12 July 1993

30th plenary meeting

Special session of the Statistical Commission

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling that the Statistical Commission has completed a fundamental review of the structure and operation of the international statistical system and, as a result, has made recommendations and decisions for strengthening the international statistical system, including the following:

(a) A more active Working Group on International Statistical Programmes and Coordination to monitor progress in coordination and cooperation within the international statistical system between sessions of the Statistical Commission;

(b) Strengthened statistical divisions of the United Nations regional commissions and strengthened regional conferences of national chief statisticians in all five regions in terms of their responsibilities for statistical development in their regions;

(c) More effective working relationships between the Subcommittee on Statistical Activities of the Administrative Committee on Coordination and the Statistical Commission and the Working Group;

(d) The establishment of six task forces as mechanisms for developing a more integrated work programme among international organizations in the following subject areas: national accounts; industrial and construction statistics; international trade statistics; finance statistics; price statistics; and environment statistics,

Also recalling that the Statistical Commission, at its twenty-seventh session, stressed the importance of implementing the revised System of National Accounts in all parts of the world and unanimously recommended that it be adopted, and endorsing the intention to pursue research into the unresolved issues and to work on future aspects of the accounts,

Aware that the twenty-eighth session of the Commission is scheduled to be held in 1995,

1. Decides that a special session of the Commission, of four or five days' duration, should be held in 1994 for the following purposes:

(a) To review progress made in the implementation of the recommendations and decisions for strengthening the international statistical system in general;

(b) To monitor progress made in implementing the revised System of National Accounts and review plans for the further essential research work already identified;

2. Also decides that the provisions of the present resolution should be implemented within the approved budget limit set by the General Assembly for the biennium 1994-1995.