Description: ESCWA is organizing a regional workshop on protecting, adapting, and rebuilding national statistical systems in conflict-affected Arab countries. The workshop provides a high-level platform for dialogue among National Statistical Offices on the structural erosion of statistical infrastructure, loss of human capacity, and disruption of data collection systems resulting from prolonged conflict. It identifies practical strategies to sustain the production of essential economic and social data, including national accounts and vital statistics, during crises, while developing a roadmap to strengthen institutional resilience. The workshop also facilitates the exchange of expertise on modern technologies, alternative data sources, and sound governance frameworks to close critical information gaps, support evidence-based policymaking, and safeguard the rights of populations in fragile contexts.
Description: ESCWA, in close cooperation with the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics are organizing the second Regional Workshop on Data Disaggregation for Sustainable Development Goal Indicators. The workshop aims to strengthen the capacities of participants from member States to collect, produce, analyse, and disseminate disaggregated SDG indicator data in line with international standards and classifications. It also deepens understanding of the role of data disaggregation in evidence-based policymaking, monitoring development gaps, and promoting inclusivity, while fostering the exchange of experiences and good practices among Arab countries. In addition, the workshop presents modern tools and methodologies for data collection, processing, and analysis, support the harmonization of statistical concepts and standards, and help close data gaps and strengthen SDG monitoring and follow-up systems at the national and regional levels.
Description: ESCWA, the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics, and the United Nations Statistics Division are organizing a joint workshop on the use of the Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange (SDMX) for reporting on the SDGs. The workshop brings together data specialists from national statistical offices across the Arab region to strengthen their technical capacity in SDMX-based reporting. It aims to introduce participants to key tools, including the SDMX Metadata Registry, SDG Reference Metadata, the Fusion Metadata Registry, and the dot Stat Suite for data dissemination. A key highlight of this workshop is the introduction of the newly launched Arab Data Portal (ADP), alongside automated tools such as the SDMX Converter. The workshop combines presentations, live demonstrations, Q&A sessions, and hands-on exercises, ensuring participants gain practical experience in applying SDMX tools and workflows for SDG data reporting. Video recordings (link is external) Data for exercise 4 can be found here (link is external) .
Description: ESCWA and the United Nations Statistical Division are organizing a meeting to review, evaluate, and highlight the outcomes of the Development Account project on Strengthening resilience and adaptive capacity of national statistical systems. The meeting aims to showcase the project's impact in supporting the modernization of national statistical systems to enhance their ability to produce high-quality, timely and inclusive statistics to monitor the SDGs. It brings together representatives from the national statistical offices of the three beneficiary countries, Jordan, Tunisia and the State of Palestine, to share experiences, lessons learned, and successful practices developed under the project. Access the background documents for more information (link is external)
Description: ESCWA and United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD), in partnership with the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and the Department of Statistics in Jordan, are convening a two-day national workshop designed to boost the ability to measure and report on South-South Cooperation (SSC) in line with the UN-endorsed Framework to Measure South-South Cooperation. This workshop aims to deepen participants’ knowledge of SSC concepts and methodologies, deliver practical training on the SSC Data Collection tool, and promote stronger collaboration among national institutions for data sharing and reporting, particularly under SDG indicator 17.3.1. By bringing together representatives from government ministries, UN agencies, and technical experts, the event features interactive discussions, hands-on activities, and peer learning, culminating in the development of a national roadmap for SSC data integration and the creation of a Jordanian SSC Community of Practice.
Description: National statistical offices (NSOs) from across the region, ESCWA, and the World Bank are convening for a pivotal regional meeting focused on enhancing the quality and reliability of price data within the International Comparison Program (ICP). A central highlight is the introduction of the new ICP PPP Production Platform, which unifies four essential tools: the Item List Management Tool (ILMT), the Data Entry Tool (DET), the Validation Tool (VT), and the Aggregation Tool (AT). This innovative platform streamlines price data processes, improves accuracy, and fosters greater comparability for international price statistics. Over the course of the event, participants engage in technical sessions, collaborative discussions, and practical exercises designed to build capacity and facilitate knowledge sharing. The agenda covers the 2024 ICP survey cycle, featuring modules on household consumption, education, rentals, government compensation, construction, and machinery. By strengthening national expertise and promoting the adoption of unified data practices, the meeting aims to support the production of transparent, timely, and credible PPP indicators vital for evidence-based policymaking in the Arab region.
Description: This workshop aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of international trade in goods statistics for Arab countries with limited or no trade statistics. It explores the global recommendations outlined in the "International Manual for Merchandise Trade Statistics (IMTS 2010)", and discusses challenges and best practices in collecting and processing trade data. The workshop’s objectives include:
Description: ESCWA is collaborating with the United Nations Population Fund Regional Office for Arab States, the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics, and other partners to organize a regional workshop aimed at strengthening the capacities of national statistical offices and national statistics systems in the field of census thematic analysis, as a strategy to enhance accessibility and utilization of census data. The workshop aims specifically to achieve the following:
Title in Arabic: التحليل الموضوعي للتعداد لتحسين استخدام البيانات
Organizer(s): AITRS ESCWA UNFPA ONS United Kingdom GCC Stat
Description: توضح هذه المذكرة المفاهيمية خططًا لعقد ورشة عمل إقليمية تهدف إلى تعزيز قدرة المنظمات الإحصائية الوطنية (NSOs) على التحليل الموضوعي للتعداد كاستراتيجية لنشر النتائج. ستغطي الورشة محتويات تتعلق بعملية تحديد واختيار الموضوعات، ووضع خارطة طريق للتحليل الموضوعي، وتقديم مختلف الأساليب لتنفيذ التحليل، بالإضافة إلى استعراض نقاط القوة، التحديات، والمخاطر المرتبطة بذلك. كما سيتم تحديد الأدوات وأفضل الممارسات من المنطقة وخارجها للتحليل الموضوعي، بما في ذلك مختلف المخرجات وطرق نشرها (مثل التقارير التفصيلية، المذكرات السياسية، الأطالس الموضوعية، التصورات الجغرافية، وغيرها)، بهدف تحسين تأثير بيانات التعداد على السياسات والبرامج. ورغم أن التركيز سيكون على الدول التي أكملت التعدادات مؤخرًا، إلا أن جميع الدول التي قامت بتنفيذ جولة التعداد 2020 أو تخطط لجولة 2030 سيتم أخذها في الاعتبار.
Description: The tenth meeting of the Joint Technical Committee and the Core Research and Technical Cooperation Mechanism is being organized, following the recommendations of the ninth meeting, which urged the completion of work on meetings related to the Joint Project to Develop, Deploy and Activate the Arab Information and Communication Technology Strategy (Arab Digital Agenda 2023-2033). This meeting is aimed at addressing key topics to be discussed by experts and specialists, with the aim of presenting them at the Digital Cooperation and Development Forum to encourage ministers and stakeholders to actively contribute to the development and implementation of the Arab Digital Agenda's goals in the region.
Description: The meeting aims to follow up on the progress made in implementing the Arab Digital Agenda, by reviewing the progress of work since the 9th meeting. It holds significant importance as it addresses key topics that will be presented at the second edition of the Digital Cooperation and Development Forum (DCDF 2.0). The aim is to encourage ministers and stakeholders to actively contribute to the development and implementation of the Arab Digital Agenda's goals in the region. The meeting also hosts the Consultative experts meeting on streamlining outcomes of previous deliberations on environmental issues and artificial intelligence" within the "Series of expert meetings on enriching the mechanisms for assessing and advancing digital development in the Arab region".
Description: ESCWA, the United Nations Statistics Division and the Arab Institute for Training and Research on Statistics are organizing a regional workshop to help employees of national statistics offices acquire knowledge and skills to deepen their understanding of statistical business registers (SBRs). The workshop aims to develop the following capacities among the participating countries:
Description: Jointly organized by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), and the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics (AITRS), this regional workshop will review international recommendations and standards for Statistical Business Registers. The program will facilitate the implementation of the Maturity Model for Statistical Business Registers and address emerging developments, including the global assessment questionnaire, revised industrial classification systems, geospatial information integration, and the global initiative on unique business identifiers.
Description: ESCWA, the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), are organizing a regional workshop on the “strategic framework for improving civil registration and vital statistics systems (CRVS) in the Arab region 2021-2025: progress made and way forward”. The workshop comes two years after ESCWA, WHO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNRWA, UNICEF, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and the International Development and Research Centre of Canada developed the regional strategic framework to enhance CRVS in the Arab region for the period 2021-2025. The framework, adopted as a guiding document for developing a national action plan at a regional workshop held in July 2021, aims to improve and update civil registration systems in line with CRVS priorities in each country. The purpose of the workshop is to carry out an inclusive mid-term review of progress made in the implementation of the strategic framework by countries and related organizations and to identify experiences that can be leveraged to accelerate the realization of its objectives in the coming two years at both regional and national levels.
Description: The Data For Now initiative, with technical support from UN-Habitat and contributions from ESCWA, organized a series of training sessions to strengthen technical knowledge and practical capabilities of the relevant members of national statistical system in Jordan to calculate and produce SDG indicators 11.3.1 and 11.7.1. These indicators were chosen by Jordan Department of Statistics (DoS) in close cooperation with all stakeholders line ministries and government departments.
Description: Price fluctuations, both temporal and spatial, have a profound impact on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting the essential need for regular price statistics as key instruments in guiding and assessing the progress towards these goals. ESCWA is holding a regional meeting attended by 20 participants from 12 Arab countries. The meeting tackles many issues, including: the new COICOP 2018 classification, the Arab Harmonized Consumer Price Index (HCPI), an introduction to the Investment Price Index which ESCWA is pioneering , the multifaceted applications of PPPs, and the alarming surge in food prices in the Arab region.
Description: The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), in cooperation with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics (AITRS), is organizing a regional Thematic Conference that is part of a series of regional conferences to understand and prioritise the recent institutional, organizational and technical developments for the production of official statistics and indicators for the monitoring of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and related regional and national development plans. The regional approach to these conferences will put focus on practices and challenges common among members of each region. In particular, it will allow the organizers to collect additional information and examples to contribute to the updated Handbook of Statistical Organization, whose purpose is to support the needs of senior managers to adapt and develop their statistical organisations and systems as stressed in the Cape Town Global Action Plan (CTGAP) for Sustainable Development and as described in the final report of the series of conferences on a Transformative Agenda for Official Statistics.
Description: The United Nations Statistics Division, ESCWA and the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics are organizing the "Arab regional statistical conference: Agility and resilience of national statistical systems”. The conference focuses on the priorities and emerging needs of statistical organizations to help them adapt and develop in times of crises. Relevant practices and challenges are documented to contribute to the extended knowledge base of the new Handbook of Statistical Organization.
Description: The United Nations Statistics Division, ESCWA and the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics are organizing t he " Arab Thematic Conference on Agile and Resilient National Statistical Systems ”. The conference focuses on the priorities and emerging needs of statistical organizations to help them adapt and develop in times of crises. Relevant practices and challenges are documented to contribute to the extended knowledge base of the new Handbook of Statistical Organization.
Description: ESCWA and the United Nations Statistical Division (UNSD) are organizing the sixth workshop on the use of the Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange (SDMX) standards for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) data reporting. The workshop aims to enhance countries’ capacities in relation to the exchange of national data. It also seeks to raise awareness of the latest developments in data exchange and promote the implementation of SDMX at the national level. Participants include statisticians and IT specialists from national statistical offices in the Arab region. The event offers exercises on data mapping and conversion using the SDMX standard tools as well examples of customizing a national Data Structure Definition. This event is part of the SDMX training series. 5-8 June 2023 Sixth training on using SDMX for SDG data reporting Workshop Amman
Description: ESCWA, in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund and the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics, is organizing a training workshop on demographic methods for assessing the quality and completeness of civil registration data and their uses. Vital statistics are essential for understanding population dynamics, informing government planning and monitoring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. They require a well-functioning civil registration system in terms of completeness, accuracy, availability and timeliness. Civil registrations systems face several challenges, especially in countries that suffer from humanitarian crises and instability. This results in considerable disparity in the completeness and quality of vital statistics, thus impacting the capacity of some Arab countries to produce reports. ESCWA and partners have developed a regional strategic framework to enhance civil registration and vital statistics systems (CRVS) in the Arab region for the period 2021-2025. The framework aims to improve and update civil registration systems in line with CRVS priorities in each country.
