(3rd meeting) Statistical Commission, 57th Session

The third meeting of the 57th session of the Statistical Commission is called to order. I invite the Commission to continue its consideration of Agenda Item 3 entitled National Accounts and to hear the remaining speakers in the debate on this item. Delegations are reminded that the list of speakers All speakers close at the end of yesterday's meeting and are asked to adhere to the time limit of 2 minutes. Delegations are also reminded to send to estatements@un.org a copy of the statements they will deliver during the meeting. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Russian Federation.

Thank you, Chair. The Russian Federation would like to thank the Intersecretariat Working Group on National Accounts for the huge amount of work that they've done recently, and we welcome the report. We believe it important to ensure the transfer translation of standards into UN official languages to be implemented in good time. Here we support all of the efforts of the Statistical Commission for CIS countries who are carrying out translation of the standards into Russian. Implementation of 2025 is one of the key tasks of our country. It's also very important to involve all interested agencies in the implementation of this. We've already started to prepare an international interagency plan to implement these standards. Here we're working a lot on using the results of the intersecretariat working group to help us with this. We'd like to underscore the importance of training for staff in statistical services, imply— implying these standards and ensuring relevant exchange of experience on international platforms. I'd also like to note that with the financial support of the Russian Federation, since 2023 we've been— have a project for developing statistics in the CIS countries. And as part of this project, we have seminars and workshops, uh, to implement these 2025 standards for countries of our region. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished delegation of the Russian Federation. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Portugal.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Portugal takes note of the report of the Inter-Secretary Working Group on National Accounts. With the approval and publication of the System of National Accounts 2025, the priority of the coming years should be its effective implementation. The meetings of the groups of experts of national accounts should therefore focus primarily on practical implementation challenges and the exchange of best practices and country experiences. Portugal welcomes the continued support of international organizations, particularly in outreach and capacity building, especially for the more complex aspects of the implementation process. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Portugal. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Georgia.

Excellencies, distinguished delegates, the 2025 System of National Accounts is more than a methodological update. It is a commitment by the global statistical community to ensure our frameworks REMEERS fits for purpose in a rapidly changing world. Georgia fully supports its timely release, translation, and dissemination, and commends the Intersecretariat Working Group and all partners for their sustained and coordinated efforts. Digitalization, globalization, Natural resources and sustainability are fundamentally reshaping how we measure economic reality. The 2025 SNA rises to that challenge, and its timely implementation is essential for producing national accounts that are relevant, credible, and internationally recognized. Georgia welcomes the implementation roadmap, alignment questionnaire, and compilation guidance as vital tools for coherent global adoption. Yet we must be clear: implementation is not uniform. Countries face vastly different resource realities. Practical guidance prioritized handbooks and sustained capacity building are not optional. They are prerequisites for a successful transition. We also underline the critical importance of improving the availability, quality and timeliness of national accounts data, including quarterly accounts. These are not technical details. They are the numbers that shape policy decisions and affect people's lives. Georgia remains fully committed to the progressive implementation of the 2025 SNA, and we look forward to working with the global statistical community to make this transition a success for every country. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Georgia. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Kyrgyzstan.

Thank you, Chair, and good morning, everyone. Kyrgyzstan welcomes the Working Group on National Accounts, and we're very pleased to hear that soon there'll be launched a classification on a evaluation of natural resources. Moreover, for us it's also relevant to study the guidance on cryptocurrencies and cryptoassets developed by the IMF. And the topic of assessing and taking into account cryptoassets is a relevant one for Kyrgyzstan at the moment because we're pleased to notice that study is one of— of this is one of our priorities. Also at the 56th session of the Statistical Commission, we mentioned that they were going to develop practical guidelines of the so-called— a guidebook roadmap for the implementation of these 2025 standards, which will ensure an accelerated information provided to experts on national accounts, and provide them with the opportunity to, as soon as possible, prepare experimental accounts and also develop these in line with international recommendations. In the report, there's no information actually about this work. Kyrgyzstan would like to ask for more information about this. Kyrgyzstan is also planning to launch a development— a plan for moving to a 2025 approach, and also it's important to have practical experience to implement this and ensure harmonised methodology. We'd be pleased to hear— we're pleased to hear that work has been concluded on the Macroeconomic Statistics Centre, which brings together all of the information material, and it will then serve as a platform for exchange of experience. Separately, I'd like to express our gratitude for the draft questionnaire for— which will provide us with the opportunity to understand the weak points and strong areas and gaps, and develop our national accounts in line with that. I would also like to note that the successful implementation of the new recommendation depends on there being practical guidance and background information on compilation and also practical assistance for consultants for missions and training programmes. We'd like to inform you that Kyrgyzstan have published on the— its quarterly national accounts on the website, and therefore we're looking— we're waiting for the updated guidance on the portal on the indexes and the national accounts in line with the 2025 SDGs. We would— SNA— we would also inform you that our National Commission also provides data for the statistics section of the UN Economic Commission. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of Kyrgyzstan. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Philippines.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Philippines recognizes the significant progress made in the development of the System of National Accounts 2025, or the 2025 SNA. We appreciate the efforts towards its publication and the release of supporting resources which provide essential guidance for national implementation and alignment. On implementation of the 2025 SNA, we support the high-level plan and the proposed 5 phases of activities, as these provide a clear and structured pathway for transition and help countries set institutional priorities and expectations. We likewise welcome the establishment of the Community Hub for Macroeconomic Statisticians, which will serve as an important platform for sustained exchange of experiences and access to relevant reference materials. While we recognize that the implementation period is necessary to ensure global compliance and comparability of statistics, we underscore that countries have varying levels of statistical capacity. In this regard, the prioritization of recommendations is essential. Practical and operational guidelines will be particularly useful in assisting countries to align with the 2025 SNA and to sequence implementation in accordance with national statistical programs and policy priorities. Continued support from international organizations, especially through capacity development and technical assistance, will be critical to ensure effective and inclusive implementation. The Philippines likewise expresses its full support for the updated Data Quality Assurance Framework, including the 2025 SNA alignment questionnaire, and looks forward to participating in this exercise. Moreover, we recognize that the review of the mandate and terms of reference of the Working Group and the Advisory Expert Group is important to ensure continued inclusiveness, transparency, and responsiveness to country needs. A user-centric approach will be valuable in guiding the prioritization of recommendations and identifying key areas of progress. Finally, the Philippines reaffirms its commitment to the regular reporting of national accounts data, as well as the timely provision of inputs and continued active engagement in advancing the important global statistical initiative. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Philippines. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Canada.

Thank you, Chair.

Canada congratulates the SNA editorial team on successful publication of the SNA 2025. We recognize this update is a critical initiative and a priority for the coming years. Canada's commitment to its successful implementation is evidenced by our active participation in task teams, events such as the Conference of Economic Measurement, and by the development of experimental data and testing. Canada supports focusing on international priorities on the integration of the SNA 2025 and BPM7 manuals and into international training programs, in addition to strengthening technical cooperation and peer learning. Such initiatives will help NSOs reduce the cost of implementing SNA 2025. SNA 2025 and promote consistent application. Canada is interested in being considered for early participation in pilot testing and publication of early experimental estimates as well. We also recognize the leadership of the Intersecretary Working Group on National Accounts to help statistical agencies with the implementation of SNA 2025 and ensuring comparability across countries. In this context, Canada is pleased to co-chair the task team reviewing the mandate and terms of reference of the Intersecretary Working Group and the Advisory Expert Group on National Accounts. This review is important to ensure that international guidance remains relevant and effective in supporting the SNA update process. Thank you, Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Canada. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of China.

Thank you, Chair. China commends the UN and IMF and other international organizations' effort in terms of editing, formatting, and printing the 2025 SNA. China considers the work to be very important and has already provided financial support through the China-UN Trust Fund for Statistical Capacity Development. We hope the official version will be released as soon as possible so as to facilitate countries' research for the implementation of the 2025 SNA. Since March 2025, the UN released the pre-edited version. China has conducted comprehensive research for understanding the revision in the 2025 SNA. Previously, under UN's authorization, China translated the 2008 SNA and published the Chinese version, which has been very beneficial. We're willing to continue this practice. And we are willing to translate the 2025 SNA into Chinese and hopefully that we can get the authorization for publication as well. China endorses the implementation strategy for the 2025 SNA proposed by the Inter-Secretariat Working Group and commends its efforts in advancing the implementation of the 2025 SNA. Building on its deep involvement in the 2008 SNA revision, China has already started comprehensive research and Chinese translation for the 2025 SNA. In the future, China will strengthen cooperation with the Intersecretariat Working Group and other international organizations and coordinate with other countries so as to implement the 2025 SNA in due time. We also welcome the UN, IMF, and other international organizations to select and dispatch experts to China for training purposes. For a long time, China has always been providing information to the UN Statistics Organization as well as other international organizations, and in the future, according to the requirements of the Statistical Commission, we will continue to do the reporting in terms of national accounts information. Thank you, Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of China. I now give the I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Malaysia.

Thank you, Chair. Malaysia welcomes and fully supports the proposed planning and implementation strategy for the System of National Accounts 2025. Malaysia's experience with previous SNA updates, including SNA 2008, underscores the importance of phased implementation, strong institutional coordination, continuous capacity building. Accordingly, Malaysia plans to implement the 2025 SNA progressively between 2027 and 2030, in line with the agreed international roadmap. Malaysia also notes that the 2025 SNA introduces several new and complex areas, particularly those related to digitalization, data, SNSN, and natural resources. Malaysia therefore requests technical assistance and capacity-building support from the United Nations Strategic Division and the International Monetary Fund to ensure effective and consistent implementation. Malaysia takes note of the terms of reference of the task team established to review the mandate and terms of reference of the working group and the advisory expert group. Malaysia wishes to emphasize that the review should ensure the clarity of roles, objectives, and responsibilities, as well as effective decision-making processes and balanced regional and institutional representation. Malaysia also expresses support for the proposed work program of the Working Group and the Regional Commission, particularly initiatives aimed at implementation support, regional learning, and the sharing of good practices. And finally, with respect to the reporting annual national account data, Malaysia encourages an updated version in compilation, timeliness, consistency, and metadata transparency, especially during the transition to the 2025 SNA. Clear documentation of methodological changes, backcasting practices, and revision policy will be essential to maintain user confidence and international comparability. DOSOM also encourages the use of standardized reporting templates and enhanced data exchange mechanisms to ensure effective reporting.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Malaysia. We have 22 speakers still on our list currently. I would like to inform delegations that list of speakers is closed. Therefore, we will not be able to accept more requests for inclusion on the list beyond those that are already included thereon. In the interest of time, I also encourage delegations to kindly limit their statements to 2 minutes. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of India.

Honorable Chair, distinguished delegates, as we gather here representing the world's diverse statistical community, India warmly commends the United Nations Statistical Commission, the Intersecretariat Working Group on National Accounts, and the Advisory Expert Group for the dedicated work on the 2025 SNA. This update isn't just technical, but it's a bridge to better understanding our shared economic realities. From digital frontiers to sustainable futures, capacity development and training are at the heart of successful implementation. Many developing countries still face challenges in fully implementing the 2008 SNA due to resource constraints, data gaps, and technical limitations. India therefore strongly supports sustained, well-financed programs that combine hands-on workshops, peer learning platforms, and tailored technical assistance, enabling countries to prioritize core accounts first and gradually move to complex extension while maintaining data quality and international comparability. India attaches particular importance to regional and sub-regional initiatives in South Asia. Regional Commission activities, such as workshops on digital supply-use tables and webinars on digitalization and well-being, have already shown how context-specific guidance can help countries adapt to new reporting requirements. Broader participation of experts and institutions from South Asia and other underrepresented regions in methodological work, pilots, and governance processes will ensure. The research agendas and implementation strategies reflect the realities of all development contexts, not only those of the developed countries. Leveraging its deep and practical experience in national accounting for one of the world's largest and most diverse economies, India stands ready to share its expertise, host regional capacity-building programs, and strengthen developing countries' at the request of member states and UN entities. We will continue to engage constructively in the review of mandates and governance of SNA-related groups, guided by clear principle that the 2025 SNA must not remain merely a technical standard but become an instrument of inclusive and sustainable development for all. India supports that no country and no region is left behind as we translate this global framework in a meaningful action on the ground. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of India. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the United Kingdom.

Thank you. The UK congratulates all involved in the publication of the 2025 SNA, and we look forward to the implementation phase. With the suggested deadline of 2029 or 2020, 2030, the implementation of SNA25 will bring challenges for us all, giving limited budgets and already stretched resources. From a UK perspective, we do see challenges in progressing implementation work alongside the updates to classification structures, alongside a number of transformation programs. Including a new business register and modernization of structural surveys. Clear and endorsed implementation guidance and initiatives to share technical training and learnings through the implementation phase will be crucial for maintaining consistency and also making the best use of scarce resources. Given the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence we are seeing in our economies, new methods for data as an asset and cloud computing are particularly timely. The UK is looking to establish experimental statistics in this area iteratively, and we need to remain alive to the possibility that the new standards are unlikely to have anticipated all aspects of the advancements in AI that we are seeing. The UK is working closely with other countries on the review of the mandate and terms of reference of the Working Group and the Advisory Expert Group, and look forward to progressing this topic in the coming year. It is very natural and important to have a retrospective on the setup of the groups to learn how we can build on the considerable success of the publication of SNA25. Thank you, Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of the United Kingdom. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Germany.

Thank you, Chair, and good morning, everybody. Germany warmly welcomes the progress achieved in finalizing the 2025 System of National Accounts and looks forward to the publication of the definitive version in 2026. We greatly appreciate the preparation of essential compliance guidance to support the effective implementation of the 2025 SNA across country. We comment the commitment to a broad inclusive process for selection items to be investigated under the post-2025 SNA research agenda, one that engaged both compilers and users. In this spirit, we would strongly support the inclusion of an additional priority. Further improvements to the estimation methods for compiling data as an asset and software as the proposed approach often fail to capture the dynamic realities of modern economics, particularly amid rapid technology change. Germany also valued the development of the 2025 SNA Common Alignment Questionnaire. Once implemented, this tool will provide clear, comparable insights into the state of adoption worldwide and facilitate a robust global assessment of progress. Regarding the ongoing efforts to maintain and update international macroeconomic statistical standards, we commend the sustained work. Equally, enhanced communication with users about the implication of more frequent data revision will be crucial to maintaining trust. Finally, Germany warmly welcomes the member state-led review of the mandate in terms of reference of both the Intersectoral Working Group on National Accounts and Advisory Expert Group. We are confident that this exercise, together with its result recommendation, will strengthen future SNA update progress. In addition, we support a focus for future SNA updates, namely on issues that lie within the core SNA framework rather than those better suited to other statistical domains, such disciplines, avoiding unnecessary duplication of effort. Thank you for your attention.

I thank the distinguished representative of Germany. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Spain. Spain.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Spain welcomes all of the work carried out on the System of National Accounts 2025, which better reflects the socioeconomic reality and will bring advantages in light of digitalization, globalization, well-being, and sustainability. We support the progress made in the planning and the implementation of the System of National Accounts 2025. However, the changes introduced by the new accounting system will imply an increased workload for national statistics offices, which means that we need to have the appropriate resources. Only in this way will we be able to ensure satisfactory implementation of the national account system, ensuring high-quality statistics that are comparable at the international level. It's also very important to have a communication plan or strategy to inform users of new introductions. In terms of the codification of the SNA, it would be very important to agree on the minimum level of changes to facilitate its implementation and to minimize the workload for countries that are adapting their systems. We are in line with the planning proposed for the update of the macroeconomic statistic manuals in line with the new framework for national accounts. We highlight the work that's already been done in the information note. We also support the prioritization of the updating of the manuals, and we support the program of work proposed for 2026. Thank you very much.

I'd like to thank the distinguished representative of Spain. I now give the floor to the distinguished Representative of Chile.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. In Chile, national accounts are under the central bank's responsibility. The central bank plans to promote— to update the national accounts to the 2025 SNA. The implementation of this will be based on the pre-edited version published in 2025. Therefore, we welcome the prompt publication of the edited version this last year and its subsequent translation into Spanish. We value the progress made by the working group to implement this new system of national accounts. The Bank of Chile has participated actively and will continue to do so in the consultations on this implementation. To ensure successful implementation, we believe it's essential to develop practical guidelines and ensure the exchange of early experience in implementation. Updating macroeconomic international statistical standards will be essential to continue to capture the global phenomena in a quickly changing world. We express our readiness to continue to participate in global consultations and events planned for 2026. We take note of the terms of reference of the working group and the terms of reference for the advisory group. The programs of these groups and the work of the regional commissions have been fundamental in guiding us as we implement the national— system of national accounts in our country. The bank awaits the publication of the manuals under those programs, and we hope to be able to continue to participate actively in all of the activities that will be carried out this year. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of Chile. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Morocco.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Kingdom of Morocco, on behalf of the member states of ESCWA, would like to congratulate the Intersecretariat Work Group for their efforts that have been made through the report that shows the great progress made in preparing the SNE. SNA for the year 2025 and establishing all of the mechanisms needed to facilitate its implementation. Here we support the proposal on coordination— on the coordination of any updates to the SNA and the guidance on the balance of payments, as well as the guidance manual on government statistics and other macroeconomic publications. We appreciate the roadmap of the implementation in a gradual manner for the years 2025 to 2031. Therefore, we stress the need to publish the manual in Arabic as soon as possible. We also welcome the implementation strategy, especially the work done on establishing the priorities in national accounts before moving on to any more complicated matters. Here, we believe that the issuance of guidance notes and manuals, especially— such as the one on natural resources, in addition to any pamphlets or guidance. We believe that this is an important step and a successful one to support states as they implement the 2025 SNA. Arab states welcome the initiative by international organizations to establish and to develop a self-evaluation system and a questionnaire to evaluate the different states' readiness to implement the SNA. We propose that— We provide as much outreach as possible if we were to establish a platform that has all of these documents on the national accounts regardless of those producing these documents. We stress that this is important so that we would allow statisticians and national accountants to use the same guidance documents and relevant guidance. We also welcome any workshops that would put a manual that would compare the 2008 SNA to the 2025 SNA. This would facilitate and coordinate the adoption of any changes within the proposed timeframes, especially in terms— with regards to some countries that were preparing to move to the 2008 SNA system, while now they are required to move immediately to the 2025 SNA. In closing, we stress the importance of the sufficient implementation in the different governance hierarchies in the implementation of these accounts, such as welfare and human capital. These are important subjects in the development priorities of Arab states. I thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Morocco. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Brazil.

Buenos días.

Good morning, Madam Chair, and the other colleagues. Brazil, on behalf of countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, highlights that we welcome the publication of the new manual on national accounts, and we recognize the efforts made to disseminate and further the implementation of the recommendations contained in the 2025 SNA. We believe in this context that it's important to prepare practical guidance for implementation on issues related to digitalization, globalization, and the measuring of well-being, sustainability, and informal work, which covers the main changes introduced by the new system of national accounts. We agree on stressing the definition of working programs and on the importance of coordinating efforts to implement the outcomes. This is essential to ensure— ensure due comparability of macroeconomic statistics between countries. We take note of the document of November 2025, which provided information on the composition of a working group comprising members of national statistics offices from various countries tasked with reviewing the mandate and terms of reference of the Intersectoral Working Group and the Advisory Expert Group on National Accounts so as to strengthen its transparency and regional representativity. As it takes decisions. We also believe that activities such as seminars, workshops, and training sessions carried out by the Intersectoral Working Group and by regional organizations as well as by multilateral agencies such as the organization— such as the OECD has been fundamental to clarify and implement methodological issues introduced by the new system of national accounts. For 2026, we believe it's a priority to strengthen the channels of dissemination and training related to the 2025 SNA. This through international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, as well as through regional development banks. This so as to facilitate national and regional adaptation to the new System of National Accounts. Likewise, we highlight the support provided by the Statistical Division of the United Nations to ensure the implementation of the new system of classifying economic activities. We finally recognize the positive impact of the publication of that report and the latest editions of the Survey on National Accounts of the United Nations.

We—

This requests information on national accounts from countries so as to assess their level of alignment with the methodological— with international methodological standards. We believe that the regular publication of reports of this nature could motivate countries to adopt best practices. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of Brazil. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Cabo Verde.

Madame la Présidente.

Madam Chair, the African Group would like to thank the Statistics Division of the UN and the whole UN system for the support provided to develop and implement systems of national accounts. And we welcome the progress made in the development and dissemination of the SNA 2025, as well as the work carried out by the working group, the intersectorial working group of advisory groups and regional commissions. We've noted that many countries, particularly African countries, are already developing key elements for the future implementation of SNA 2025. Particularly via initiatives like Beyond GDP. Environmental and economic accounting, the disaggregation of data, of household and business data, and measuring, measuring the informal economy, satellite accounts, and the increased use of administrative data and surveys. This work is carried out in different frameworks, but they are nevertheless largely in line with the SNA 2025 recommendations, and they are an important foundation for the implementation of it. The group would also like to highlight the importance of making SNA 2025 a broadly accessible and easy to use. And we encourage its swift translation and dissemination in other official and working languages. We would call for regional-level support for the implementation of it, taking into account priorities and capacities of different countries. I would like to underscore the role of regional commissioners in the facility facilitating cooperation and sharing of experience, and adapting the global guidelines to national contexts. Finally, the group would recommend that the implementation of SNA 2025 be closely linked to regional programs for capacity—citical capacity building to ensure more coherent and effective work. Thank you. Very much, Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Cabo Verde. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Japan.

Thank you, Chair.

Let me start by expressing our deepest gratitude to the ISW/GNA, the AIG, and other agencies for their contributions to the implementation of the 2035 SNA. Since adoption of the 2035 SNA, adoption at the previous session of the UN Statistical Commission, the development and publication of guidance have been steadily progressing in line with the implementation strategy for the 2035 SNA. Such guidance includes the Natural Resources Compilation Guide and Handbook on Marketing Assets. We very much appreciate the substantial contributions made by international organizations to this progress, as well as the well-organized support to countries for the implementation of the 2035 SNA. For major issues affecting the core framework of the SNA, we request that measurement approaches and experimental estimates in each country be shared to provide assurance of international comparability and the necessary reviews be carried out prior to the implementation of the 2035 SNA. Such a feedback loop approach ensures realistic discussions to build up internationally adaptable practical manuals, including estimation methods. In addition, international meetings are good opportunities to share countries' experiences and to learn from each other. We look forward to continuous active discussions on experimental estimations as in the past. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Japan, and I now give the floor to the distinguished representation of Burundi.

Merci. Thank you, Chair.

Burundi Alliance itself First of all, with the African position, which was set out by Cabo Verde. Burundi welcomes the work carried out by the Intersecretarial Working Group on National Accounts and thanks them for the different manuals that have already been published, which should be translated into different official languages, much like others have already been translated. On an African level, the different meetings that we've been holding on statistics shows that— have shown that some countries are further behind in their implementation of the SMA and in its previous version. Which are from 2008 and also from 2025, which is what we're talking about today. In order to leave no one behind, Burundi would like to recommend to the UN Statistics Division and to other partners to provide support to countries who haven't yet migrated their national system of national accounts, because we'll end up with a situation where countries are already implementing the 2025 system at a time when others are still using— trying to implement the situation from, uh, 1993. So These countries also need to be on equal footing with other countries. In terms of specific support, it would be good to have a roadmap to provide a framework for the support for countries who are lagging behind. Thank you very much, Chair.

I thank the distinguished delegate of Burundi. And I now give the floor to Mongolia.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Mongolia expresses sincere appreciation for the report of Intersecretariat Working Group on National Accounts and welcomes overall SNA 2025 implementation strategy. We value the clarity provided in the roadmap and note with appreciation that The support phase will commence in 2026. At the national level, Mongolia is preparing to develop its roadmap for implementing SNA 2025 during this year. In this regard, SNA 2025 Self-Assessment and Implementation Tool is of particular importance, as it will help us identify capacity needs and guide our planning in a structured evidence-based manner. We support the prioritization of updating the 13 core manuals associated with the revision of the 2008 SNA guidance. We also consider it valuable to explore opportunities for consolidating and harmonizing selected manuals. Streamlining these resources will not only enhance consistency but also improve their usability for national compilers, especially in countries with limited resources. Mongolia also supports the timely initiation of the joint research program on SNA 2025 and the Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual. We welcome the focus on topics such as net return to capital, climate-related compensation, marketing and intellectual property assets, and classification of crypto assets. Advancing research in these areas is essential for ensuring that the NSA remains policy-relevant and analytically robust. We underscored the continued importance of capacity activities, including regional consultations, thematic meetings, training programs, and webinars. These activities are critical for strengthening countries' readiness and fostering shared understanding. Understanding of new concepts. Mongolia reaffirms its strong commitment to implementing SNA 2025 in alignment with the proposed strategy and timeline, and we look forward to continued cooperation with the international community throughout this process. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Mongolia. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Austria.

Thank you, Madam Chair, for giving me the floor. Madam Chair, distinguished delegates, Austria supports the plans to implement the System of National Accounts 2025 and commence the work carried out by the Intersecretarial Working Group and the Advisory Expert Group and other groups. The presented plans to publish and implement the new SNA contain many necessary measures. However, The new SNA also contains changes that should still be regarded as conceptually and methodologically problematic and need further research and discussion on a harmonized implementation. In particular, the implementation of changes to, to the core SNA system that affect the sequence of economic accounts and both the gross and net macroeconomic indicators such as data as an asset, natural capital, cryptocurrencies, split-asset approach will need to be supported by methodological guidance that is further refined and expanded on the basis of initial test calculations and empirical investigations. It is our major concern that the success of the SNA update will critically depend on the worldwide timely implementation of its recommendations. All stakeholders need to contribute to ensure robust, consistent, and internationally comparable national account results, also by using existing guidelines for testing and providing reports on these tests. Many countries will rely heavily on the operational experience gained through the early application of the recommendations, as this practical evidence will be essential for informing and guiding their own implementation of the SNA update. Austria, along with its partners in the European statistical system and at international level, will have to invest considerable resources to implement the updated SNA, and we are putting all our efforts into a timely implementation of the core changes by 2030. We reaffirm our commitment to contributing actively to the work of the Commission and to collaborating with member states, regional bodies, and international agencies to support the timely implementation of the SNA. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Austria. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Greece.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Greece welcomes the adoption of the SNA 2025, and we express our appreciation to the Working Group, the Advisory Expert Group, and all contributors involved in its preparation. The availability of the pre-edited version represents an important milestone for the global statistical community. We would like to express our compliments for the huge work done so far, and for all supportive documents prepared. A coordinated international approach to implementation for the new standards, SNA 2025 and BPM-7, is of crucial importance and requires sustained coordination, adequate resources, and clear guidance, including practical tools and training materials, to support countries at different stages of readiness. We welcome the progress achieved so far and encourage continued efforts to support smooth and timely implementation. We also take note of the terms of reference of the task team reviewing the mandate of the Working Group and the Advisory Expert Group. Clear roles, effective coordination, and efficient working arrangements will help strengthen the framework supporting the SNA. Finally, we underline the importance of high-quality and timely reporting of annual national accounts data. Continued efforts to enhance data transmission, metadata documentation, and consistency across statistical frameworks is essential. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of Greece. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Lao PDR.

Thank you, Madam Chair, distinguished delegates. Lao PDR appreciates the excellent work of the international experts.

We are congratulating and support the formal adaptation of 2025 SNA. As the updated international on standard harmonization and the action plan for the implementation. We recognize the importance in capturing the complex— complex of the modern economy, including digitalization, globalization, and sustainability, as well as involving the production methodology. Despite some challenges for the best practices, in the implementation. We strongly believe and agree that the successful implementation must be rooted in the national ownership and technical assistance. To achieve this, Lao PDR is committed to developing a national implementation roadmap that aligns with our unique economic characteristics. Lao PDR currently preparing a GDP rebasing, and we are deciding to catch up with the 2028 SNA milestones and to better reflect the ISEE revision 5 in the process with the 2025 SNA to ensure our economic statistics are fit for policy analysis. We are expressing our sincere thanks to the World Bank, IMF, ADB, UNESCAP, and the other development partners who have been helpful, including the capacity building for the national account team and economic statistics team. We express our gratitude for continued support from the Lao government, international organizations, and development partners, providing the necessary technical guidance and to ensure the successful soon inclusive implementation toward 2025 SNA requirement. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Lao PDR, and I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Vietnam.

Dear Madam Chair, currently The rapid growth of digital transaction, production, and interaction has transformed the operation of the social economic system. The 2025 SNA has timely update and clarifies contents related, related to digitalization with the international account framework, contributing to a more comprehensive reflection of platform business models, digital production, and data services. In Vietnam, the government has identified science and technology innovation and digital transformation has a key driver for growth in the 2026 to 2030, with the focus on developing digital infrastructure, fostering high-quality human resources, and refining the institutional framework to promote the digital economy in line with The direction of the NSO has applied international recommendation to measure the size of the digital economy, including data economy, and its value contribution to GDP. In the coming time, Vietnam proposes that the UN SDG should provide guidance for measuring the digital economy, including data economy. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Vietnam. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Tunisia.

Shukran, Said Raissa.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Tunisia welcomes the report of the Intersecretariat Working Group on National Accounts, and we salute the efforts made in preparing the 2025 System of National Accounts and its adoption. We stress the importance of providing translated copies of this to facilitate its adoption. We also note the importance of the implementation strategy of the 2025 SNA and any related memoranda and guidance documents which would allow us to start the implementation of this system. And to guarantee the successful implementation, it is important to coordinate efforts made by international organizations and donors so that the necessary support is given to raise capacity and to to exchange best practices. We welcome the publication of updated guidelines— guidance on the implementation of the 2025 SNAE. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Madam Chair. Hungary is committed to implementation of the roadmap of the SNA 2025. However, we must emphasize that the transition to the SNA 2025 represents a significant demand on national resources. We support the development of common alignment questionnaire as a practical and constructive step forward. We take note of the term of reference of task team and we acknowledge the work program of the Working Group of the Regional Commission. Thank you, Madam Chair.

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

Thank you, Madam Chair. On behalf of GCC member states, we would like to commend the efforts of the Intersecretariat Working Group on National Accounts. SNA 2025. In this regard, the statistical agency tries— at the Gulf States tries to coordinate among the different countries for regional coordination in order to unify approaches and our procedures. But we have to also view that the main challenges facing countries, namely the need for satellite accounts and providing information about them that provide socioeconomic statistics, and these demands usually exceed the capacities of the statistics agencies to prepare them. As such, the SNA 2025 has accorded more importance to including and incorporating satellite accounts, recognizing their role in depth— in-depth analysis of the economy. Yet the main obstacle remains the absence of a clear methodology methodological framework for preparing these kinds of accounts. It is important to start thinking already now in the technical teams and the different groups how to establish different methodologies for preparing each of the satellite accounts in order to standardize procedures and practices and support the countries in building their capacities in providing such statistics. We would like to join such a team once established. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Oman, and I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Finland.

Thank you, Chair. We want to thank for the extensive work already done in updating and developing the guidance for the 2025 SNA methodology. Our concern is that there still is plenty of work listed in, in the document to be completed while both countries and international organizations continue to operate under limited resources. And that's why all focus should at this point be on those issues essential for the implementation of the requirements of the 2025 SNA. Updating schedule of the manuals should be prioritized so that the manuals of essential for implementation are ready first. The research topics not yet included in 2025 SNA should be postponed or paid less attention to in upcoming few years. Thank you for your attention.

I thank the distinguished representative of Finland. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Uzbekistan.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Uzbekistan thanks the Intersectoral Working Group on National Accounts UNSD, and partners for sustaining strong coordination on the 2025 SNA and welcomes the CLAY implementation roadmap and commitment to annual progress reporting. Uzbekistan supports continued prioritization of practical, testable compilation guidelines and the compliance hub as a means to translate new recommendations into feasible country practice and to promote comparability. Uzbekistan notes that resource constraints remain a key implementation risk and encourages that guidance and training package be phased and modular with clear minimum core deliverables for countries at different readiness levels. Uzbekistan takes note of the task team review of the ISWG mandate and would welcome an inclusive consultation approach that strengthens transparency and user centers for the future research agenda. Finally, Uzbekistan encourages continued effort to improve national accounts data reporting and would welcome practical measures to reduce reporting burden while improving timeliness and coverage, including efforts to expand quarterly national accounts completion where feasible.

Thank you. I thank the distinguished representative Distinguished Representative of Uzbekistan. I now give the floor to the Distinguished Representative of the United Arab Emirates.

Sayyida Tharais. Madam Chair, UAE expresses its appreciation of the Intersecretariat Working Group on National Accounts. We support the new system, the SNA 2025, and our readiness to work with the Secretariat and international partners to ensure smooth transition to the new framework. As such, we have adopted a national methodology for measuring the data economy, and we have also included the digital economy in our national register and national accounts through a system of classification that has clear diagnostic tools that ensure accuracy of statistics across different sectors. We believe such national initiatives support the international efforts that aim at unifying and standardizing standardizing the concepts and the measuring of digital economy and incorporating that within national accounting. We have also focused on creative industries within our national economy in line with the international standards. As such, the WIPO and its standards were also incorporated in our work that is based on adoption of manuals and diversification of the economy. We are committed to support the upgrading and modernizing of the SNA and to ensure the quality of statistics and that they are able to inform decision-making. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of the UAE. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Indonesia.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Indonesia welcomes the progress in the publication of the System of National Accounts 2025. We appreciate the support provided in its preparation to harmonize alignment with the 7th edition of the Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual., and the collaborative co-publication process led by the Intersecretariat Working Group, including the refinement of classification codes in line with the international standards. We emphasize the importance of clarity and consistency across the main text, annexes, and classification codes, as well as the timely translation into all official UN languages to support broader and more inclusive implementation. BPS Statistics Indonesia takes note of the phased implementation roadmap and welcomes the structured approach and coordinated support from international and regional partners. Given the diversity of national systems and resource constraints, we encourage continued flexibility in timelines, clear prioritization, and practical country-oriented guidance to ensure effective and internationally comparable adoption. BPS Statistics Indonesia is now working very closely and collaborate with the Central Bank of Indonesia to ensure the alignment of implementation of the 2025 SNA with the 7th edition of the Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual. We have started to undertake a joint capacity building of the SNA 2025 and Balance of Payments Manual 7, organized by the BPS Statistics Indonesia and the Central Bank of Indonesia, which is supported by the IMF Resident Office Indonesia. BPS Statistics Indonesia would like to inform the Commission that the implementation strategy for the 2025 SNA implementation has been incorporated into our BPS strategic plan for the next 5 years. Indonesia also underscores the importance of continued technical assistance and capacity building support from the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund to enable a smooth, coherent, and timely implementation of the 2025 SNA. We also welcome efforts to strengthen coordination in updating international macroeconomic statistical standards. Considering the complexity of accounting for emission permits, BPS Statistics Indonesia supports the development of guidance on emission permits aligned with the SNA 2025 and other macroeconomic standards, as well as the establishment of joint task team, as well as with the CA community to ensure consistency, efficiency, and high-quality outcomes. For your information, Indonesia Indonesia is just appointed as a piloting country for the development of the System of Environmental Economic Accounting, or SEEA. Therefore, we will be happy to contribute to the development further. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Terima kasih, Distinguished Representative.

I thank the distinguished representative of Indonesia. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Mr. Van der Weide, International Monetary Fund.

Thank you, Chair. Distinguished delegates, the coordinated updates of the 2025 System of National Accounts and BPM-7 marked an important step forward, also in strengthening conceptual consistency across national accounts and external sector statistics. In parallel, the ongoing updates of the Government Finance Statistics Manual and the Monetary and Financial Statistics SNA 6 Manual and Compilation Guide will ensure full alignment with these standards, as well as with related frameworks such as SIA and international classifications. This coordination is essential to preserve international comparability and to avoid unnecessary duplication at the country level. The IMF remains fully committed to supporting member countries through training, technical assistance, and methodological guidance to implement the new SNA. In close collaboration with other agencies of the Intersecretariat Working Group on National Accounts. This includes making effective use of digital tools and shared platforms. In this context, we welcome the successful launch of the Compilers Hub, which already connects more than 1,300 macroeconomic statisticians across 170 countries and supports the dissemination of good practices. We also welcome the creation of a task team to review the mandate and terms of reference of the AAG and ISW GNA at a critical moment, as the focus shifts now from standards development to implementation. The IMF reiterates its strong support for the implementation of the 2025 SNA. The credibility of these standards ultimately depends on their effective and widespread implementation, and we look forward to continued close collaboration with member countries and partner agencies.

I thank the distinguished representative of the International Monetary Fund. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of SISTAT.

Thank you, Chair. First of all, allow me to congratulate the Secretariat of the Intersectoral Working Group on National accounts for the work they've done, and for presenting the outcome report. The CISSTAT is making a lot of effort to develop their work on the SNA, and we are usually using recommendations from the Intersecretariat Working Group to help us in this. One of the key areas of work is coordinating and supporting efforts of statistics services in CIS countries. As part of our development to— a project to develop CIS statistics, like the Russian delegation mentioned, CIS staff have been organising international events, including organising the upcoming May meeting of regional experts. In December last year, we brought together experts from statistics services in CIS countries on SNA. Where countries presented their own national accounts and they discussed plans on how to implement SNA 2025. CISDA is also paying a lot of attention to developing statistical potential of CIS countries on national accounts. One of the effective instruments that we have in this area is organizing trainings, lectures for experts, specialists from statistical services in CIS countries on this topic. In 2024 and 2025, we organized a lecture series on the SNA and, uh, recent developments. This is carried out using online platforms, and we had 300 attendees from all countries of CIS. This is carrying on this year, this, and we're having another online session on the— for CIS countries. We're also working very hard to implement SNA 255 and translating these standards into Russian. Currently CISSTAT is carrying out this translation. However, we would like to note that Russian-speaking staff in on the SNA have already found some of this themselves, and some of them cannot always provide a direct translation of some of the English. It's crucial for the Russian version of the SNA 2025 to be built on using Russian terminology And so the 2025— the translation of SNA 2025 is carrying out— being carried out by CISSTAT using real Russian equivalents. We are working also on an informal translation of the 5 chapters of SNA 2025 now. Thus, CISSTAT is reaffirming its readiness to translate the entire text of SNA 2025 into Russian., and we're also translating possible future versions of this standard. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of CISSTAT. We've heard the last speaker on the list for the discussion on this item. I now invite Mr. Matthias Reister, Officer in Charge of the Economic Statistics Branch of the UNSD to summarize our discussion on this item.

Distinguished delegates, Madam Chair, the Commission welcomed the report of the Intersecretariat Working Group on National Accounts and endorsed the programs of work for 2026. Commended the progress in the editing of the English copy of the System of National Accounts 2025 and stressed the importance of the timely translation into all official UN languages. Commended the Intersecretariat Working Group on National Accounts on the progress in the implementation of the system in collaboration with the Advisory Expert Group on National Accounts, regional commissions, and other partners, following the endorsed implementation strategy. Highlighted the importance of the timely updating, testing, finalization, and dissemination of practical and essential compilation guidance and handbooks. Encouraged member states to develop or update national implementation roadmaps in accordance with national priorities and capacities while ensuring comparability. Welcomed the forthcoming Common Alignment Questionnaire to monitor progress. The Commission recognized that developing countries, in particular countries that have not yet implemented the 2008 SNA, may face resource, capacity, and institutional constraints in implementing the system and requested the Intersecretariat Working Group, regional commissions, and other partners to continue to provide coordinated and sustained technical assistance and financial support, to facilitate peer-to-peer learning, and to take into account country-specific and regional needs and circumstances. Welcome the progress in addressing the maintenance and updating of international macroeconomic statistical standards. Welcome— the formation of the task team to review the mandate and terms of reference of the Working Group and the Advisory Expert Group and took note of its terms of reference. Encouraged the continued reporting on and evaluation of the availability and scope of official national accounts data reported by member states and noted the importance of quality data including the availability of quarterly national accounts data. Thank you very much.

I thank Mr. Oester. The Commission has concluded its discussion of Item 3. I now invite the Commission to begin its consideration of Agenda Item 3 entitled Environmental Economic Accounting. Under which the Commission has before it for discussion and decision the report of the Committee of Experts on Environmental Economic Accounting contained in document E/CN3/2026/7. Background documents are also available on the Commission's website. I now give the floor to Mr. David Gruen, Chief Statistician at the Australian Bureau of Statistics, to introduce the report.

Ah, very good. Thank you. Thank you, Chair. On behalf of the co-chairs of the Committee of Experts on Environmental Economic Accounting, who unfortunately cannot be with us today, it's my pleasure to introduce the UNEA report. The report outlines the committee's main activities over the past year, in particular the SEEA Central Framework update work and London Group activities. The co-chairs would like to highlight several key elements and recent developments. The CS Central framework update is significant work being undertaken by experts from countries and international organizations to advance discussions and ensure coordination with related statistical standards, including, including the 2025 SNA the Government Finance Statistics Manual, the classification of the functions of government, and others. The first tranche of guidance notes, which total 9, was recently circulated for global consultation, and the statistical community is encouraged to engage in the consultation process. The CS Central framework update is being undertaken with the financial support of Eurostat and IMF and in-kind support of several countries and other international organizations. As we are all experiencing resource constraints, the Committee has strengthened alignment and coherence efforts across its working groups to particularly support the update process, which the Commission endorsed as a major multi-year undertaking. The co-chairs would also like to recognize the important contribution of the London Group Group on Environmental Accounting to the advancement of the SEEA. Its updated name and terms of reference reflect more closely its objectives and working methods and are submitted for approval. A further notable development is the continued progress in global SEEA implementation. The 2025 Global Assessment demonstrated that 98 countries now compile SEA accounts, which shows growing uptake supported by capacity-building efforts by international organizations, as detailed in the background document. Finally, the co-chairs would like to recognize the strong collaboration among countries, international organizations, and UN regional commissions. Environmental economic accounting remains essential for integrating environmental and economic information to support sustainable evidence-based policymaking. The Commission is invited to express its views on the Committee's work program and on the points for discussion in the last paragraph in the agenda paper for this agenda item, which happens to be paragraph 59. Thank you.

Muchas gracias, señor Gruen. I thank Mr. Gruen. The Commission will now begin its debate on the report. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Canada.

Thank you, Chair.

I'm making this intervention on behalf of Canada, Australia, Colombia, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Mexico, as well as the IMF, the OECD, CDE, and the World Bank, and the London Citigroup. We recognize the significant progress achieved on the SIA Central Framework Update program of work and welcome the continued advancement in this area. We commend the advancements made by the committee's working groups and technical committees over the past year. We are satisfied with the coordination between the SIA and other macroeconomic standards and recognize that SIA-based indicators can meaningfully contribute to the Beyond GDP initiative. While the central framework serves distinct reporting needs, continued collaboration across frameworks remains essential, and we welcome this ongoing work. In addition, we welcome the update— the updated names and terms of reference of the London Group on Environmental Accounting. As the update advances, we emphasize the importance of broad, proactive, engagement with producers and users, including policymakers, across national statistical systems and international organizations to inform priorities for implementation. Ensuring meaningful input across many agencies typically involved in each country will be essential to delivering an update that is practical, coherent, and widely adopted. Thank you, Chair.

Doy las gracias a la Estimada Presidenta. I thank the distinguished representative of Canada. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of South Africa.

Thank you, Chairperson. The Africa Group thanks the Committee of Experts for its work and report. Africa continues to witness a slow pace of adoption of environmental economic accounts. A key gap is absent— is the absence of the UN-led continental-level process to raise awareness on the system of environmental economic accounting accounts and foster their uptake, particularly amongst policymakers who are both primary beneficiaries and critical drivers of the accounts development. On the specific questions raised in the Committee's report, we recommend that the principle of inclusiveness be strongly upheld through the SEER revision process, consistent with the approach taken during the recent System of National Accounts revision adopted at the 6th session of the Statistics Commission. Communication and consultation should be broadened across all countries, engaging both data compilers and users— user communities, including through Africa-level meetings similar to those held within the European Community. On funding, We recommend establishing a dedicated trust fund open to diverse financing resources, including the private sector, NGOs, academia, and international institutions, underpinned by transparent governance principles to ensure that no country is left behind. On the work program, we support the overall program and emphasize the need to scale up support to countries in Africa under Area D. Step-by-step capacity support delivered in partnership with African Continental Institutions is essential. We also call on the working group under Area B to prioritize approaches using financial accessible data resources to accelerate practical implementation. We have no objection to the updated name and terms, terms of reference of the London Group as presented in Section 3E. I thank you, Chairperson.

I thank the distinguished representative of South Africa. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Dominican Republic.

Gracias, señora. Thank you, Madam Chair. The Dominican Republic, on behalf of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, would like to note that we welcome the the expert committee on environmental and economic accounting, and we recognize the fundamental role of the system of environmental economic accounting in monitoring climate change challenges. We highlight the following technical considerations. The region urges strengthening methodological consistency between the central framework of the SEEA and the system of national accounts so that environmental accounts are not perceived as disjointed modules, but rather as key components for measuring the sustainability of gross domestic product. We support advances in measuring ecosystem services as well as the need to improve access to administrative records and geospatial data. We highlight that global work Our plans prioritize technical support to integrate satellite imagery into natural assets—soil, water, and forest accounting—thereby reducing information gaps in hard-to-reach areas. We support capacity-building programs to address the institutional realities of the region, promoting the sustainability of environmental accounts beyond temporary projects. We urge the Committee to further integrate the material flow accounts for energy, water, and materials in order to standardize the measurement of the circular economy in the region. We reaffirm our commitment to the implementation of the SEA and support the work program proposed by the Committee for the period 2026. Thank you.

Thank you very much. I thank the distinguished representative of the Dominican Republic, and I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Portugal.

Thank you, dear Madam Chair. Portugal welcomes the strong progress in updating the CS Central Framework. We commend the close coordination with the IMF, the OECD, the Advisory Expert Group on National Accounts, and the London Group on environmental accounting, ensuring alignment with the SNA 2025. Implementation will be a key priority for national statistical offices. We particularly value the focus on cross-cutting issues such as SNA consistency, specialization, and climate-related expenditure, as well as continued outreach to expand the user base. In this regard, stable and adequate funding for 2026-2027 2027 will be essential, especially during the intensive consultation and drafting phases. Portugal also welcomes the coherent work program across the Committee's working groups and approves the updated name and revised terms of reference of the London Group, ensuring its mandate remains clear and well aligned with the broader environmental economic accounting agenda. You can find more detailed comments on this sent in advance to the Secretariat. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Portugal. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of China.

Thank you, Chair. China thanks the Committee of Experts for the large amount of productive work of the past year. We especially thank the UN for authorizing China to undertake the Chinese translation of the SEAEA, which has greatly facilitated research and practical work in this field in China. We support the overall work programs of the Committee of Experts, its working groups, and its technical committee. We support the proposed work program for the revision of the SEAEA Central Framework and We also support the updated name and revised TR of the London Group. We hope that the committee, the technical committee, can develop technical guidance to support countries in compiling ecosystem accounts under the SEEA and will closely work with the other partners in this work. Thank you.

Hola, gracias.

I thank the distinguished representative of China. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Philippines.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Philippines expresses its sincere appreciation to the Committee of Experts for the significant progress made in the ongoing update of the CSEF. We applaud the group for its remarkable productivity despite ongoing challenges and commend its proactive approach in ensuring the SEA update maintains its alignment with the SNA and remains consistent with other frameworks and international standards. We also appreciate the strategic coordination across various task teams, as this ensures a streamlined process and prevents the duplication of efforts. We recognize that sustained support is crucial to maintaining the momentum of the committee's work. To this end, we reaffirm our commitment to actively participating in upcoming global consultations and outreach activities. In the Philippines, the generation of environmental economic accounts has been institutionalized with the recent passage of the Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System, or the PENCAS Act, and the publication of its implementing rules and regulations. This landmark legislation designates agencies responsible for the generation of environmental economic accounts and mandates its use in policy and decision-making. The Philippines continues to implement the SEA, and the PENCAS Act provides a strong opportunity to advance and develop new additional accounts such as ecosystem accounts and environmental activity accounts.— and to bring the disaggregation down to the subnational level, where the accounts are more relevant for policy uptake. We also recognize the value of the Global Assessment of Environmental Economic Accounting and reiterate our commitment to providing timely data to this initiative. The Philippines conveys full support for the London Group, particularly its work on the research and development of water accounts. Finally, the Philippines supports the proposed name change a revised terms of reference for the London Group, which more accurately reflects its evolving role. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Philippines. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Sweden.

Thank you, Chair. Sweden would like to thank the UNCF for their valuable work during 2025. We appreciate the progress made and want to underline how important it is that this work continues to evolve in a coordinated and ambitious way. Sweden is ready to actively support and participate in the further development of the central framework, especially in the following areas. First, the use of multi-regional input-output analysis, which is essential for assessing environmental pressures from consumption. This work is increasingly important for our users and policy policymakers. Second, the continued development of the guidance notes together with other countries, with a particular focus on potentially environmentally harmful subsidies and tax abatements. Third, the calculation of quarterly climate emissions, which provides timely information for analyzing the economic dimensions of the green transition. Fourth, further inclusion of internationally harmonized approaches for assessing climate-related investments, including investments in green energy. Comparable measures are crucial for the informed decision-making. Uh, we also encourage the Committee to continue advancing harmonized data and methodologies for consumption-based indicators of environmental pressures, which are a priority for our users. Finally, we encourage further international efforts to harmonize the core datasets that underpin the consumption-based indicators, ensuring global comparability and consistency. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Sweden. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Laos Studies Bureau appreciates the valuable working committee expert and support in the development of the work program for updating the CA Central Framework, elevation mandate of the Central Committee of the Experts. The priority areas identified are highly relevant to Laos PDR., and we are committed to actively participating in the update process. Ensuring the Livewild Framework meets the needs of developing and small countries, we are committed to strengthening enrollment statistics for sustainable development and making environmental economic accounts particularly relevant and potential transforming for our development planning. With the support of the Government of Luxembourg, static, we are making significant progress in institutionalizing enrollment data. Since 2023, we have public material for account, and this year we hope to complete the water and. The Laos Statistics Bureau in particular, with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, has taken initiative steps forward in framing elements of the system environmental economic account, beginning with the experimental account for energy and land. We view as a long endeavor that requires sustainable institutional commitment and external technical support. Take this opportunity, we express our sincerest gratitude for the continued support from Luxembourg government and StatEc, which has been instrumental in advancing our enrollment statistics effort. We also appreciate for the capacity building initiative, particularly support from the Statistics Institution for Asia-Pacific and UNESCO, which have been crucial to advancing our ecosystem account effort. Throughout the continuous cooperation, we will ensure high-quality statistics and produce the use of— preserve of natural assets, pave the way of the sustainable resilient and inclusive growth. Thank you, Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Lao PDR. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Germany.

Thank you, Chair. First of all, we support the intervention from Statistics Canada. Furthermore, Germany would like to thank the comprehensive reporting on the progress of the CAA central framework updates. We would like to emphasize once again at this point that the aim must be maintaining the SEEA central framework as an independent and autonomous accounting framework with the sole object of accounting for the interaction between environment and economy and presenting them from the perspective of various sectors. Germany would like to emphasize the importance to ensure that the system boundary between the economy and the environment in the SEA central framework is as uniform as possible, clearly defined and designed for the SEA reporting purpose, which can and must differ from that of the national accounts at key points. Germany already supported SEA Central Framework Revision supports us in various ways. With regard to Area A, coordination and communication, we consider it important to market the SEA and the results calculated according to the standard and the indicator based on them. The application of the SEEA as basis for reporting should be promoted where possible and useful, but not overemphasized. We want to mention that the inclusion of too many interested— of different stakeholders can lead to a delusion of standard being not to be visible. We agree to continue the work on measuring the circular economic and coordination between SEA central framework and the statistical framework measuring the sustainable of tourism. As chair of the London Group, Germany asks the statistical commission to adopt the revised terms of reference as present. We support the suggested adoption of the group names to London Group on Environment Economic Accounting in order to document the connection with the SEEA and to clarify the group's orientation in its name as well. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of Germany. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the United Arab Emirates.

Shukran sayidat al-raees. Thank you, Chair.

My country would like to thank the Committee of Experts for the report on environmental and economic accounting, and we would like to welcome the progress made in updating the SEA, particularly as part of how it relates to SEN— SNA 2025. And this improves how we can compare things at an international level. My country supports the current update for 2026 with balanced participation of member states in line with the indicators and criteria for international accounting. In this connection, my country has been including the environmental accountability indicators on a national level to bring them in line with environmental policies on climate and also to— and sustainability, to ensure that they— we can apply the guidelines Capacity building is also a key factor to ensure good uses of environmental indicators, particularly on climate change and biodiversity and the circular economy and tourism. We call for the implementation of environment— SCA and we are ready to discuss this in the future and all to strengthen SEA. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of the United Arab Emirates. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Egypt.

Thank you, Chair. Egypt supports all of the efforts being undertaken by the Committee, and we support the program of action to update the SEA. We approve the implementation of this while implementing the SNA at the same time. We have no objection to the update of the London Group's name. We are a member of the Working Group on Climate Change, which is part of the IMF, with the support of the Swiss government. In December 2025, we hosted the special, special mission of this program in Egypt. To bring together accounting and to address the different climate challenges and to guarantee comparability. Here we need more technical support for those working at the Statistics Bureau in Egypt, particularly on climate change, to know what are the new areas to work on, such as tourism. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of Egypt. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Indonesia.

Thank you, Mr.— thank you, Madam Chair. Indonesia appreciates the effort of the Committee of Experts on Environmental Economic Accounting on the progress in the work program and on the update of the SEEA Central Framework as presented in Section 2. Indonesia fully endorses the update of the System of Environmental Economic Accounting Central Framework. We agree that international macroeconomic statistical standards must continuously evolve to reflect current developments and remain relevant and applicable. We encourage enhanced coordination with other relevant expert groups to avoid duplication and inefficiencies and to ensure that the update of the SEA Central Framework remains well integrated with other macroeconomic statistical manuals. Indonesia welcomes the introduction of quarterly updates by the UN Committee of Experts on Environmental Economic Accounting. Finally, BPS Statistics Indonesia also supports the development of the CES guidelines and stands ready to serve as a pilot country. This initiative aligns closely with Indonesia's National Action Plan for the Circular Economy 2025 to 2045 and reflects our strong commitment to advancing environmental economic accounting. Indonesia has also initiated the use of big data this year to commence a comprehensive study on aquatic asset accounts in collaboration with our statistic university, or we call it the Institute of Statistics. We are currently researching these accounts while continuing to compile existing asset accounts for land, timber, and energy and mineral resources. We also compile physical flow accounts of energy and air emission accounts annually, and we welcome OECD enhancement on air and maritime transport emission databases. As, as the essential input for our energy account reconciliation. Lastly, Indonesia formally approves the updated name and the terms of reference of the London Group on Environmental Economic Accounting. We believe this alignment will further strengthen the research agenda and its impact on the international statistical community. Thank you, Madam Chair.

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

Thank you, Chair. Hungary welcomes the significant progress made in the update of the CEA Central Framework, particularly the establishment of specialized task teams. We strongly supports the efforts to ensure alignment with the 2025 SNA and other macroeconomic standards, as this consistency is vital for the Hungarian and regional statistical priorities regarding environmental accounting and monitoring. Hungary also endorses the Committee's activities on working groups and technical committees, including the ongoing pilot projects that utilize innovative AI tools. Finally, Hungary approves the amended name and terms of reference for the London Group of Environmental Economic Accounting, recognizing its essential role in fostering methodological excellence and international collaboration.

Thank you.

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

Thank you, Chair. Morocco recognizes and fully supports initiatives of the Committee of Experts on Environmental Economic Accounting and would like to insist on the importance of maintaining consistency between the different systems, particularly national accounts. As you know, amongst the new recommendations from the SEA, SNA is the calculation of exhaustion of natural resources, which means that we should support the adoption of the SEA by different countries via workshops and exchanges of experience. Here Morocco is being— is carrying out various different exercises on forests, water, and energy soon. And we're also participating in the working group, and we'd like to reiterate our interest in working more closely. Finally, we support the change of the name of the London Group and would like to express our interest in joining the group. Thank you.

I thank this distinguished delegation of Morocco, and I now give the floor to UNEP.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The United Nations Environment Programme welcomes the progress of the work program on the update of the CS Central Framework and the work of the committee's working group and contribute to this work through active participation in relevant activities at national, regional, and global level. The United Nations Environment Program would also like to inform the Commission that early this year we, jointly with UNITAR, published the statistical guideline for measuring flows of plastics throughout the life cycle based on the SEIA principles and relevant global— globally agreed statistical frameworks and classifications.

The United Nations Environment Programme would like to thank countries and international organizations for their feedback and contribution, which have been acknowledged in the guideline.

This statistical guideline is currently available in English,. Versions in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish will be available later this year. Thank you for your attention.

I thank the distinguished delegate of UNEP, and I now give the floor to the delegation of UN Tourism.

Thank you, Chair. UN Tourism welcomes the report of the Committee of Experts— experts on environmental economic accounting and appreciates the strong and constructive collaboration over the years. The SEEA Central framework provides a fundamental basis for the statistical framework for measuring the sustainability of tourism endorsed by this Commission at its 55th session. Beyond embodying an example of integration across domains and data sources, tourism demonstrates the policy relevance of the SEA and the value of coherent data for coherent policy. In this regard, tourism serves as a practical implementation vehicle for the SEA at country level. Its cross-cutting nature, linking economic activity, environmental assets and flows, ecosystems, and people, offers a concrete policy entry point for operationalizing the SEA accounts. Strengthening inter-institutional coordination and mobilizing resourcing. In addition, UN Tourism is collaborating with Eurostat and the OECD to develop a common set of core indicators on tourism sustainability aligned with internationally agreed frameworks and mindful of feasibility in countries. UN Tourism remains committed to continued collaboration, particularly through Area D on capacity development to strengthen synergies and ensure that implementation efforts strategically leverage on stakeholder coordination, policy relevance, and financing opportunities. Thank you, Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of UN Tourism. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of GCCSTAT.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

We thank you for giving us this opportunity to speak. The Statistics Center for the Gulf Cooperation Council would like to thank the Committee of Experts on Environmental Economic Accounting for the report, and we stress that GCC member states support support the development of the system of environmental and economic accounting as a primary tool to enhance accounting on the environmental and economic dimensions and to support national policies toward— efforts towards sustainable development. We are ready to take part in reviewing the guidance memorandum, especially in terms of assets and water flows. We stress the importance of enhancing economic and international cooperation to exchange expertise and knowledge and build national capacities and develop indicators that reflect the idiosyncrasies of different regions in support of the implementation of sustainable development. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of GCCSTAT. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of UN Women.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

UN Women congratulates the Committee of Experts for the progress in the update of the SEEA Central Framework and for strengthening coordination across macroeconomic standards. UN Women welcomes the positioning of the SEEA within the Beyond GDP discussions and emerging policy agendas. However, UN Women underscores that the distributional dimensions of environmental economic accounting remains underdeveloped. As countries advance just transitions and climate resilience agendas, a career equity lens rooted in gender equality is needed. Last year, UN Women, together with the World Bank, convened an expert group to explore explore a conceptual framework linking environmental economic information with disaggregated socioeconomic and demographic data. This work remains— aims to strengthen the SEAS capacity to reflect inequalities across population groups and to inform more targeted policy discussions. UN Women, therefore, underscores— encourages the Committee to reflect more explicitly within the update process and beyond GDP agendas on how gender equality, distributional, and leave-no-one-behind perspectives can be incorporated into the global SEEA architecture. UN Women finally stands ready to contribute our expertise and our experience to this work. Thank you, Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of UN Women. I see no further requests for the floor. I invite Ms. Ilaria Di Matteo, Chief of the Environmental Economic Accounts Section of the UN Statistics Division, to summarize our discussion on this item.

Thank you, Madam Chair, distinguished delegates. The Commission welcomes the report of the Committee of Experts on Environmental Economic Accounting. It welcomes the progress on updating the SEEA Central framework, noting the strong coordination with relevant macroeconomic statistical standards and relevant community of experts. To foster coherence of the revised recommendation, and underscored the importance of a broad and inclusive consultation process. Appreciated the financial and in-kind contribution of Member States and international organizations on the update process, noting the tight financial environment at all levels, and encouraged continued support and engagement throughout the update process. The Commission welcomed the Committee's proposed work program and the development of a coherent program of work framework across all its working groups aligned with the Committee's priorities. Welcome the effort to mainstream the SEEA across key policy areas, including biodiversity, climate change, circular economy, sustainable tourism, disaster statistics, and Beyond GDP initiatives, and encourage continued collaboration with the Beyond GDP initiatives, the Global Biodiversity Framework, and the G20 Data Gap Initiative. Initiatives. Noted newly identified priority areas for global database development and emphasized the importance of feasibility assessment. Welcomed the implementation of the SEA in-country and underscored the need for capacity building. Finally, the Committee approved the updated name and terms of reference of the London Group. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank Ms. Di Matteo. The Commission has thus concluded its discussion of Item 3F. It is currently 12:02 PM. I propose, before moving on to the next agenda item, that we suspend the meeting for a brief 10-minute break. The meeting will resume at 12:12 PM on the dot. The meeting is suspended.

Les invite à prendre leur place.

I invite you to take your seats, please. Thank you. Please kindly take your seats.

Where is Costa Rica?

The meeting is resumed. I now invite the Commission to begin its consideration of agenda item 3G, entitled Agricultural and Rural Statistics.

Les pido amablemente.

Please, could you kindly take your seats. I now invite the Commission to begin its consideration of agenda item 3G, entitled Agricultural and Rural Statistics, under which the Commission has before it for discussion and decision the report of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on agricultural and rural statistics contained in document E/CN3/2026/8. Background documents are also available on the Commission's website. And I'll give the floor to Mr. José Rosero Moncayo, Chief Statistician and Director of the Statistics Division in the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to introduce the report.

He's not ready.

Hello. Okay, thank you. Thank you, Madame Chair, Excellencies, and distinguished delegates. I am pleased to introduce the report of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on recent developments in agriculture and rural statistics. This report provides updates on FAO strategy for the modernization of statistics, also on key capacity development programs in the area of agriculture and rural statistics. And updates on the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture. The report also informed the Commission on the work of the UN Committee of Experts on Agricultural and Rural Statistics and recommendations of FAO's Regional Commissions on Agricultural Statistics. Among the key actions that we seek from the Statistical Commission is the endorsement of the World Census of Agriculture 2030 guidelines, presented as a background document which benefited from an extensive global consultation process as detailed in the report and related background document. With this endorsement, the new guidelines will commemorate the centenary of the first Census of Agricultural Guidelines issued in 1930 and will serve as a basis for the implementation of at least one agricultural census in each member country between 2026 and 2035 as recommended by the guidelines. It is— in its report, FAO also seeks the endorsement of another set of guidelines presented as background document, the Guidelines for Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators, or ASTI, which have also benefited from an extensive global consultation, as summarized in the report and related background documents. Regarding the UN Committee of Experts on Agricultural and Rural Statistics, the Commission is invited to take note of the background document highlighting lessons learned and recommendations from Earth Observation Applications for Agricultural Statistics and provide guidance on and endorse its new program of work 2026-2027. Finally, members are invited to take note of the recommendations of FAO's Regional Commission on Agricultural Statistics and facilitate their implementation at country level. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank Mr. José Rosero Moncayo. The Commission will now begin its debate on the report. Before giving the floor to the first speaker, I would like to remind delegations to please send to estatements@un.org a copy of the statements to be delivered during the meeting. I'll now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Costa Rica. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Belarus.

Chair, colleagues. Belarus, Belstat, highly values the work of UNSTAT and the, the new round of census and supports the guidelines on the World Programme for the Census for 2030. The document will be useful for countries when they're planning to carry out the agricultural census, and complying with the guidelines will allow them to ensure international comparability of the outcomes. At the same time, countries who who regularly have statistical oversight and have 100% coverage of agricultural organisations need to have the opportunity to integrate existing data into the consensus. This will allow us to overcome duplication-related issues and also reduce the funding requirements and the labour requirements. So I would invite colleagues from the Stat for your permission to support our initiative.

Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Belarus. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Albania.

Thank you, Madam Chair, distinguished delegates. Albania welcomes the report of the FAO on agriculture and rural statistics and appreciates the guidance provided for the modernization of agriculture statistics.. In implementing FAO's strategy, Albania has made significant progress in improving methodologies, aligning with international standards, and increasing the use of administrative sources and digital technologies. These efforts have enhanced the quality, comparability, and timeliness of our agriculture and rural statistics. Albania has placed particular emphasis on strengthening strengthening national capacities. Statistical staff have received continuous training. The number of surveys have— has increased, and cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and other institutions producing administrative data has been reinforced. INSTAT has also upgraded technical infrastructure for data collection, processing, and publication. Albania actively participated in the 2020 round of the World Programme for a Census of Agriculture, following FAO's methodological guidance and best practices. The experience gained provided a strong foundation for the upcoming 2026 agriculture census, whose guidelines are essential for a modern, comprehensive, and internationally comparable census. Albania endorses the new guidelines for the census of agriculture. Albania supports the development of agriculture science and technology indicators which measure innovation, knowledge dissemination, and the use of new technologies in agriculture, and expresses its endorsement of these indicators and is exploring how to integrate these methods into our regular statistics publication to support sustainable agriculture development. Finally, Albania welcomes and endorses the new work program of the UN Committee of Experts and values the contribution of regional FAO committees, which provides practical support for addressing specific regional challenges and improving the national system of agriculture and rural statistics. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Albania, and I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Russian Federation.

Thank you, Chair. Russia highly values the work done to prepare the publication on the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2030, and we're preparing for this Census, we will of course be guided by the recommendations set out in the program. This document is particularly important for countries such as ours where agriculture makes a great contribution to our economy. We would expand the amount of administrative data provided in our country. These planned— these censuses planned mainly to be done digitally for self-reporting on state platforms using satellite monitoring. This will allow us to reduce the number of staff required and also the time required for preliminary and final results to be received. We support the new programme of work for the Committee of Experts on Agricultural and Rural Statistics. The topic chosen, including improving post-census follow-up and implementing administrative and geospatial sources, are very relevant. Their detailed development will allow us to increase the statistical capacity of countries, particularly those where agriculture is one of the key economic sectors. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Russian Federation, and I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Jordan.

Madam Chair, the Arab states that are members of the ESCWA, numbering at 21 States, including Jordan, value the work of the FAO in implementing its strategies to update statistics, especially in terms of developing the data exchange platform. And we, we ask them to complete these steps in a more expeditious manner. We also take note of the progress made in enhancing statistical capacities in the field of agriculture, especially the Earth Monitoring Program and the International Program, the International Agricultural Census. Jordan hosts the regional observatory for the food security pertaining to the Arab world, which currently includes 6 states. We hope that the rest of the organization's member states will join us. We endorse the guidelines for the 2030 Census, and we support and we encourage others to do so. Jordan was active in the working group that prepared these guidelines for the past 2 years. We encourage international partners and the Food and Agriculture Organization to offer all forms of technical and financial support that is needed by states that intend to carry out their census during this round. We, we suggest that to the FAO holding a regional meeting for the Arab states so that the Arab group could be briefed on developments in the 2030 World Programme, much like the meeting that was held in Jordan in 2016. In addition, we support the agricultural and— agricultural science and technology indicators, and we endorse the guidelines as well as the new working group of the committee. We have been informed of the recommendations that has been made, that was made by the specialized committee, and we stress the need to include the, the, this committee in consultations. Some of these consultations were done without informing or alerting some of the statistical authorities involved, and we encourage the use of geospatial information remote sensing in conducting agricultural censuses. We thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Jordan, and I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Poland.

Madam Chair, distinguished delegates, Statistics Poland would like to express high regard for the work of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in developing agriculture and and raw statistics, including a wide range of initiatives aimed at strengthening statistical potential at both national and regional levels. Poland also appreciates the commitment and the progress achieved in improving efficiency, particularly in, in the context of growing needs for information. We would like to emphasize that initiatives aimed at promoting and applying best practices, research, and innovation to address the evolving needs of agricultural statistics are of great importance for us. Considering the above, Poland has welcomed with appreciation the organization of such an important event as the International Conference on Agricultural Statistics Statistics in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Bank, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the supervision of the Committee on Agricultural Statistics of the International Statistics Institute. As the host of this event, I have the honor to invite you to Kraków, Poland for the 10th edition of this conference, which this year will be held under the theme Innovative Data Approaches Shaping Resilient and Sustainable Agrifood Systems in the Digital Age. I'm deeply convinced that our discussion of the use of statistical data and technological possibilities, including this related to Earth observation, will play a meaningful role in improving the resilience of agriculture and agrifood systems. In the era of global digital transformation, agricultural statistics must constantly evolve, not only to monitor changes but also help shape them. Thank you, Madame Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Poland. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Peru.

The Peru Statistics Organization values the report of the UN FAO on agricultural statistics. It explains the technical and statistical progress in modernization and in national capacity building as well as the inclusion of new technologies as main axes of the work. We are committed and we underscore that we must modernize and establish robust national systems for the production of reliable, precise, comparable agricultural statistics at the international level. The EOSTAT initiative incorporates methodological innovations through the use of satellite imagery and artificial intelligence. To produce statistics on the use of land and on crop yields. We participated in the census, uh, in 2020, and we are systematically working to implement the guidelines drawn up by the World Programme for the Census. In the medium term, we need to consolidate a digital, interoperable, sustainable statistics system that enables agricultural production based on reliable data. We need to increase international interoperability and increase the integration of registers and satellite data. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of Peru. I now give the floor to the distinguished Representative of Nigeria.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The African Group welcomes the FAO report on agricultural and rural statistics, affirming that strengthening agri-food and rural data systems are essential for food security, structural transformation, climate resilience, and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Group acknowledges FAO's modernization efforts, including the development of a centralized data exchange platform and a new SDMX-based dissemination architecture designed to reduce transaction costs and improve data interoperability, consistency, and accessibility. African group— African countries urges that this development remains sensitive to national capacities, including multilingual usability, secure access, and support to national correspondents, so as not to impose additional burdens on already constrained statistical systems. The African Group welcomes FAO's continued focus on capacity development through key initiatives, including the 50 by 2030 initiative, the Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics, SDG Reporting Support for FAO Custodied Indicators, and the Earth Observation for Agricultural Statistics Program. The group stresses the importance of sustained and predictable financing, considering reported funding constraints, and calls for stronger regional delivery through partnerships with the Economic Commission for Africa and relevant regional institutions. The group supports endorsement of the guidelines of the 2030 World Programme for the Census of Agriculture and calls for intensified implementation across Africa and alignment with recommended standards and quality assurance approaches. It also endorses the guidelines for the agricultural science and technology indicators, recognizing their potential to strengthen national evidence on agricultural research and development investment and human capacity, with national statistical offices playing a central coordination role. The African Group supports the proposed program of work for 2026-2027, which covers agricultural surveys, administrative data, and the operational integration of Earth observation. The group emphasizes the need for attention to data confidentiality, quality, and institutional readiness throughout implementation. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Agradezco.

I thank the distinguished representative of Nigeria for that statement. And I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Guyana.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Guyana, on behalf of CARICOM, generally supports the action to be taken by the Statistical Commission relative to agricultural and rural statistics. We welcome the report of the FAO on the recent developments in the field and ongoing work in the modernization and integration of the FAO system— statistical system. The continued support provided to the region in strengthening statistical capacity and data system is sincerely appreciated. We note the guidelines of the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2030, an imminent launch of this round of agriculture census. We We look forward to the upcoming regional workshops and emphasize the importance of training in the use of administrative registers and geospatial data to modernize our census workflow. We support the development of the data exchange platform, which is expected to streamline the collection, validation, and exchange of statistics between FAO and statistical offices. And improve the efficiency and coordination of data exchange through a centralized system. We also support the development of a statistical data warehouse and a central dissemination platform as part of the largest strategy for the modernization of statistics through innovation, and simultaneously informs about CARICOM ongoing work in developing a central repository of statistics that is SDMX compliant and seeks to support the central housing and exchange of regional information towards improved statistical analysis. We further support the use of Earth observations for agricultural statistics program. For the Caribbean, the ability to use satellite data for crop yield estimation and disaster impact monitoring will support enhanced climate resilience. We request intensified capacity building in these methods to empower our local experts. Finally, we acknowledge the achievement of the 50 by 2030 initiative. However, we must again note that the Caribbean subregion has yet to fully benefit from its commitments. Reliable, high-quality agricultural data is the bedrock of our regional agenda to reduce our food imports. We therefore call for the strategic expansion of this initiative to support CARICOM member states in bridging critical data gaps that currently constrain our national and sub-regional policy. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Guyana. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

Thank you, Madam Chair, distinguished delegates. The Lao Statistics Bureau, we strongly support and collaboration, the collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment with the technical expertise provided by the FAO. We recognize that challenges persist regarding the data quality and coverage. The agriculture remains the cornerstone of the Lao economy and the primary source of livelihood for the vast majority of our rural population. Consequently, the generation of reliable agricultural statistics is a strategic priority, serving as the foundation for the Lao PDR food security planning, poverty reduction strategy, rural development policy. The Lao PDR formally expressed its support for the Commission's ongoing effort to strengthen the Global Strategy to Improve Agriculture and Rural Statistics. We're looking forward, International Committee, to maintain support for the agriculture survey system with the landlocked countries. Finally, we welcome the forthcoming international guidance on integrating the agriculture statistics with food system monitoring frameworks. The Large Statistics Bureau is strongly to collaborating with the global and regional partners to harmonize our national effort with this evolving standard, ensuring a resilient and data-driven future for our agriculture census in 2029. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Lao PDR. And I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Georgia.

Madam Chair, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. Georgia fully supports the modernization of agricultural statistical system and commends FAO for its continued leadership. In this domain. In 2024, Georgia conducted its agricultural census with the population census, a strategic decision that maximized efficiency, ensured data consistency, and set a new statistical baseline for the sector. Results will be publicly available by June 2024. 2026. The census was conducted in full alignment with the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture, and Georgia is committed to the gradual implementation of WCA 2030 recommendations. Georgia has actively participated in the 50-2030 initiative and successfully integrated AGRES modules into our agricultural surveys. This has significantly strengthened our capacity to produce high-quality, internationally harmonized agricultural data, establishing a sustainable system and supports evidence-based policymaking across the agri-sector. In 2025, GEOSTAT conducted a pilot project on remote sensing for crop estimation, demonstrating the real potential of geospatial data to complement traditional methods, reduce respondent burden, and improve timeliness. Georgia welcomes the development of the EOSTAT program and stands ready to participate actively in advancing Earth observation for agricultural statistics. Despite this progress, challenges remain, particularly in sustaining data production post-census and integrating survey, administrative, and geospatial sources into coherent system. This require continued international cooperation, capacity building, and knowledge exchange. Georgia is committed to contribute to that to exchange and to advancing the modernization of agricultural and rural statistics as a shared global priority.

Thank you, Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Georgia. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of China. Xièxiè.

Thank you, Madam Chair. China supports the report of the FAO.

We believe that the FAO has achieved results through multiple initiatives in strengthening national agricultural statistical capacity building.

China is committed to improving agricultural and rural statistical survey methodologies by conducting grain production accounting, livestock and poultry monitoring, agricultural product price surveys, and rural revitalization statistical monitoring China provides data support for policy formulation.

We believe that the 2030 Round World Agricultural Census guidelines integrate international experience and incorporate new elements such as the application of Earth observation data, aligning the development needs.

China volunteers to translate these guidelines into Chinese.

In 2026, China will conduct the 4th National Agricultural Census, will be updated to reflect current realities, while the methodology will be innovatively combined sensors with sampling and remote sensing, fully utilizing modern technologies such as remote sensing, drones, and handheld terminals.

We will promote data application, implement the guidelines requirements, and share our practical achievements.

A new work program focuses on innovation in key areas which China follows closely and actively participates in. For Earth, we have established the global— UN Global Center for Big Data and Data Science to conduct research on remote sensing technologies for agricultural statistics.

For instance, for Earth observation data, China has integrated satellite remote sensing, UAV, and AI into surveys.

We support the committee's new work program and look forward to intensifying cooperation with other countries and to intensifying agricultural survey and enhance the quality of survey in order to contribute to sustainable development and provide statistical guarantee to this process. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegate of China.

I now give the floor to Malaysia.

Thank you, Chair. Malaysia supports FAO data exchange platform platform as an important step toward a more integrated, transparent, and efficient agricultural statistical system that improves coordination, reduces reporting burden, and ensures international comparability. In line with this, Malaysia is developing TANISTAT 2.0, a digital platform to consolidate agricultural data into a single comprehensive national Malaysia welcomes FAO effort to strengthen agricultural statistical capacity through key global initiatives that enhance data quality, consistency, and comparability for policymaking and reporting. Malaysia also appreciates the FAO technical workshop under WCA 2020, which strengthens strengthened national capacity and supported the successful implementation of the Agriculture Census 2024 in Malaysia. Malaysia acknowledged the AASDI guideline as a key framework for adopting internationally harmonized concept and definition for agricultural R&D, enhancing institutional coverage, and improving data quality and reporting. This supports the integration of agriculture data with R&D indicators, enhance global comparability, and help produce high-quality statistics to inform innovation-driven sustainable agriculture development. Malaysia supports the revision of WCA 2030, ensuring it aligns with the latest international standards, including FAO land use SEEA 2012 Central Framework, ISEEK Revision 5, and relevant ILO resolutions. It also incorporates the principles and recommendations for Population and Housing Census Revision 4 to maintain global consistency and comparability. Malaysia takes note of the new program of work of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Agricultural Statistics for 2026-2027. The program will help improve further data quality and comparability to support informed agriculture and food security policies. Meanwhile, Malaysia is developing a food security index to combine key indicators into a single metric. The initial report on Malaysia Food Security Indicator was released with the Agriculture Census 2024, provides a reference for monitoring the country food security. The 2035 report includes, includes 46 preliminary indicators: 8 for availability, 15 for accessibility, 13 for utilization, and 10 for stability. Finally, Malaysia notes that the FAO Regional Commission recommends strengthening agriculture statistics through improved methodologies, harmonized classification, and modern data sources such as administrative and geospatial data. They also emphasize supporting SDG and climate reporting, investing in capacity development and digital transformation, and promoting regional cooperation to enhance data quality, comparability, and evidence-based policymaking. Thank you, Chair.

Of Malaysia. And then I'll give the floor to Italy.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Italy welcomes the development of the data exchange platform, which will enhance data quality, transparency, and collaboration across the FAO statistical ecosystem. The new infrastructure represents a crucial advancement that will largely reduce to reduce the administrative burden in both time and human resources currently placed on national statistical institutes in responding to FAO's annual data requests through Excel-based questionnaires. Italy endorses the guidelines for the agricultural science and technology indicators and supports the new program of work of the UN Committee of Experts.. The impact of new technologies on agriculture is a key issue. Agricultural statistics must be ready to collect information on the use of new technologies by farmers and their impact on productivity and employment. Thank you, Madam Chair.

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

Merci, Madame la Présidente. Thank you, Chair.

First of all, I would like to highlight the African position on the report on agricultural and rural statistics. From FAO will be presented by Nigeria. Burundi supports the African position that Nigeria will set out. We would nevertheless like to also congratulate the FAO for their report. Burundi would also like to recall that as part of the 56th Session of the Statistical Commission. On the agenda item of the Census of Population and Habitat for 2030, the Commission recognized the correlation between the general census of the population and the general census of agriculture and encouraged countries to take this into account in the 2030, uh, work for statistics on this. Morocco has— is carrying out its operational general population census and habitat and agriculture, and is therefore encouraging countries to work on both of these in the general— general census and the, and the agricultural census for the current cycle up to 2030. Moreover, in terms of the interventions of the FAO in different countries, Burundi would like to see a good level of coordination with other partners who are working in the fields that the FAO is also supporting. Thank you very much, Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Burundi, and I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Switzerland.

Thank you very much, Mrs. Chair. Switzerland would like to underline the critical importance of robust food security and nutrition data for informed decision-making at the national, regional,— and of course also global level. According to the latest estimates, about 673 million people faced hunger in 2024, and approximately 2.6 billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet. These figures demonstrate the scale of the challenge of the urgency of strengthening FSN data. The latest FAO report on tracking progress on food and agriculture-related SDGs indicators show that while data availability under FAO custodianship has improved in recent years, significant gaps persist. Comprehensive disaggregated timely and reliable data remain indispensable for measuring progress, identifying vulnerabilities, and guiding effective policies and investment decisions. Switzerland attaches great importance to the production of evidence-based data in support of the normative mandate of the UN agencies. In times of financial austerity, it is even more essential to prioritize action grounded in solid evidence and robust analysis. We therefore share the concern expressed by the FAO governing bodies regarding the growing gap between the increasing demand for food security and nutrition data and the resources currently available. Switzerland reiterates that these core statistical and normative function must be adequately financed, in particularly through the regular budget. Reliable data system are fundamental for anticipatory actions, crisis response, and the development of sound evidence-based policies. This normative work of FAO remains a cornerstone of sustainable and resilient agrifood system transformation, and it's crucial that it receives sufficient attention and resources. Switzerland notes with concern the growing gap between the increasing demand for food security and nutrition data and the resources currently available and encourage members to support this core statistical and normative function. Ensuring adequate financial resources for food and security and nutritional data is therefore not optional. It is a necessity. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Switzerland, and I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Ukraine.

Thank you, Madam Chair, distinguished delegates. Ukraine welcomes the progress made by FAO in implementing the strategy for the modernization of statistics, in particular the development of the data exchange platform for standardization and digitalization of data collection and creation of centralized statistical repository and integrated dissemination platform. We positively assess the intention to move from fragmented data exchange to standardized submission and validation process as well as the development of a modern data dissemination system based on SDMX with access to interoperable data and metadata via API, including the preparation of a beta version of the data dissemination platform in 2026. The State Statistics Service of Ukraine supports the mentioned steps and in parallel is moving forward in modernization of official statistics. In particular, the State Statistics Service of Ukraine has launched launched the new official statistics portal of Ukraine as an element of a single statistical production and dissemination platform with integrated metadata visualization tools and APIs for automated data retrieval, as well as support for machine-readable SDMX, CSV, XLSX formats. We believe that the convergence of FAO approaches and national solutions in terms of data and metadata exchange efforts, digital data dissemination channels will contribute to better compatibility and more effective interaction between international organizations and national statistical systems. Having the above mentioned, we support the adoption of WCA 2030 program guidelines, the agricultural science and technology indicators guidelines, and the new work program of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Agricultural and Rural statistics. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Ukraine. We have heard the last speaker for this morning. We still have a number of speakers on our list for this item. Therefore, the Commission will continue with its list of speakers on this item this afternoon at 3 PM in this same room. The first speaker on my list will be the representative of Thailand. The meeting is adjourned.