A press conference related to World Statistics Day and an award ceremony for the winners of the Statistical Olympiad were held.

On October 20, a press conference related to World Statistics Day and an award ceremony for the winners of the Statistical Olympiad were held at the State Statistical Committee.

The employees of the State Statistical Committee first visited the Alley of Honor to commemorate the memory of the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people and the founder of independent Azerbaijan, Haydar Aliyev, and laid a wreath at his grave. The memory of the prominent ophthalmologist scientist, academician Zarifa Aliyeva, was also honored. Then, at the Alley of Martyrs, the memory of the heroic sons of the Motherland who sacrificed their lives for the independence and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan was honored.

Before the event, the bust of the Great Leader Haydar Aliyev, erected in the foyer of the Committee, was visited, and flowers were laid in front of it.

Opening the event with an introductory speech, Chairman of the State Statistical Committee Mr Tahir Budagov stated that, in accordance with the Resolution of the United Nations General Assembly dated June 3, 2015, which Azerbaijan joined as a co-author, World Statistics Day, which is held once every five years, is also celebrated in our country in a solemn manner: According to the report of the UN Secretary-General presented in connection with World Statistics Day at the 56th session of the United Nations Statistical Commission held on 4–7 March 2025, this significant day is being celebrated this year at the international, national, and regional level under the theme “Promoting Development through Quality Data for All”. The main purpose of establishing this day is to draw the attention of all members of society — in particular international organizations, the scientific community, the media, and all producers and users of official statistics — to statistics, which play an important role in providing adequate information support for addressing the challenges of the modern era.

The Chairman of the Committee emphasized that in Azerbaijan, which attaches great importance and contributes significantly to global progressive initiatives, World Statistics Day was celebrated for the first time in a solemn manner in 2015: However, due to the Second Karabakh War that began following Armenia’s renewed military aggression against Azerbaijan in 2020, the celebration of World Statistics Day in our country was considered impossible from the perspective of moral principles and ethical norms, and in this regard, the State Statistical Committee addressed an appeal to international organizations and the statistical institutions of countries around the world”.

Mr Tahir Budagov noted that this year — on the 5th anniversary of our glorious Victory in the Patriotic War — in order to celebrate World Statistics Day in our country at a high and solemn level, the 3rd International Statistical Forum on the theme “Prospects for the Development of Statistics: The Role of International Projects” was held in Baku on 24–26 September in accordance with the “Action Plan on the Celebration of World Statistics Day,” approved by Decision No. 7 of the Board of the State Statistical Committee dated 27 August 2025. According to him, the Forum, which was attended by delegations from 16 countries and 10 international organizations representing the continents of Europe, Asia, America, and Africa, as well as by prominent members of the scientific community and experts, was of particular importance for the development of national statistical systems and for setting new goals in the field of official statistics, also contributed to the strengthening of international cooperation as an effective platform for sharing global statistical initiatives and international best practices: “Taking this opportunity, I would like once again, on behalf of the statisticians of our country, to express my gratitude to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, for his address to the Forum participants and his congratulatory message on the occasion of World Statistics Day”. “I would like to note that, the emphasis in the President’s message on the growing importance of statistics year by year, as it has become one of the key instruments for assessing social progress, the effectiveness of state policy, and the ability to respond to global challenges, his valuable remarks on the consistent development of the national statistical system in Azerbaijan and the continuous focus on the production of official statistical data in accordance with international standards and based on innovative approaches not only inspires statisticians but also further strengthens our responsibility to ensure the timely and high-quality preparation of statistical data for making sound decisions in the interests of our country’s future”.

The Chairman of the Committee noted that, in accordance with the Action Plan, events dedicated to the celebration of World Statistics Day were also organized in local statistical offices, a special section was established on the official website of the State Statistical Committee in connection with this day, materials were developed for statistical awareness-raising and presented through media outlets, and a special edition of the scientific-practical journal “Statistical News” dedicated to World Statistics Day was published: The special edition features congratulatory messages addressed to Azerbaijani statisticians on the occasion of World Statistics Day from the Director of the United Nations Statistics Division, the Chairman of the Interstate Statistical Committee of the CIS, and the heads of the statistical institutions of Bulgaria, the Republic of Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Türkiye, articles dedicated to current issues of statistics authored by the Chairmen of the State Statistical Committee, the State Customs Committee, and the Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as by the heads and senior officials of the national statistical institutions of Kazakhstan, Georgia, Serbia, Hungary, Belarus, and Türkiye, and prominent scholars of the country. The Statistical Olympiad, held among high school students and university students with the aim of increasing interest in statistics among young people and identifying and encouraging talented youth with statistical knowledge, is an event of particular significance”.

Mr Tahir Budagov stated that preserving trust and confidence in official statistics, by remaining committed to the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics and, guided by the motto “Advancing Development with Quality Data for All,” ensuring the timely and high-quality preparation and dissemination of statistical data to users for making sound decisions in the interests of humanity’s future is the most important task facing statisticians today: “It is a positive fact that national statistical systems, which play a special role in providing information for determining the socio-economic development priorities of countries, since their establishment, have preserved the fundamental values defined at the international level and, having undergone significant development, have continuously advanced towards new prospective goals. By considering the adequate response to national and global challenges as its main objective, the national statistical system of Azerbaijan, as a member of the global statistical family, has continuously aspired to progress in recent years and has been developed through profound reforms in line with new requirements”.

Noting that the development of the national statistical system in Azerbaijan is associated with the name of the National Leader Haydar Aliyev, the Chairman of the Committee added that, on the basis of the legal framework established under his leadership, the process of forming a national statistical system consistent with the principles of a market economy was launched in the country. The reforms that were successfully continued in the following years gave a strong impetus to the development of official statistics, and six consecutive state programs adopted in this field were successfully implemented: “Within the framework of these programs, profound reforms have been implemented, as well as important measures were taken in the directions on the development and implementation of national statistical classifications and modern methodologies, establishment of the National Accounts System, creation and improvement of new statistical areas, satisfaction of users’ demand for statistical data, advancement of electronic statistics, reduction of the statistical burden on entrepreneurs, enhancement of the efficiency of official statistics production processes, introduction of a quality management system, processing of metadata, and strengthening of the material and technical base of statistical bodies. As a result, in the global assessment conducted by specialized international organizations, foreign experts highly appreciated the reforms carried out, noting that the national statistical system of Azerbaijan complies with international standards, the State Statistical Committee was awarded an international certificate of conformity to the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System by reputable international audit organizations in the field of ‘Production and Dissemination of Official Statistical Data. The State Statistical Committee is not only the first central executive authority in Azerbaijan to be awarded this certificate of conformity but also the first statistical institution within the CIS region to obtain it. Furthermore, according to the results of the assessment of the implementation status of decrees, orders, and instructions of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan through the “State Control Information System”, the State Statistical Committee has ranked first among central executive authorities in recent years”.

According to the Chairman of the Committee, against the background of the global political, social and economic processes that have taken place in recent years, the need to establish reliable statistics for making prompt decisions and assessing their implementation has set before statisticians new, complex and pressing tasks. At the same time, the rapid development of information technologies and the emergence of alternative, non-traditional data sources require the continuous modernization of statistical processes and the formation of the personnel with high capacity: “In this regard, we consider that the development and improvement of statistical indicator systems and methodologies across various sectors of the economy, the conduct of surveys, the dissemination of obtained statistical data, and the timely and high-quality implementation of the tasks facing official statistics as a whole necessitate the further strengthening of the legal and information framework of statistical production, international cooperation, the material and technical base and human resource capacity of statistical bodies, as well as the identification of the strategic development priorities of the national statistical system for the next multi-year period. For this purpose, the next targets for the development of official statistics for 2026–2030 have already been identified by the State Statistical Committee. The implementation of new targets will contribute significantly to the the acquisition of up-to-date statistical data on demography and population settlement (demoqrafiya və əhali sakinliyi), national accounts, agriculture, industry, transport and tourism, labour force, household budgets, participation of the population in lifelong learning, employment of persons with disabilities, and employment of graduates of vocational and secondary specialized education institutions, as well as the organization of statistical production on new indicators related to emerging statistical areas such as green growth, digital economy, cultural and creative industries, science, technology and innovation, the reduction of the statistical burden on respondents through the expanded use of administrative data sources, the enhancement of information provision and international comparability through the implementation of the updated 2025 version of the National Accounts System, which is recognized as the most important international statistical standard for macroeconomic comparisons worldwide, as well as the strengthening of the legal and information framework of statistical production, international cooperation, the material and technical base, and the human resource capacity of statistical bodies, the identification of the next strategic development priorities through the assessment of the performance of the national statistical system, the sustainable development of official statistics overall”.

At the end of his speech, Mr Tahir Budagov congratulated all those who, regardless of the field in which they operate, contribute to the process of producing official statistics on the occasion of this remarkable day and wished them success in their work.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr Idris Isayev, emphasized the special significance of the statistical olympiad organized by the State Statistical Committee on the occasion of World Statistics Day with the aim of increasing interest in statistics among young people, identifying and encouraging talented youth with statistical knowledge among them, and involving upper-grade pupils and university students and noted that such initiatives create opportunities for young people to become more familiar with the science of statistics and to gain broader access to official statistical information about the socio-economic events and processes taking place in the country.

Deputy Chairman of the State Statistical Committee and Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Mr Yusif Yusifov, delivering a report on the results of the statistical olympiad, noted that a total of 3,355 pupils and 198 students participated in the olympiad: “According to the results of the olympiad held among school pupils, Gunel Yafas Gurbanova, an 11th-grade pupil of the Hil village full secondary school named after Karim Karimov in Qusar district, took 1st place; Suat Ziya Novruzov, an 11th-grade pupil of the Qivraq settlement full secondary school in Kangarli district – 2nd place; and Ali Elmaddin Alishov, a 9th-grade pupil of the full secondary school No. 7 named after Aslan Eminov in Imishli city – 3rd place, among students, Murad Chingiz Khalilli, a fifth-year student on Business Administration at the Baku Higher Oil School, won 1st place; Arif Mirabbas Aslanov, a fourth-year student at the same school 2nd place; and Ulvi Gubad Hajiyev, a third-year student on Marketing at the Azerbaijan State Agricultural University – 3rd place”.

Certificates and gifts were presented to the students and pupils who qualified for the final stage of the statistical olympiad, while diplomas and gifts were awarded to the winners of the olympiad, and commemorative photographs were taken.

Subsequently, orders and medals were presented to the employees of the Committee who had been awarded under the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, dated 21 June 2025.

The awardees expressed their gratitude to the Head of State.

In conclusion, questions from media representatives were answered.