Note: [1] This paper was prepared for discussion at the February 1997 meeting of the UN Statistical Commission in New York.
Abstract: The UN Statistical Commission has called for regional Commissions to be strengthened in order to contribute to the much needed development at national statistical offices in their regions. See for example 1995 Report page 8, 1994 Report page 20, 1993 Report pages 15 and 27. All regions include some countries which have severe problems but some regions are much more disadvantaged than others. This paper describes the regional Commissions in general terms, provides some details of their activities in statistics, and suggests some ways in which they could be strengthened. Annexes A to E describe the work of each regional Commission in turn: the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Economic Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Economic Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). Annex F gives some information on the regional Commissions in tabular form.
