The 3rd International Statistical Forum has concluded
On 24–26 September, the 3rd International Statistics Forum, titled “Prospects of Statistics: The Role of International Projects”, as well as the 73rd Session of the Council of Heads of Statistical Services of CIS member states NSO Heads Council under the chairmanship of Azerbaijan, were held in Baku, a Communiqué on the outcomes of the meeting was adopted.
The key issues of modern statistics were discussed following the opening session of the Forum, attended by delegations from 16 countries across Europe, Asia, America, and Africa, along with representatives of 10 international organizations, as well as prominent members of the scientific community and experts.
During the sessions on “Statistical Reforms and Development Prospects”, “Innovations Transforming Statistics”, and “International Comparison Program”, the focus was on the issues related to modernizing national statistical systems, institutional development measures, the role of official statistics in the information environment, application of artificial intelligence, smart data technologies, data integration and inclusive data management, the potential of generative AI to improve the quality of statistical reporting, poverty measurement, calculation of purchasing power parities, and their use in socio-economic analyses.
During the sessions on “System of National Accounts 2025” (SNA 2025) and “Population Census – 2030 Round”, extensive exchange of views were held on the implementation of the new SNA 2025 framework, the reflection of changes in statistical practice, new census methods in the digital era, the advantages of register-based systems, and the potential applications of artificial intelligence.
In the session dedicated to “Statistics for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – Halfway Point”, discussions on work carried out in monitoring the SDGs, the role of alternative data sources in this process, the identification of national indicators, the assessment of statistical capacity, and the conduction of international comparisons were held.
At the closing session, Tahir Budagov, Chairman of the State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Konstantin Laykam, Chairman of the Interstate Statistical Committee of the CIS, highlighted the importance of the 3rd International Statistical Forum as a key platform for modernization of statistical systems of countries worldwide, application of modern technologies, the establishment of unified approaches at the international level and the expansion of cooperation through the mutual exchange of ideas and experiences.
