Thematic Conference for the
Pacific Island region

Managing a statistical organization in times of change

  • Nadi, Fiji
  • 24-26 June 2024

The Thematic Conference for Pacific SIDS - Managing a Statistical Organization in Times of Change will be held from 24 to 26 June in Nadi, Fiji. This event is part of a series of regional conferences designed to exchange and discuss recent institutional, organizational, and technical advancements in producing official statistics essential for monitoring the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and related regional and national development plans.

Focusing on the specificities of National Statistical Systems in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the conference will facilitate an exchange of best practices and challenges to be reflected in the updated edition of the Handbook on Management and Organization of National Statistical Systems. The Handbook serves as an authoritative guide for chief statisticians and senior managers, offering strategic guidance and best practices to enhance the efficiency and adaptability of statistical systems. Aligned with the Cape Town Global Action Plan (CTGAP) for Sustainable Development and the final report of the series of conferences on a Transformative Agenda for Official Statistics, the Conference aims to uphold the relevance of official statistics in addressing existing and emerging user needs in times of change.

The conference will be structured into three main sessions, each addressing strategic areas of the CTGAP and selected chapters from the Handbook identified as particularly relevant for the region:

  • Session 1 - Governance, Partnership, User Engagement and Quality Management: The first session will focus on enhancing institutional governance, including data governance and coordination of National Statistical Systems, deepening user engagement, fostering partnerships with the broader data community, and discuss methods for ensuring high data quality management standards.
  • Session 2 - Data Integration, Innovative Technology and Processes: This session will explore the integration of innovative data sources, including administrative data, for the compilation of official statistics.
  • Session 3 - Resource Mobilization, Staff Development and Cooperation: The last session will focus on mobilizing and securing financial, human, and technical resources, alongside enhancing regional and global cooperation to sustain and build national statistical capacities.

Each session will be divided into two segments. The first segment will feature contributions from international and bilateral partner organizations. The second segment will include country contributions on good practices, success stories, and challenges. This will be followed by breakout group discussions and a report of the outcomes and conclusions in plenary.

The Conference is organized in collaboration with the Pacific Community (SPC), the Statistics Division of UN-ESCAP, and the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD).


Monday, 24 June - Day 1

08:30 - 09:00
Registration
09:00 - 09:45
Opening and Welcome
Fiji / UNSD / ESCAP / SPC
  • UNSD: Handbook on Management and Organization of National Statistical Systems (NSS)
09:45 - 10:15

Coffee / Tea Break

10:15 - 12:15
Session 1: Governance, Partnership, User Engagement and Quality Management
Moderator: Samoa
  • UNSD: Governance and Coordination of National Statistical Systems (20 min)
  • ESCAP: Asia-Pacific Compendium of national data governance practices (https://www.unescap.org/our-work/statistics/data-governance) (20 min)
  • UNSD: National Quality Insurance Framework for Novel Data Sources (20 min)
  • Q&A
  • Country Presentations
    • Fiji (10 min)
    • PNG (10 min)
    • Solomon Islands (10 min)
  • Q&A
12:15 - 13:15

Lunch Break

13:15 - 15:15
Session 2: Data Integration, Innovative Technology and Processes
Moderator: Fiji
  • UNSD: Global initiatives for big data and data science for official statistics (20 min)
  • ESCAP: Managing Data Production to meet National Reporting Priorities (20 min)
  • SPC: Supporting Pacific statistics integration, innovation and dissemination (20 min)
  • Q&A
  • Country Presentations
    • Kiribati (10 min)
    • Vanuatu (10 min)
    • Tonga (10 min)
  • Q&A
15:15 - 15:45

Coffee / Tea Break

15:45- 17:00
Group discussions for topics of sessions 1 and 2

Discussion in small groups with guiding questions prepared in advance


Tuesday, 25 June - Day 2

09:00 - 10:30
Report in plenary of group discussions for topics of sessions 1 and 2
Moderator: UNSD

Report of the outcome and conclusions of the group discussion for topics of session 1 and 2

10:30 - 11:00

Coffee / Tea Break

11:00 - 13:00
Session 3: Resource Mobilization, Staff development and Cooperation
Moderator: UNSD
  • UNSD: DATA for SIDS initiative (15 min)
  • ESCAP: Power of Data initiative (15 min)
  • SPC: Partnerships for statistical capacity in the Pacific (15 min)
  • Australia: Experience in establishing the Australian Public Service Data Profession program (15 min)
  • Q&A
  • What are current challenges?
    • Fiji (10 min)
    • Samoa (10 min)
    • Nauru (10 min)
    • Tuvalu (10 min)
  • Q&A
13:00 - 14:00

Lunch Break

14:00 - 15:15
Group discussions for topics of session 3

Discussion in small groups with guiding questions prepared in advance

15:15 - 15:45

Coffee / Tea Break

15:45 - 17:00
Report in plenary of group discussions for topics of session 3
Moderator: UNSD

Report of the outcome and conclusions of the group discussion of Breakout Session 3 and general discussion


Wednesday, 26 June - Day 3

09:00 - 11:00
Turning Insights into Action: Key Takeaways and Future Pathways
Moderator: ESCAP

Hands-On Interactive Session (WorldCafe style)

11:00 - 11:30

Coffee / Tea Break

11:30 - 12:30
Conclusions of the Conference and Farewell
Fiji / SPC / ESCAP / UNSD

Documents


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