NEWS

New events added/updated:

  • Face-to-Face Meetings of the Expert Group on Compilation of SITS
  • Regional Workshop on Travel and International Tourism Consumption for CARICOM Countries
  • Interagency Task Force on Statistics of International Trade in Services
  • Virtual Meetings of the Expert Group on Compilation of SITS
  • Regional Workshop on Statistics of International Trade in Services for Latin American and Caribbean countries

Process updated:

  • Compilers Guide for MSITS 2010 (CG MSITS 2010)

HIGHLIGHT

Statistical Commission Report on International Trade Statistics

This 2013 report draws on the work undertaken by various task forces in the global statistical system on topics such as integrated economic statistics, linking trade and business statistics, trade and global production, trade in value added, statistics of multinational enterprises and foreign direct investment.

The report describes the emerging policy needs for new statistics on international trade, outlines the current state of official trade statistics, indicates new initiatives in the measurement of global value chains and trade in value added, and expresses concern at the lack of coordination among the many task teams operating in this field. The report also proposes the development of an overarching framework for international trade and economic globalization to ensure consistency in methodology, data compilation and data dissemination and the development of an appropriate mechanism for coordinating this process.

» DOWNLOAD THE REPORT

"This Global Forum website is meant as a market place to share the latest information on the measurement and analysis of global trade. This is a meeting place for statisticians, researchers, economists, trade negotiators, trade analysts and everyone else with an interest in trade-related information."


VISION STATEMENT

Vision of the future of international trade statistics

Responding to demands of policy makers for more information on international trade and its relation to global value chains, employment, environment and the interdependence of economies, the participants of the Global Forum on Trade Statistics identify the following points of improvement.

  • Improve the relevance of international trade statistics by connecting trade information and integrating it with its economic, social, environmental and financial dimensions whileminimizing the response burden.
  • Improve the statistical production process by better defining and organizing the co-operation among national stakeholders
  • Improve international classifications and correspondence tables relevant for research on international trade and globalization, such as research on trade in value added, on global value chains and on outsourcing of business functions.