DUSHANBE, October 13, 2015, Asia-Plus — A three-day meeting of experts of the СIS agencies for statistics kicked off in Dushanbe on October 13 to discuss the global strategy to improve agricultural and rural statistics in the CIS region.
Organized by the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan and the CIS Interstate Committee for Statistics (CIS-STAT), the meeting has reportedly brought together experts from 10 CIS member nations, the head of the CIS Interstate Committee for Statistics Vladimir Sokolin and the chairperson of the Tajik Agency for Statistics Gulnora Hasanzoda to discuss the progress of implementation of the global strategy to improve agricultural and rural statistics in the CIS region.
The meeting participants will also discuss issues related to the 2015 rural census and development of the CSI statistics, an official source at the Tajik Agency for Statistics told Asia-Plus in an interveiw.
The Global Strategy to improve agricultural and rural statistics is the largest global effort ever put forth to enhance and ensure the sustainability of agricultural and rural statistics in developing countries. Its aim is to improve these countries’ statistical capacities to produce agricultural and rural statistics and use them to design more effective food security and agricultural and rural development policies.
CIS-STAT has prepared and submitted to the statistical services of the CIS countries a Questionnaire on the evaluation of agricultural and rural statistics of the country. In the CIS-STAT’s Questionnaire 147 questions were included on which statistical offices of the CIS countries gave the answers corresponding to their practice. All 11 states of the CIS have participated in filling up the Questionnaire.
On the basis of the results of the Questionnaire a concept of the implementation of the Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics in the CIS region was developed. The main components of the Concept are: 1) analysis of the status and development of agricultural and rural statistics; 2) technical assistance; 3) program of professional training; and 4) program of task-oriented scientific research.
Implementation of the Strategy requires a wide range of conditions, including not only a successful improvement of existing agricultural and rural statistics, but also appropriate financial and human resources in statistics.
