United Nations Economic Commission for EuropeStatistical DivisionUnited Nations Economic Commission for EuropeStatistical Division

Opening the Expert Group

Meeting

Expert Group Meeting on MDG Indicators in Central Asia

Astana, Kazakhstan, 5-8 October 2009

Petteri Baer, Regional Adviser, UNECE

5.10.2009 Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 2

Purpose of the Meeting

Purpose of the Meeting• See first page of the Agenda! • Learn about the issues facing the Central Asian

countries in the Production and Use of MDG related statistical information

• Discuss and agree on a possibly common set of disaggregations of MDG indicators for having improved focus on vulnerable population groups

• Discuss indicators actual for the CA sub-region

5.10.2009 Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 3

Focus of the Meeting

Production process of MDG Indicators Validation process Dissemination process Get one or two rounds deeper on

• Disaggregated MDG indicators• Country specific, Sub-region specific MDG..

• Reconciliation between national data and

data produced and published by IOs on..

5.10.2009 Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 4

MDG Goals and Indicators

Decided on the highest level• United Nations General Assembly• Approved as goals by 192 countries• 2000 – 2015• Now we are coming into the last 1/3 2015

MDG Indicators are part of the Reporting System of Official Statistics• Rich people … Poor people• Statistics - For evidence based decision making

5.10.2009 Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 5

MDG Indicators have a strong link to Statistical Capacity Building

In fact MDG indicators should ideally be just one part of normal reporting of a comprehensive set of official statistics

A special pleasure to have this EGM hosted by the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Statistics (ARKS)• ARKS great development in the last few years• Dynamic leadership of Ms Anar Meshimbaeva, Mr

Birlik Mendybaev, Mr Zhaslan Omarov and others

5.10.2009 Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 6

The facilities of this EGM

Petteri: 6th visit to the ARKS, 7th visit to Kazakhstan

The venue of the meeting• In the building of the Regional Office of the ARKS in

Astana• Capital renovation process• Look at the results!

Thank you, all involved staff members of the ARKS for all arrangements you’ve done!

5.10.2009 Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 7

Organizations represented in this EGM

List of participants• All six CA / SPECA member countries• National Statistical Institutes AND Line

Ministries• A good set of International Organizations

UNECE, UNICEF, UNDP, (UNFPA, UNSD) WHO, ILO

Individual introduction round - soon

5.10.2009 Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 8

The Spirit of this EGM

We all have numerous different aspects to the present situation, we face different problems and challenges in reporting MDG Indicators

• See Agenda: Seven Sessions on seven themes We will allocate much time for working groups We will learn from each other…towards conclusions We will approach all questions with an open mind Understanding the different backgrounds of each of us Aiming at improved know-how on the reporting on

Progress towards achieving the Millenium Development Goals

5.10.2009 Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 9

Wise words of Samuel Johnson

“Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves or we know where we can find information upon it”

Thank you for your attention! petteri.baer@unece.org