UN Committee of Experts on Business and Trade Statistics

Sixth Meeting of the UN Committee of Experts on Business and Trade Statistics

  • Merida, Mexico
  • 18 - 21 September 2023

Overview

The 6th meeting of the UN Committee of Experts on Business and Trade Statistics will take place from 18 - 21 September 2023 in Merida, Mexico. The meeting will be hosted by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) of Mexico.

Since its establishment, the Committee has worked to strengthen basic business and trade statistics needed for the overall improvement of economic statistics and for responding to emerging needs. The Committee focuses on coordination, development of methodology and concepts, capacity-building, data, and communication on business and trade statistics. The Committee's strategic view on business and trade statistics is rooted in a horizontal and vertical integration of business and trade statistics across statistical domains.

The meeting will review the progress of work of its task teams, address follow-up actions to the decisions of the United Nations Statistical Commission, and review new developments and initiatives in business and trade statistics. In addition, the meeting will provide an opportunity to review the mandate of the Committee to ensure that it reflects the current efforts by the Committee to better integrate business and trade statistics and also to strengthen the horizontal and vertical integration of business and trade statistics with other statistical domains.



Programme


Day 1 - Monday, 18 September 2023


8:30 - 9:00
Registration of participants

9:00 - 9:15
Opening of the meeting

Welcome speech to the Sixth Meeting of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Business and Trade Statistics.


9:15 - 10:30
Session 1: Follow up to the UNSC and objectives of the meeting

This session will provide an overview of the decisions of the UN Statistical Commission in March 2023 and the follow up work of the UNCEBTS. This session also introduces the objectives of the meeting and review the UNCEBTS mandate.

  • ▪ Chair: Stefano Menghinello (UNCEBTS)

10:30 - 10:45
Photo of the group and coffee break

10:45 - 12:30
Session 2: New developments in business and trade statistics

This session will review current and upcoming priorities for the work programmes on business and trade statistics in countries and international organizations. The discussion will also include an active participation by countries on the following crosscutting topics:

  • ▪ The relevance of the business register approach to address emerging issues in business and trade statistics
  • ▪ The use of new data sources in business and trade statistics to address new user needs
  • ▪ The integration of business and trade statistics with other statistical domains: environmental and social statistics, and national accounts as an opportunity to develop new indicators
  • ▪ The coordination of the program of work of UN Committee of Experts on Business and Trade Statistics with other organizations: operational solutions and opportunities

Presentations:


12:30 - 13:30
Lunch break

13:30 - 15:00
Session 2: (Continued)

Presentations:


15:00 - 15:15
Coffee break

15:15 - 17:00
Session 3: Task team on business dynamics demography and entrepreneurship
  • ▪ Chair: Arturo Blancas and Gerardo Durand, INEGI-Mexico

This session will review the progress of work of the Task team on business dynamics demography and entrepreneurship and discuss developments in the area which include the collaboration with other task teams, such as the task teams on globalization and digitalization on the link between digitalization and productivity with respect of entrepreneurship and gender,the task team on Statistical Business Registers in the area of geospatial statistics. The Committee will be asked to take note and provide advice on the work programme.

Presentations:


18:45 - 21:00
Welcome dinner


Day 2 - Tuesday, 19 September 2023


9:00 - 10:30
Session 4: Task team on Globalization and Digitalization
  • ▪ Chair: Mark Uhrbach (Statistics Canada)

This session will review the progress of work of the Task team on Globalization and Digitalization and discuss developments in the area. The Committee will be asked to take note and provide advice on the work programme.

Other topics and presentations from countries/organizations:


10:30 - 10:45
Coffee break

10:45 - 12:30
Session 5: Task team on Statistical Business Registers
  • ▪ Chair: Ilaria Di Matteo, UNSD on behalf of Hank Hermans, Statistics Netherlands

This session will review the progress of work of the Task Team on Statistical Business Registers, including the finalization of the Manual on the Maturity model for SBRs and discuss developments in the area. The Committee will be asked to take note and provide advice on the work programme.

Presentations:


12:30 - 13:30
Lunch break

13:30 - 15:00
Session 6: Task team on International Trade Statistics
  • ▪ Chair: Cristina Neves, Statistics Portugal

This session will review the work of the Task team on International Trade Statistics and discuss the future activities of the task team. The Committee will be asked to take note and provide advice on the work programme.

Presentations:


15:45 - 17:00
Session 7: Revision of the trade statistics Manuals
  • ▪ Chair: Cristina Neves, Statistics Portugal

This session will provide an update on the revision of the trade statistics Manual and the outcome of the global consultations that were conducted by the TT-ITS on the Guidance Notes prepared for updating the Manuals. The Committee will be asked to take note and provide advice on the work programme.

Presentations:


Day 3 - Wednesday, 20 September 2023


9:00 - 9:30
Session 8: Task team on Wellbeing and Sustainability
  • ▪ Chair: Ilaria Di Matteo, UNSD on behalf of Soren Andersen, Statistics Denmark

This session will review the work of the TT-W&S and discuss the future activities of the task team. The Committee will be asked to take note and provide advice on the work programme.

Presentations:

  • ▪ State of play and future options re TT Well-being and Sustainability - Ilaria Di Matteo, UNSD on behalf of Soren Andersen, Statistics Denmark
  • ▪ SIAP webinars on the contribution of businesses on wellbeing and sustainability - Pinar Ucar SIAP

Background document:


9:30 - 10:30
Session 9: Areas of integration for business and trade statistics
  • ▪ Chair: Cristina Neves, Statistics Portugal

This session will review the activities of the Committee on the integration of business and trade statistics with other areas. The Committee will be asked to take note and provide advice on the work programme.

Session 9a: Integration of Business and Trade Statistics

Presentations:


10:30 - 10:45
Coffee break

10:45 - 12:30
Session 9b Integration of Gender in Business and trade statistics
  • ▪ Chair: Gerardo Durand, INEGI-Mexico

This session will provide an overview of the work done on this matter by Italy and Portugal, as well as the dedicated section on gender that is included in the Handbook on Integrating Business and Trade Statistics (HIBTS). The session will also provide the progress of cooperation between UNCEBTS (through TT on BDDE) and the Inter-Agency Expert Group on Gender Statistics for the preparation of a conceptual note on the integration of gender in the statistics of business and trade.

Presentations:


12:30 - 13:30
Lunch break

13:30 - 15:00
Session 9c: Integration of Geospatial information into SBRs
  • ▪ Chair: Ilaria Di Matteo, UNSD on behalf of Hank Hermans, Statistics Netherlands

This session will provide an overview of the collaboration with the Expert Group on the Integration of Statistical and Geospatial Information for the preparation of a report on the integration of geospatial information in Statistical Business Registers.

Presentations:


Day 4 - Thursday, 21 September 2023


9:00 - 10:30
Session 9d: Other areas of integration
  • ▪ Chair: Stefano Menghinello (UNCEBTS)

Discussion on other areas of integration from the Handbook on the Integration of Business and Trade Statistics (TBD)

Discussions:

  • ▪ Extensions to BoP Statistics
  • ▪ Linking to social statistics
  • ▪ Subnational Statistics
  • ▪ Linking trade in goods and services
  • ▪ Other relevant analysis


10:30 - 10:45
Coffee break

10:45 - 13:00
Session9d (continued)

13:00 - 14:00
Lunch break

14:00 - 15:30
Session 10: Conclusion and way forward
  • ▪ Chair: Stefano Menghinello (UNCEBTS)

This session will summarize the discussion from the various sessions and highlight their consistency with the evolution of the mandate. It will also consolidate the recommendations of the Committee, officially approve the proposal of the updated mandate and the renewal of the chair in order to prepare the reporting to the UN Statistical Commission in 2024.