UNSD / ESCAP Workshop for Developing Countries on the Revision of the International Recommendations for International Merchandise Trade Statistics (IMTS)

9-12 September 2008, Bangkok

At its thirty-ninth session (26 - 29 February 2008) the Statistical Commission endorsed the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) initiative and strategy to revise the existing recommendations for international merchandise trade statistics and requested that the draft revised recommendations be submitted to the Commission for adoption at its forty-first session in 2010. One key element of the UNSD revision strategy is a worldwide consultation process with national trade statistics compilers.

In this context UNSD in cooperation with the Economic and Social Commission of Asia and the Pacific (UN/ESCAP) organizes a workshop for Developing Countries on the Revision of the Recommendations for International Merchandise Trade Statistics (IMTS), which will take place from 9 to 12 September 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand.

This workshop is part of a special effort of UNSD and UN/ESCAP to inform and receive feedback from developing countries on this revision process. The workshop will review and discuss the current recommendations on international merchandise trade statistics contained in International Merchandise Trade Statistics, Revision 2 (IMTS, Rev.2), in particular but not limited to the important issues identified by the expert group on IMTS in its first meeting in December 2007 and subject to a worldwide consultation. The report of the expert group meeting and the document for worldwide consultation which was sent to countries in May 2008 are available at the website of the UN Expert Group on IMTS.

• Final agenda
• List of documents
• List of Participants
• Workshop Report

For further information contact:

Mr. Matthias Reister
Chief, International Trade Statistics Section
Statistics Division
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Tel:    +1 917-367-7098
Email: reister@un.org