. Finally, Norway supports the adoption of the indicator proposals as presented in the annexes to the report from the IIG SDGs. Thank you.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I'll be brief, and I'd like to start by congratulating the UN Statistics Division and colleagues involved in this work around the world on the work on the SDGs, on the improved global database with now almost 3 million records, and ever-increasing and improving UN data platform for the SDGs and the 2024 Global Sustainable Development Report. These are all critically important and impressive achievements providing user-friendly access to well-defined, statistically sound SDG data and metadata enabling fact-based comparison and interpretation between countries and regions around the world on the development situation. I'd also like to congratulate the Interagency and Expert Group on the results and the work on refining the indicators and for managing the 2025 comprehensive review, which we support. The extensive review will improve the global indicator system without significantly increasing the number of indicators and without increasing the reporting burden on national statistical offices and other data providers. In our view, the work of the Interagency and Expert Group on SDGs is extremely important and forms a backbone of the work related to the 2030 Agenda. As we know, without credible data, it is not possible to ensure a proper follow-up of initiatives and results. Denmark supports the adoption of the proposed work program of the expert group for 2025. Capturing the lessons learned from the development and implementation of indicators for global development agendas will result in valuable knowledge for developing future global assessment frameworks and associated indicator systems. So on the basis of that, we also support the Swedish proposal for the establishment of a task team to this end. Thank you very much.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Denmark. And now with the floor to the distinguished delegate of Antigua on behalf of Barbuda. Antigua

Thank you, Chair.

Antigone Barbuda, on behalf of the CARICOM Region, commends the Interagency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators for its efforts in refining the global indicator framework. We acknowledge the progress made and recognize the expert group's critical role in ensuring the SDGs remain measurable, relevant, and adaptable to evolving global challenges. We support the 2025 work program, particularly its focus on capacity building, data disaggregation, and innovative data solutions. The CARICOM region faces significant challenges, including limited resources, climate change impacts, and data collection constraints due to small populations and dispersed geographies. It is crucial that the global reporting process does not overburden or restrain national statistical systems. We appreciate the proposed annual refinements, which enhance clarity and alignment with international statistical standards. These refinements should continue to prioritize practicality and accessibility, particularly for developing states with limited statistical infrastructure. We also recognize the importance of rescuing the SDGs with geospatial information for improving SDG monitoring. Leveraging geospatial data and small area estimation is vital for addressing data limitations in climate resilience, disaster risk reduction, and economic development. Continued investment in capacity building is essential to ensure that SIDS and developing states can effectively utilize these tools for evidence-based policymaking. We support the proposed indicator changes from the 2025 comprehensive review of the Indic-Indic framework, particularly the addition of Indicator 8.9.2, unemployment in tourism industries. Tourism is a key driver of sustainable development in the region. Contributing to employment, economic growth, and cultural heritage preservation. This indicator will enhance the measurement of tourism economic impact in the region. In conclusion, we affirm our commitment to the SDGs and the work of the IAG and SDG indicators. We support the 2025 Work Programme proposed refinements and indicator changes that the global indicator framework remains inclusive, responsive, and reflective of the realities faced by all nations. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Antigua and Barbuda, and I now give the floor to the State of Palestine.

Shukran.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

And on behalf of the Arab Group, and in addition to comments made by the Republic of Egypt on behalf of the ESCWA member states, We wish to thank the High-Level Group on— for Partnership Coordination and Capacity Building for Statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, namely for the refinements to the indicators. And we also endorse the Medellín Framework on Statistics for Sustainable Development. We agree on identifying an independent, independent scoping for activities made by the United Nations in this regard, and we welcome the recommendations on activities to be made by the high-level group as included in Annex 1 of the report, and we also endorse the work plan for 2025.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

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

Thank you, Chair. Colombia takes note of the progress made and draft work program of the Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs in cooperation with the United Nations System for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. It recognizes the importance of these efforts in strengthening statistical capacities, improving methodologies, and fostering innovation in data use. Colombia recognizes the need to strengthen national statistical capacities, particularly at the territory level, and to enhance the use of administrative records as a key mechanism. In this regard, we highlight the efforts of the Global Network of institutions for statistical training, including the creation of the UN SDG Learn platform as an essential for improving technical and methodological skills. We also emphasize the importance of the capacity building theme selected for the high-level seminar on Friday, February 28th. We also highlight the importance of initiatives like Data for Now, which leverage innovative data sources and methodologies to improve national statistical production. Finally, regarding citizen-generated data, we acknowledge the work carried out by the Statistics Division and the CDG Collective. Colombia supports the integration of citizen-generated data as a key tool to close information gaps and respond to the growing demand for timely, disaggregated, and high-quality data. Considering this, we request that the Statistical Commission include Citizen-generated data as an agenda item, allowing the Collaborative on CGD to report to the Commission every 2 years. We are convinced that this will help showcase the extensive work and progress in this area, enabling NSOs to strengthen their engagement with citizens. Thank you.

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

Buenos días a todos.

Muchas gracias.

Very good morning, everyone, and thank you very much, Chairman. Distinguished delegates, Brazil underscores the importance of the reference document on the SDGs with geospatial data and how geospatial data can transform The production, measuring, monitoring, and dissemination of the SDG indicators. The geospatial information improves the implementation, the monitoring, and the impact of the 2030 Agenda. Each SDG indicator has an aspect based on location, on poverty, access to health, and on climate change. Geospatial technology enables us to bridge information gaps and ensure better measuring, planning, and better actions. Satellite imagery, for example, can look at deforestation in real time, and this is particularly important for SDG 15. Key areas in which geospatial information can drive progress include responding to disasters, Climate disasters, for example, SDG 13. Health and well-being, SDG 3. Urban development, SDG 11. Food security and agriculture, SDG 2. Including geospatial data in monitoring SDGs and establishing alliances, countries can improve their capacities to measure progress and to make decisions based on data and to achieve the 2030 Agenda. Ensuring collaboration and standardizing innovation in geospatial technology will lay the foundations for a more effective and sustainable focus on the Sustainable Development Goals. Chairman, Brazil takes note of and underscores the fact that the Interagency Expert Group is engaging in strategic efforts to establish alliances to to build capacities and to engage in coordination between national and international statistical systems. The report mentions the historic impact of the Global Data Forum, the Cape Town and Dubai initiatives, among others. And it's important to look at the impact of the previous frameworks. And looking at the evolution of the forum is important because this is a critical step of maturity now. Distinguished delegates, Brazil supports the Medellín Framework. It is well structured around 4 pillars and priorities. And it's also important to mention reference documents such as the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact, and the statement on— the declaration, rather, on future generations within this framework. Chair, Brazil supports the scope of the evaluation of the U.N. Global Data Framework in this step of development, and it's crucial to understand its impact. Progress should focus on impact, inclusion, exchange of knowledge, innovation, finance, and sustainability. Distinguished delegates, the mandate of the high-level group is well structured and effectively defines its functions. Brazil approves of the new version. The roles and responsibilities are clear. And the interconnection between the group and different stakeholders, civil society, private sector, and academia strengthens its inclusive nature. The goals are aligned well with global initiatives to achieve sustainable development emphasizing capacity building, association, modernization of data infrastructure. Focus on national ownership ensures that this is driven forward by countries and the emphasis on Open meetings boost transparency and collaboration. Chairman, Brazil supports the program of work proposed for 2025, and we wish to underscore the importance of including issues to do with data and statistics within the Medellín Framework for Sustainable Development Data. Thank you very much, Chair.

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

Thank you, Chair. Finland endorses the work on the review. The framework is now well established, and to our mind, further work should focus on the implementation of the framework, development of methods and metadata, and increasing the coverage of the data.

And then I come to the but.

The proposal to attach geospatial information to all SDG indicators is very challenging for national statistical offices and may be practically impossible to implement with current resources. A significant part of the SDG data is produced by other organizations, also outside the field of statistics, and used by us. We simply cannot determine the content of this data and force other organizations to add GIS information to data. There is also all reason to be concerned about the additional burden on NSOs and whether it is appropriate to direct scarce, scarce global resources to the production of the GSA information. Also, we should be concerned on confidentiality and security issues inherent in georeferenced data. While GIS data may be valuable for some indicators, it does not provide significant additional information for most indicators. Thus, it is not reasonable to rush the progress in the direction presented by the document, but to proceed calmly so that GIS data is utilized in those indicators where it is especially needed. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Finland. Time is now 11:45 and I propose to suspend the meeting at this point for a short break of 5 minutes to enable informal consultation among delegation. So we will start in 5 minutes, 10 to 12. The meeting is suspended.

Distinguished delegates, please take your seat.

We continue. 5 minutes is over. The meeting is resumed. We continue. Distinguished delegates, please take your seat. I now give the floor Please take your seat. I give the floor to the distinguished delegate. Is Kenya already back?

Kenya.

Doesn't look like. Then I give— And I have a question to Chile. You were pressing the button before break, but now it's not anymore here. Have you asked the floor or not?

No.

Okay. Then we come to the distinguished delegate of Mongolia.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, distinguished delegates. Mongolia highly appreciates the work carried out by the interagency and export group on sustainable development indicators. Mongolia endorses the proposed indicator changes, including replacements, revisions, additions, and deletions within the 2025 comprehensive review of the indicator framework. Moreover, we support the proposed work program of the expert group with a focus on implementation of the indicator framework, specifically the integration of geospatial information and statistics and continuation of the work of working groups on SDMX and geospatial information. We recognize the importance of utilization of non-traditional data sources in addressing SDG data gaps, especially geospatial information in production and monitoring of the SDG indicators, as significant efforts are being undertaken by international community including Mongolia, to utilize geospatial information for SDG indicators that lack data sources. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Mongolia. Now to give the floor to the distinguished delegate of the Kingdom of Netherlands.

Thank you, Chair. The Netherlands highly appreciate and support the work carried out by the interagency and expert group on Sustainable Development goal indicators. The work on the indicators is extremely important and is the foundation of the 2030 Agenda. In particular, we welcome the work done on geospatial data for SDGs. Using Earth observations creates the opportunity to monitor difficult indicators and allows for regional disaggregation. Statistics Netherlands has an annual, annual regional SDG report, which benefits greatly from geospatial data. We also improved the methods on small domain estimations, making our data on local levels more robust. Therefore, the toolkit on small area estimation is an excellent effort. We also appreciate the efforts to create the opportunity to share best practices. The open communication creates the opportunity to share country-specific challenges which are met with best practices and interesting ideas. We get inspired by examples from other countries in their approach of monitoring the SDGs. Statistics Netherlands applauds the work done on assessing the progress toward the 2030 Agenda. Ideas such as these add to the innovative methodologies to improve monitoring and the impact it can have. Thank you very much.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of the Netherlands, and I give the floor to distinguished delegate of Kenya.

Thank you, Chair. I'll make it very brief.

Kenya stands very, very proud of the work on citizen-generated data. As an NSO, we have made progress in using citizen-generated data to report on some of the SDG indicators, especially on education and health. We have established coordinating mechanisms with the producers of citizen-generated data. We have also shared our experiences with many countries, and we have also developed quality guidelines in this area. This agenda item presented to the— is presented to the Commission is very important to Kenya and other countries as well. As a country, we request the statistical commission to include citizen-generated data as an item, just as was requested by Colombia, and with a report on the collaboration on citizen-generated data be done biannually— biannually, that is every 2 years. Thank you, Mr. Meet Chair.

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

Thank you, Chair.

National Statistics Office of Nepal thanks the expert group for their ongoing work on monitoring the SDGs and endorses the proposed annual refinement to indicators and the proposed work program. NSO Nepal is already advancing with the implementation of the Copenhagen Framework. We organized a national-level workshop on citizen-generated data and plan to organize more training and knowledge exchange programs to share lessons learned from ongoing citizen data initiatives with the aim to localize the implementation of the framework. We welcome the further advocacy works planned, including the development of a proof of concept for a citizen data portal, global agenda setting by the fourth expert group meeting, and resource mobilization through donor meetings. We may wish to endorse the revised Copenhagen Framework on Citizen Data and its implementation roadmap as contained in the background document and plan to implement one of its major components on the domestic violence survey in my country, Nepal. Thank you very much.

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

Hello. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm providing a joint statement on behalf of the Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities, CCSA, which consists of 45 international and supranational organizations promoting the interagency coordination and cooperation on statistics. The Committee commends the Interagency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators for completing the 2025 Comprehensive Review of SDG Indicator Framework. The CCSA have worked hand in hand with the AIEG SDG and would like to show its appreciation on the transparency and inclusiveness of the process. It's not working.

Okay.

Welcome. The committee welcomes the Commission approval of the AIA EGS proposal. This proposal, which includes 3 new SDG indicators, offers a reasonable balance between the need of maintaining the SDG indicator framework at a manageable size while also adjusting to new realities and keeping the framework fit for purpose. Moreover, the CCSA custodian agencies of the new SDG indicators added to the indicator framework stand ready to begin reporting on this. The Committee highlights its commitment to continue working closely with the AIEG SDGs and all countries over these remaining 3 years of the SDG agenda, with a view to increasing data availability, improving analytical reporting, and continuing to provide countries with statistical capacity development support. Finally, the Committee calls on countries to renew their commitments made under the Global Digital Compact, including the Pact for the Future, to strengthen their efforts to collect, analyze, and disseminate SDG data, aim for a 50% increase in the data available to monitor the SDG— the 2030 Agenda, and an increase of the financing for data and statistics from all sources. Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of the FAO, and now we are giving the floor to the distinguished delegate of OHCHR.

Thank you, Chair.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights aligns itself with the statement of the CCSA in welcoming the report of the IAGSDG and congratulating its members on their work.

While human rights cut across the 2030 Agenda Agenda for Sustainable Development, OHCHR would like to commend countries for their contribution to improving data collection and availability for the measurement of Goal 16. In this context, we congratulate the countries where data collection on issues such as discrimination and violence against human rights defenders and journalists has progressed over the last few years, and which relates also to citizen data. The UN Human Rights Office commends the countries where national statistical offices and national human rights institutions, as defined in SDG Indicator 16a.1, have come together to identify groups left behind and to improve data collection in a manner consistent with human rights. The UN Human Rights Office remains available to support further collaboratives between national statistical offices businesses and human rights organizations. Thank you very much.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of OHCHR, and I now give the floor to the Eurasian Economic Commission.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, distinguished delegates. The Eurasian Economic Commission attaches great importance to monitoring achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and we're also continuing to actively work in this area. In 2019, we published a statistics compilation about the SDGs in the Eurasian Economic Union, the EAEU. In 2022 and 2024, we provided a new edition too, including 130 indicators adapted to regional realities. We're planning to further develop the system of monitoring, including updating the set of indicators and improving methodology for calculating them. The Commission has an interest in broadening cooperation with the Statistical Commission of the United Nations and also in the work in the context of the Interagency and Expert Group on SDG indicators to develop approaches to develop methodology for regional indicators of SDGs. We trust that we'll continue to productively work together with the Statistics System of the United Nations. Thank you.

Thank you, the distinguished delegate of the Eurasian Economic Commission. And I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of CISSTAT.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Statistics Committee of the CIS welcomes the high-level group and the plan of work for the high-level group for 2025. We thank the authors of the report, and we consider this material to be very useful for our further activity insofar as the Statistics Committee of the CIS attaches great importance to tracking progress on the SDGs. In the CIS countries right now, we are working on a large number of indicators whose number is increasing from one year to the next. We're focusing in particular on the dissemination of analyses on the SDGs. We've created a hub of data and metadata in the CIS. One section there is dedicated to the SDGs in Russian and English. There are 133 different analytical panels. There are tables, graphics, and other forms of presenting information. So we welcome the proposal voiced here to continue working on metadata on SDG indicators and to translate them into the UN's official languages. We've also prepared a whole series of analytical materials on progress toward the achievement of SDGs in the regions of the CIS. There's another important area of our work that's organizing some international standards and working on the methodological recommendations on the SDGs. Specifically, there was translation into Russian, last year of the— some aggregated monitoring data on the SDGs. And we've developed a range of methodological recommendations as well in terms of data sources and approaches toward achieving SDG indicators in the context of censuses. And also in terms of domestic violence and other indicators. What's very useful for our work is the fact that the representatives of the CIS Statistics Committee are members of— the Group on SDG Statistics. We also see value in exchanging experiences and best practices among countries. That's why we regularly hold forums, workshops, and seminars with international organizations and high-level experts. Just last year, we participated in organizing 5 such events on the SDGs. The latest meeting on this on this topic will be in May in Kyrgyzstan. Incidentally, one of the sessions of the International Statistics Forum for the CIS was in Baku, and it will be in Baku. I mentioned that meeting yesterday. And one session there will be devoted to the SDGs. I'd like to invite everyone who's interested in this topic to participate in that upcoming forum. I thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of CISSTAT and now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of the World Tourism Organization.

Thank you, Chair. UN Tourism welcomes the report of the Interagency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators, commending this group for its work on various fronts. With respect to the 2025 comprehensive review, UN Tourism notes with satisfaction the outcomes of the task team on sustainable tourism and the addition of indicator 8.9.2, unemployed persons in the tourism industries, into the proposed changes to the SDG indicator framework. This responds to various requests by this statistical commission and embodies extensive research and development through consultative intergovernmental processes guided by the task team on sustainable tourism. The indicator was jointly proposed to the comprehensive review by Austria, Spain, Saudi Arabia, CARICOM, ILO, and UN Tourism. The indicator responds to a critical policy issue in many countries, underlining the importance of employment as a pillar of tourism sustainability and covering a key aspect of Target 8.9 previously uncatered to. It is based on the statistical framework for measuring the sustainability of tourism endorsed by this Commission last year and it is largely available in countries. The indicator can be easily expressed as a share of total persons employed, and in fact UN Tourism compiles and disseminates this information. The proposed indicator's analytical potential is expanded by allowing disaggregation by sex, by employees and self-employed, and by tourism industry. Thanks to a fruitful partnership with ILO, the indicator leverages on existing ILO and UN Tourism data reporting mechanisms maximizing prior investments at national and international levels while minimizing reporting burden on countries. UN Tourism warmly thanks the Interagency Expert Group on SDG Indicators and its task team on sustainable tourism for the good collaboration. Thank you very much.

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

Thank you, Chair. Let me start by wishing a blessed Ramadan to all those who are celebrating. UN Women aligns with the statement of the CCSA. This year, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, a critical milestone in advancing gender equality and the rights of women and girls. As highlighted by our Deputy Executive Director during the opening of the Friday seminar, gender equality, the rights and empowerment of all women and girls remain the cornerstone of sustainable development. Yet the 2024 UN Women Paris 21 Gender Data Outlook Report shows that countries are only halfway in planning coordinating, producing, and making gender statistics available. With only 5 years left until the 2030 Agenda's deadline, increased efforts are needed to ensure that gender statistics are produced and used. UN Women stresses the urgent need to accelerate the use of diverse data sources, particularly citizen data, to address data gaps, meet growing demands, and inform gender equality policies. Policies and programs. UN Women appreciates the establishment of the Collaborative on Citizen Data at the 54th Session, and having served as a founding member and inaugural co-chair of the Collaborative, UN Women has seen firsthand its power to foster trust, bring different communities together, address data gaps, and enrich SDG monitoring through inclusive and innovative approaches. UN Women supports the endorsement of the Copenhagen Framework on Citizen Data, which provides guiding principles and mechanisms for creating an enabling environment that supports the coordination, production, and use of citizen data. UN Women is fully committed to supporting its operationalization and implementation. UN Women supports the request by Colombia and Kenya to include regular reporting to the Commission on citizen data every year— every two years. We also invite stakeholders that are not yet members of the collaborative, including Member States, to join this excellent initiative. Finally, as co-chair of the Collaborative on Administrative Data, UN Women is leading its efforts to strengthen gender statistics for SDGs reporting. 63% of the gender-specific SDGs indicators can be sourced from administrative data. Therefore, investing in these systems is also critical to closing data gaps and advancing gender equality and women's rights. Thank you, Chair.

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

Thank you, Chair. The ILO aligns itself with the statement delivered by the Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities CCSA. It highly appreciates and congratulates the work of the Interagency Expert Group on SDG Indicators on the 2025 comprehensive review and welcomes the report presented to the Commission. The report on the matter marks a significant step forward in our collective efforts to enhance monitoring sustainable development. The ILO strongly supports these refinements and commends the hard work carried out by the Interagency Expert Group on SDGs. In particular, ILO has strongly supported the work completed by the task team on sustainable tourism hosted by UN Tourism and the final inclusion of the new indicator on employed persons in the tourism industries under Target 8.9. This indicator recognizes the vital role that tourism plays in driving economic growth and job creation by providing a robust metric to assess employment quality and opportunities in the sustainable tourism industries. This initiative paves the way for more targeted policies and strategies that foster inclusive, resilient, and responsive development. The ILO stands ready to support Member States in the implementation of the refinements endorsed by the Interagency Expert Group on SDGs Indicator.

Thank you, Chair.

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

Thank you, Chair. The United Nations Development Programme remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting countries in the implementation and monitoring of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To monitor progress and enhance accountability, UNDP supports countries in building robust data ecosystems, leveraging traditional statistics alongside citizen-generated data. By improving data collection, disaggregation, and analysis, we help ensure that no one is left behind in the pursuit of global goals. UNDP sees an important role for household surveys, administrative records, and citizen data in SDG monitoring, as it provides local insights, ensuring development efforts address community needs while promoting inclusivity by amplifying the voices of marginalized groups. Efforts such as those from the Ghana Statistical Service and an increasing number of national statistical offices that are integrating citizen data into its SDG monitoring, including for SDG 16, is ensuring a more inclusive, responsive, and effective approach to achieving global sustainability goals. We are pleased to have co-hosted the last IAEg SDG meeting, and we look forward to continuing our engagement.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of the UNDP. I'm now giving the floor to the distinguished delegate of SESRIC.

Thank you, Chair. SESRIC, as the designated statistical institution of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, welcomes the report of the Interagency Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators and commends the ongoing work of the Working Group on SDMX and the broader efforts to strengthen data and metadata exchange to support implementation of the Global SDG Indicator Framework. In this context, SESRIC was pleased to co-organize the SDMX regional training workshop held in Istanbul last year, December, in collaboration with the OECD, ILO, BIS, ESQA, UNICEF, ESCAP, UN Statistics Division, and TurkStat. The workshop serves as a key capacity-building initiative enhancing the SDMX competencies of the national statistical offices in the region, aiming at contributing to the wider efforts of data harmonization and exchange as highlighted in the report. SESRIC remains committed to supporting data interoperability, the use of international standards like SDMX, and strengthening of statistical capacities in the OIC region to improve the availability, quality, and timeliness of data for SDG monitoring and reporting. SESVIC also reiterates its strong support for the continued and long-standing cooperation with the relevant international, regional, and national partners, particularly within the framework of the UN-OIC cooperation matrix, as well as through the implementation of the strategic vision of the OIC Statistical Commission for 2030 and its Programme of Action, which aims to foster enhanced statistical capacities to serve the global development agenda. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegate of SEESRIC. Thank you very much. I see no further request for the floor and invite Ms. Jong Hee Min, Chief of the Sustainable Development Goals Monitoring Section of the UNSD, to summarize our discussion on the report. Thank you, Chair.

The Commission commended the Interagency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicator for its ongoing work in conducting regular methodological reviews, improving and implementing the global indicator framework. The Commission expressed its appreciation for the open, inclusive, and transparent process conducted for the 2025 comprehensive review and agreed to and adopt the proposed major changes and minor refinements as presented in Annex 1 and 2 to the report of the Group. The Commission appreciated the Group's review of the indicator with low data coverage and the global efforts to address data gaps and agree on adopting a practical approach to future indicator development. The Commission supported the establishment of the task team on lesson learned in collaboration with the statistical community to capture the important lessons and knowledges which can contribute to future development frameworks. The Commission appreciates the group's ongoing efforts in compiling and showcasing good practice for monitoring the SDGs at national, regional, and global levels, and invited more countries and partners to share their good practice and useful resources. The Commission expressed its appreciation for its work on data disaggregation and the progress made by the working groups on geospatial information and the statistical data and metadata exchange., and stressed the need for continued support for countries to build capacity in this area. The Commission encouraged the group to continue its collaboration with the consultative agencies and the partners, focusing on the implementation and capacity building and work on data innovation, data integration, and the use of non-traditional data sources such as small area estimation, geospatial information, and the system data. The Commission approved the proposed work program of the group as described in Section V of its report. USDA noted that the intervention related to the work on the HRG and SG report will reflect the comments in the summaries. Us later.

Thank you.

I thank Miss Min. The Commission will now turn to document E/CN.3/2025/7 containing the report of the High-Level Group for Partnership Coordination and Capacity Building for Statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Albania to introduce this report.

Mr. Chair, distinguished delegates, dear colleagues. As co-chair of the High-Level Group for Partnership, Coordination, and Capacity Building for Statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, I am pleased to introduce to you the report on the activities of the group. The Commission is invited to take note of the work of the group, including organization of the 5th United Nations World Data Forum held between 12th and 15th November 2024 in Medellín, Colombia. Thanks to the Government of the Republic of Colombia, with the support of the National Administrative Department of Statistics, the Department of Antioquia, and the city of Medellín, the event was very successful with over 3,000 participants in person at the conference venue. The report further invites the Commission to endorse the Medellín Framework for Action on Data for Sustainable Development, launched the Fifth Forum to Carry Forward Global Action on Data and Statistics for the remainder of the 2030 Agenda. In addition to the report, the group have prepared three background documents, two in the context of negotiations on outcome documents for the Fourth International Conference for Financing for Development and the role of data and statistics in driving effective financing for development and another on the initial scoping for an evaluation of United World Data Forum. Finally, the Commission is invited to review and approve an update to the group's terms of reference and proposed work plan, including preparations for the 6th Forum provisionally scheduled for November 2026 in Saudi Arabia. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Albania. I have the feeling that some of you have mentioned in the previous item also answers or remarks that belongs to item number 7 from now, so you don't have to press the button again. I mean, we, we have seen that and we, we put that on the right space. So I now open debate on the report on the High-Level Group for Partnership Coordination and Capacity Building for Statistics for the 2030 Agenda. For Sustainable Development, and now give the floor to distinguished representative of Colombia.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Firstly, Colombia would like to congratulate Saudi Arabia for being selected as the host for the 6th United Nations World Data Forum and extends its best wishes in the organization of such an important event for our community, as well as reiterating our utmost disposition to help in anything the new host may need for said purpose. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to all those who contributed to the organization of the 5th UN World Data Forum, allowing it to be a success. We acknowledge the effort that was necessary to organize the first forum in the Latin American region. We remain committed to contribute to the implementation of the outcome document of the forum the Medellín Framework for Action on Data for Sustainable Development, highlighting the importance of coordinating more communication efforts and strengthening the Commit to Data campaign. We believe that the Medellín Framework becomes a great introduction letter to engage with other communities and keep positioning data and statistics in international debates. Besides sharing our broad approval of the updated mandate for the HLG PCCB,, we call for stronger reference of the Medellín Framework for Action and Data for Sustainable Development, as it is not included so far, nor the associated commitments or our follow-ups. It is important that the mandate reflects the progress made by the group in the last few years. Furthermore, Colombia highlights the needs of a stronger coordination between the A— IAE— sorry, SDG and the HLG, possibly referencing these efforts within the annual work plans and pushing towards joint initiatives between the two groups. Moreover, considering the strategic nature of the HLG, we would like to highlight the importance of strengthening member participation across the meetings of the group, perhaps strengthening coordination with the regional commissions in light of the criteria of regional representation could help enhance assistance. We endorse the document's scope in the general elements associated with the evaluation process and avail ourselves of the opportunity to manifest interest in contributing to the process. As the host country of the Fifth World Data Forum, Colombia strongly supports the Medellín Framework for Action on Data for Sustainable Development and advocates for its wide dissemination and application in statistical environment by the HLG, this Commission, and all its members. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Colombia. And now comes the distinguished delegate of Saudi Arabia.

Shukran sa'at al-ayat.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair. The General Authority for Statistics would like to commend the work made by the High-Level for a group in working on the statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in addition to strategic leadership for the implementation process related to SDGs. We would also like to thank the High-Level Group for selecting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to host the 6th UN World Data Forum to be held in Riyadh from the 9th to the 12th of November, 2026. We would also like to thank the UN Statistical Commission for its support, and we would like to inform you specifically that we have begun already to prepare and organize this forum, and we are committed to taking into account all considerations that must be considered in the preparation process and which the High-Level Group has laid out in this report. This includes internal and international consultations in order to ensure that the forum does not overlap with any other event in the statistical and international calendar. We also commend the forum's survey to be held, which could enable lessons learned to benefit future forum to be held. We would also like to welcome the attendance of all excellencies from statistical commissions from other member states.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you, the distinguished delegate of Saudi Arabia. And I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of the Dominican Republic.

Muchísimas gracias.

Thank you very much, Chairman. The Dominican Republic takes note of the report presented, and at the same time, we congratulate the member countries of the high-level group, in particular the co-chairs, Albania and Ghana for the excellent work undertaken. We also thank the issue partners and the Statistics Division in their capacity as the secretariat of the group. We express our support to the Medellín Framework for Action on Data for Sustainable Development, which establishes a new renewed framework. To the Cape Town Plan of Action that will guide us through new situations where we will be required to advocate for continuous innovation and the exercising of institutional leadership in spaces that thus far have not been touched on that much, such as, for example, the process that is being engaged in by the group to influence the process for the negotiation of the Fourth Conference on Financing for Development. We welcome the establishment of the evaluation of the World Data Forum and at the same time we suggest that the report be distributed in the different languages of the Commission bearing in mind that the results can be considered component by component and evaluated in quantitative terms when it comes to the transfer of knowledge, collaboration, the formalized working groups and good practices put forward in the forum that have been replicated. We approve of the process to update the mandate of the group considering that there is an important role that it can and must play when it comes to global processes that are being engaged in, in the multilateral environment. This update is compatible with the expectations put forward by the Medellín Framework. Finally, we approve of the program of work put forward, and we use this opportunity to thank the Colombian National Statistics Department, as well as the government and people of Colombia, for the excellent work engaged in at the Fifth World Data Forum. We also congratulate Saudi Arabia for being elected to host the Sixth Forum, and we wish them every success in this endeavor. Thank you.

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

Thank you.

Thank you, Chair. I'm Kiribati on behalf of the Pacific countries. I am delighted to commend the high-level group for partnership coordination and capacity building. And the government of Colombia on the successful Fifth World Data Forum and endorsed the Medellín Framework for Action with its 12 new priorities. I am particularly pleased to celebrate the higher level of the Pacific participation at the Fifth World Data Forum, which was a great opportunity to highlight data innovation in our region. Make connections and share solutions. Chair, Pacific heads of government have adopted SDG indicators as robust measures to support our 2050 strategy for the Blue Pacific. This will also be the theme for our 2025 Pacific Data Viz Challenge, which promotes creative and innovative use of data to tell stories of relevance and impact of our people and our countries. I would also like to highlight the decision of the ESCAP Committee on Statistics to promote a whole-of-society approach to building statistical capacity, which aligns closely with the Medellín Framework. Member States may wish to highlight this transformative decision to shift from a whole-of-government to whole-of-society approach, and how this is necessary for statistical systems for achieving the Leave No One Behind ambition of the 2030 Agenda. The Pacific countries approved the updated scoping of an evaluation of the UN Data Forum and the work of HLG, and approved the updated terms of reference for the HLG PCCB. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Chair.

We take note of the report from the High-Level Group PCCB and support the endorsement of the Medellín Framework for Action on Data for Sustainable Development.. An evaluation of the Forum as a means for bringing stakeholders together would be welcome, as well as looking at how the future work of the High-Level Group can be further developed. We support the proposed update of the Group's Terms of Reference, but this should be revisited after the evaluation have taken place. We appreciate the work that is being done regarding the financing for development process and the outcome document to strengthen language regarding data and statistics. This coherent framework for development financing will play a large role in the years— that follow the conference to be held in Sevilla in July. An explicit mentioning of the importance of data and statistics throughout the document will help our community in playing a role with taking it forward.

The High Level Group is well placed to contribute to the content of the outcome document, and all national statistical offices also have a stake in this.

Norway would also like to encourage all countries to be active in the follow-up, the work also after the financing for Development Conference to make sure that we continue building well-financed and robust national statistical systems that contribute with high-quality statistics for decision-making.

Thank you.

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

Thank you, Chair. The Gambia, on behalf of the Africa Group, takes note of the work of the High-Level Group for Partnership Coordination and Capacity Building for Statistics for 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Africa Group notes that the High-Level Group is composed of representatives of 20 national statistical offices and co-chaired by Ghana, and is mandated to provide strategic leadership for statistical monitoring and reporting related to the SDGs while fostering capacity building, partnership, and coordination. The group also notes the outcomes of the 5th United Nations World Data Forum held in Medellín, Colombia, from the 12th to the 15th of November 2024, featured an extensive program of over 100 events including high-level plenary sessions, panel discussions, and learning labs. In addition, the group takes note of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development scheduled for June 2025 in Spain. In anticipation of the, of the conference, an elements paper was published in November 2024, and preparatory sessions were held in December 2024, with further sessions planned for February and April 2025. The high-level group emphasizes the need for a coordinated approach to strengthen the language in the conference outcome document regarding increased funding for data and studies, calling for active engagement from national statistical offices and other key stakeholders to secure improved investment outlook. Also, the Africa Group recognizes the great work of the Pan-African institutions of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the African Union, and the African Development Bank, and our regional economic communities for the numerous capacity-building programs held on the continent during the past years. Their partnership and coordination of the activities activities contributed immensely to improving capacity and production of more and quality data in Africa. Furthermore, the Group acknowledges the proposal to revise its terms of reference to enhance its strategic decision-making role. These intended updates aim to clarify the Group's responsibility— responsibilities, better align them with the renewed Global Action Plan, and improve member representation admittance. The work plan for 2025, detailed in Annex 2 of the report, outlines the group's priorities and planned activities for the coming year. In conclusion, the Africa Group endorses the Medellín Framework, approves the scoping, the scoping for an evaluation of both the United Nations World Data Forum and the work of the High-Level Group. The proposed update to the terms of reference, as presented in Annex 1 and the proposed work plan for 2025 as presented in Annex 2. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Gambia. And I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Switzerland.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I would like to express my gratitude to the High-Level Group and the Secretariat for the valuable work they accomplished in 2024 in support of the 2030 Agenda and the effective monitoring of the Agenda's goals. We congratulate the HRGPCCB, Colombia, and the Secretariat on the success of the 5th United Nations World Data Forum in Medellín. Switzerland supports the Medellín Framework for Action on Data for Sustainable Development, which renews and updates the Cape Town Global Action Plan. This framework also provides the starting point for us as a data and statistical community to engage in this year's 4th International Conference on Financing for Development. On another note, after 5 editions of the World Data Forum, it is an opportune moment to conduct an evaluation of the forum to assess its impact and suggest improvements for future editions. We agree with the proposed steps for this evaluation outlined in the background document. We would also like to congratulate Saudi Arabia for being selected as host of the 6th edition of the Forum in 2026 and hope that it will take into account the results of the evaluation to continue developing the Forum.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Switzerland. And now give the floor to distinguished delegate of Belize.

Thank you, Chair. Belize, on behalf of the CARICOM region, takes note of the report of the High-Level Group for Partnership, Coordination, and Capacity Building for Statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and commends the HLGPCCB on the work completed over the past year. This includes the organization of the 5th World Data Forum held in Medellín, Colombia in November 2022. 24, the launch of the Medellín Framework for Action on Data for Sustainable Development, and its work to promote financing for data and statistics. We recognize this ongoing work of the HLG to support the mobilization of resources for the development of statistics and capacity building, which is critical to the advancement of statistics within our region, and its efforts to ensure that the need for increased funding for data and statistics is sufficiently highlighted at the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, which will be held in Seville, Spain, in June of this year. We endorse the Medellín Framework for Action on Data for Sustainable Development and support its continued refinement. We approve the scoping for an evaluation of the World Data Forum and the work of the HLG. We approve the proposed update to the terms of reference for the High-Level Group, and we approve the proposed work plan for the High-Level Group for 2025. Thank you.

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

Muchas gracias, señor presidente.

Thank you very much, Chairman. Spain, as a member of the HLG, supports the work that it's undertaking. First of all, we'd like to thank the National Administrative Department of Colombia of Colombia for their work and the U.N. Statistics Division for organizing the 5th World Data Forum that took place in Medellín last November. It was a great success given the high level of participants. The Medellín Program of Action for Sustainable Development is important and we believe that this global action plan will give the necessary impulse to global action when it comes to data on sustainable development. In order to complement this, it's essential to ensure that adequate financing is provided, that we can achieve if the document of conclusions of the fourth UN Conference on Financing for Development that's taking place in June in Spain will reflect the need for data for decision-making. This will benefit everyone if that is possible. The work that we're carrying out at this high-level group must strengthen the drafting of the conclusions document. In Spain's case, we are in contact with the ambassador for this issue participating in the preparatory committee. There's also the Ministry of Foreign Affairs considering that the document of conclusions must adequately reflect the important value of statistics. Lastly, we support the plan of work that's proposed by the High-Level Group for 2025, and we hope that we will achieve successful results. Thank you.

Thank you to the distinguished delegate of Spain. And I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Mongolia.

Mr. Chairman, distinguished delegates, Mongolia appreciates the efforts and initiatives made by the High-Level Group for partnership coordination and capacity building for statistics for the 2030 Agenda. Agenda for Sustainable Development and takes note of the report presented. We welcome the outcome of the 5th United Nations World Data Forum held in Medellín, the Republic of Colombia in November 2024. Mongolia takes note of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development which will be held in Seville, Spain in June 2025. Mongolia is a member of the High-Level Group supports a coordinated approach to strengthening the language for data and statistics. We support the scoping for an evaluation of the UN World Data Forum as well as the activities of the High-Level Group. In conclusion, Mongolia welcomes the proposed amendments to the terms of reference and work plan for 2025 of the High-Level Group. Thank you.

Thank you very much to the distinguished delegate of Mongolia. I see no further requests for the floor and now invite Ian Rutherford, statistician at the UNSD, to summarize our discussion on the report.

Thank you, Chair. The Statistical Commission expressed its gratitude to the High-Level Group for partnership, coordination, and capacity building for statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The government of Colombia and the program committee for organizing the United Nations World Data Forum 2024, held in Medellín, Colombia, and endorsed the launch of the Medellín Framework for Action on Data for Sustainable Development, renewing the commitment to the Cape Town Global Action Plan. Welcome the group's work on championing financing and capacity development needs for national data and statistical systems, in particular raising awareness amongst those negotiating the outcome document of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development. Agreed with the updated terms of reference to enhance the Group's strategic decision-making role by clarifying its responsibilities and better aligning them to the new Medellín Framework and improving member representation at meetings. Agreed with the work program of the high-level group and asked the group to report back to the Commission at its 57th session on its evaluation of the United Nations World Data Forum as a global gathering for advancing data and statistics amongst the widest stakeholder base, and the preparations for the 6th forum planned for 9 to 12 November 2026 in Saudi Arabia.

Thank you very much for the report. Um, we are close to the end. I have 2, 3 things to say. One that I will mention to this item, and Stefan will say something and Claudia will say something. Um, we still At the report of the Secretary-General on the work of the review of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, E/CN/3/2025/8. Under the item 3E, so the Commission will use— continue this item at the next plenary meeting at 3 PM this afternoon in this conference room. I now give the floor to Stefan.

Thanks.

Thank you, George.

Very quick announcement. We need to capture your email if you want to receive the draft report on Thursday evening or Friday morning. We have done that last year for the first time. I think there is this QR code. If you can capture it either from the screen or you will get a paper that looks like that with a QR code. And during the day, it doesn't have to be right now, right now, but during the day, we want to capture your email addresses of all the people here in the room so that we can share the draft report with you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Stefan. Now Claudia.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair, distinguished delegates. As announced, the preliminary list of participants has been circulated via the announcement module of StatsComm. You will see that there are still many empty spaces, so please contact your permanent missions, your focal points, that they add you to the list of participants for this session of the Statistical Commission. This list preliminary is also available on the website. Of the statistical commissions, and the contact emails are also indicated there. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Duda Secretary. Then the meeting is adjourned.