ADB/Paris21 Joint High Level Forum on Statistical Capacity Building for ASEAN Countries
Opening Address by
Tadao Chino
President
Asian Development Bank
7 November 2002
EDSA Shangri-La Hotel, Manila, Philippines
Your Excellencies, Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to welcome all of you to this High Level Forum on Statistical Capacity Building for ASEAN countries, jointly hosted by Asian Development Bank and the PARIS21 Secretariat. I am particularly pleased to welcome Mr. Jean-Claude Faure, Chairman of OECD's Development Assistance Committee, and Co-Chairman of the PARIS21 Consortium. I am also heartened by the presence of several Honorable Ministers, and other high level officials who have responsibility for statistics in their respective governments.
Together with the PARIS21 Secretariat, ADB proposes to host a total of four similar meetings for the other subregions of Asia and the Pacific. I am confident that these gatherings will address the complex issues of building sustainable statistical capacities in our developing member countries (DMCs).
I will begin by observing that almost all of ADB's DMCs have endeavored to develop their statistical capacities. While there is clear evidence of progress, such progress has been uneven, as reflected by continuing data gaps and weaknesses. The 1997 East Asian financial crisis, for example, showed us that there were critical gaps in the compilation and release of timely, policy-relevant data sets that were needed for effective economic management, as well as for avoiding crises. In addressing these problems, I am pleased that ADB has worked with ASEAN in the compilation of a new statistical series, and enhanced the frequency of collections in a number of new areas, such as monetary and financial data.
New challenges continue to emerge. The development community at large has collectively recognized the need to reduce poverty, particularly here in the Asian region, which accounts for about two-thirds of the world's poor. At the global level, the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) represented a universal commitment to halve poverty by the year 2015. Within this region, ADB has adopted poverty reduction as its overarching goal, and we have aligned our operations to achieve the MDGs. The formidable challenge of reducing poverty will demand all our collective endeavors.
The availability of comprehensive data is a prerequisite for designing viable poverty reduction programs. Data are also critical for effective monitoring of progress towards the attainment of the MDGs. In brief, sound data represent a key weapon in the battle against poverty. Despite the collective efforts of DMC governments and the donor community at large, we still lack the availability of comprehensive, reliable and timely statistics. Country capacities to address data gaps and weaknesses need to be augmented.
The current situation can largely be attributed to three broad factors. First, there has been under-investment in statistical infrastructure. Second, there have been less-than-adequate allocations of budgetary resources to support statistical operations. Lastly, the necessary practices of sound statistical management have not been fully adopted.
It is appropriate that we pause and reflect on what we can do to build sustainable statistical capacities in our DMCs. It is my earnest hope that, over the next several days, your deliberations will produce tangible and concrete recommendations. These recommendations should serve as a road map for strengthening statistical systems which are capable of generating policy-relevant data sets needed by the various partners in development: namely, governments, the private sector, civil society, and the international donor community.
As an input to your deliberations, let me highlight a few key principles in the context of a new strategy for capacity building:
- Capacity building demands a national commitment to allocate adequate financial and human resources;
- Adoption of sound management practices enables effective and efficient use of all available resources;
- Demand for statistics, rather than supply, should be the driving force in adopting balanced work programs;
- Pursuit of policies that ensure data transparency and credibility, enhances confidence in the information; and
- mproved data dissemination is critical.
Capacity building will undoubtedly demand new partnerships between countries and the development agencies. For their part, development agencies will need to step-up their technical cooperation efforts. However, such cooperation programs can only play a catalytic role. It is patently clear that the primary responsibility lies with the governments themselves, for it is they who must provide the major resources. Additionally, they must commit themselves to supporting statistical systems so that these systems remain viable in the long run. Dependence on external funding is neither realistic nor desirable.
ADB will, together with other agencies, continue to assist member countries in strengthening their statistical systems. Over the past three decades, the ADB has actively participated in improving the statistical capacity in the region. A total of US$22 million in grant assistance has been disbursed to support programs in national accounts, agriculture statistics, household income and expenditure surveys, poverty monitoring, business enterprise surveys, establishment surveys, and environmental statistics. The ADB will continue to play a similar role in the future, and we will further explore how to enhance the impact and effectiveness of our assistance.
Finally, on behalf of ADB, I would like to thank the PARIS21 Secretariat, and Mr. Jean-Claude Faure and Mr. Antoine Simonpietri in particular, for initiating this Forum. I am sure that cooperation between our two organizations will grow further in the future. Together we shall contribute to the efforts of our member countries in strengthening statistical capabilities in the Asia and Pacific region.
I wish all of you success in your deliberations, and I look forward to learning of your recommendations.
Thank you.
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