6:00 - 6:10am

Session 1: Welcome remarks (10 minutes)

Mr. Anil Arora, Chair of the Friends of Chair Group and Chief Statistician of Canada
Mr. Stefan Schweinfest, Director of the United Nations Statistics Division, DESA

6:10 - 7:10am

Session 2: Ensuring a user-centered focus (60 minutes)

2.1 Integrated approach to sustainable development linking economic, social, and environmental development – user demand related to economic policy making for sustainable development

• Mr. Elliott Harris, Assistant Secretary General and Chief Economist, Department of Economic and Social Affairs
• Mr. Serge Dupont, Senior Advisor, Bennett Jones and former Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council and Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs

2.2 COVID as a case study on how an NSO had to rapidly adjust to new user requirements

• Mr. David Gruen, Australian Statistician

2.3 Reflections on ensuring a user-centered focus

• All members – Question- How well does the existing system capture user requirements?

Documentation for Session 2:

• Notes provided by the members of the FOC Group on Economic Statistics
  ABS statistical response to COVID-19 Background Paper Presentation
  Statistics Denmark during COVID-19 Read
  BPS-Statistics Indonesia: Adjustment of Statistical Activities in the COVID-19 Pandemic Read
  Economic Statistics in Mexico during the COVID-19 Pandemic Read
  Eurostat and ESS initiatives following the COVID-19 outbreak and their expected pivot post pandemic Read
  UN ECLAC COVID-19 Initiatives and Actions undertaken on Economic Statistics Read

7:10 - 8:30am

Session 3: Affirmation of Friends of Chair Group’s objectives following COVID19

3.1 Reflections on initiatives of the FOC Group members following the COVID-19 outbreak and their expected pivot post-COVID.

• All members – Question – how resilient is the statistical system and what are the expected changes for the statistical system in the post-COVID stage?

3.2 Affirmation of the objectives and the expected outcomes of the FOC Group by 52nd Session of the Statistical Commission in 2021

• All members – Question – can we confirm the objectives of the FOC Group and how do we realize the expected outcomes?

Objectives as determined by 2nd Meeting of the FOC Group:

• Challenging the system with concept cases (e.g. an after-action report on COVID-19 reflecting on the integrated approach to economic statistics, passive vs. active statistics, networking of national and global statistical community, etc.)
• Streamlining and documenting working methods for the economic statistics system
• Sustained networking among statisticians on cross domain topics
• Enabling sustained user consultation

Documentation for Session 3:

• Note on the progress of implementation of the FoC Group objectives and outcomes Read
• Note on the framing of the COVID-19 use case Read

6:00 - 6:20am

Session 4: Summary and review of Day 1

Mr. Anil Arora, Chair and Chief Statistician of Canada
All members – Question – is the summary and review of day 1 confirmed?

6:20 - 7:30am

Session 5: Work plan for remainder of year 2

Mr. Greg Peterson: Assistant Chief Statistician of Statistics Canada
All members - Question - do we agree with the proposed work plan for the remainder of year 2 and what are the FOC group members able to contribute to the workplan?

Documentation Session 5:

• Friends of the Chair Group on Economic Statistics Work Plan 2020 Read

7:30 - 7:50am

Session 6: Next steps

Mr. Anil Arora: Chair and Chief Statistician of Statistics Canada
All members - Question – are we willing to meet every six to eight weeks to increase the communication in our informal network on our initiative post-COVID and what can the FOC Group members contribute in August and in October 2020 for the 5th and 6th meeting of the FOC Group?

7:50 - 8:00am

Session 7: Closing remarks

Mr. Anil Arora, Chair of the Friends of Chair Group and Chief Statistician of Canada
Mr. Stefan Schweinfest, Director of the United Nations Statistics Division, DESA