1. Reporting
Structure of the ACSS Committee
2. The Meetings of the ACSS
Committee
The ACSS Committee meetings covering the period
2011-2019 were, as follows:
- The 1st Session of the
ACSS Committee (ACSS1), Jakarta, Indonesia, 2-3 November 2011;
- The 2nd Session of the
ACSS Committee (ACSS2), Siem Reap, Cambodia, 27-28 September 2012;
- The 3rd Session of the
ACSS Committee (ACSS3), Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam, 10-12 September
2013;
- The 4th Session of the
ACSS Committee (ACSS4), Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, 14-16 October 2014;
- The 5th Session of the ACSS
Committee (ACSS5), Putrajaya, Malaysia, 3-5 November 2015;
- The 6th Session of the
ACSS Committee (ACSS6), Vientiane, Lao PDR, 1-3 November 2016;
- The 7th Session of the
ACSS Committee (ACSS7), Manila, Philippines, 11-13 October 2017;
- The 8th Session of the
ACSS Committee (ACSS8), Singapore, 9-11 October 2018;
- The 9th Session of the
ACSS Committee (ACSS9), Bangkok, Thailand, 9-11 October 2019.
3. ASEAN Community
Statistical System (ACSS) Committee
In 2011, the Terms of
Reference of the ACSS Committee were adopted by the 43rd ASEAN Economic
Ministers Meeting (AEM) (replacing the ASEAN Heads of Statistical Offices
Meeting (AHSOM) before).
Functions
The ACSS Committee shall be the highest policy
making and coordinating body on statistical matters in the ASEAN region. It
shall be responsible for strengthening regional statistical cooperation in
support of the ASEAN Community, and provide professional guidance on the
production, dissemination and communication of ASEAN statistics. The ACSS
Committee’s primary functions are to:
- Ensure supply of timely and comparable ASEAN
statistics through regional statistical policies, standards and systems based
on the AFCS;
- Promote improvement of statistical
infrastructure at the national level and facilitate human resource and
institutional capacity building;
- Promote and maintain an efficient statistical
system by establishing appropriate mechanisms for statistical coordination and
development of the ACSS;
- Formulate statistical policies on all matters
relating to statistical operations geared towards improvement and harmonisation
of ASEAN statistics;
- Monitor and evaluate the progress of the
implementation of statistical policies, plans and programmes in ASEAN; and,
- Establish and enhance institutional linkages
with other international statistical bodies to further the statistical
development agenda of the ACSS.
The ACSS Committee shall make decision on the following:
- Developments and priorities in Strategic Plan
for the Development of ASEAN statistics;
- ACSS’s Annual Work Plan;
- Issues concerning statistical confidentiality;
- The measures which the ASEAN bodies/working
groups under all three pillars of the ASEAN Community and ASEAN Secretariat
(ASEANstats) intend to take for the production, dissemination and communication
of ASEAN statistics, their justification on a cost-effectiveness basis, the
means and timeliness for achieving them;
- Other issues, in particular issues of
methodology, arising from the establishment or implementation of statistical
programmes that are raised by its Chair, either on its own initiative or at the
request of a Member State.
Organization
The ACSS Committee shall consist of Heads of
National Statistical Offices of all ASEAN Member States (AMSs). Each of them
represents their National Statistical System at the Committee meetings. The
Head of ASEANstats of the ASEAN Secretariat is also a member of the Committee.
The ACSS Committee shall be chaired on a
rotating basis by a representative from one of the AMSs, and meet once a year.
If there are urgent matters to be discussed, a special meeting of the Committee
may be convened.
The ACSS Committee shall establish ‘The Bureau’,
which constitutes Heads from three AMSs, i.e., the incumbent chair, the
preceding chair, and the succeeding chair.
The ACSS Committee shall establish working
groups and task forces for the development of parts of the ACSS, when
required.
4. ACSS Working Groups
4.1. The ACSS Sub-Committee on Planning and Coordination (SCPC)
The Terms of Reference of the SCPC were
adopted at the first session of the ACSS Committee on 2-3 November 2011.
The SCPC shall support
the ACSS Committee’s decision-making process and act as the national
statistical office’ focal point on matters related to the ACSS and ACSS
Committee. It shall replace the Task Force on Strategic Planning, under the
guidance of the Head of national statistical office, and serve as a link
between the ACSS Committee and the national statistical system.
The ACSS Planning and Coordination Sub-Committee
shall consist of senior officials preferably at Director Level or higher, with
sufficient access to the top management, with extensive networking and
extensive experiences in coordination and communication with other data
producing agencies and stakeholders at the national level. The members shall be
appointed by the Head of the national statistical office of the ASEAN Member
States (AMSs). The SCPC shall be chaired by the appointed representative of the
AMS chairing the ACSS Committee. It shall also have as its two vice chairs, the
appointed representatives of the preceding and succeeding AMSs chairs.
The SCPC shall meet regularly twice a year.
ASEAN Statistics Division (ASEANstats) shall be the secretariat for the SCPC.
4.2. The Working Group on Data Sharing, Analysis, Dissemination and
Communication of ASEAN Statistics (WGDSA)
The Working Group on Data Sharing, Analysis,
Dissemination and Communication of ASEAN Statistics (WGDSA) is a creation of
the ACSS Committee and responsible for reporting to the ACSS Committee.
The Terms of Reference of the WGDSA were adopted
by the ACSS Committee at its 2nd Session in Siem
Reap, Cambodia, on 27-28 October, 2012.
The WGDSA is created with the following
objectives:
- To establish a system of sharing, regular
dissemination and communication of ASEAN Community goals-relevant statistical
information, including statistical information dissemination and communication
in order to promote transparency and wide use of statistics in the strategy and
policy making process;
- To improve capacities in analysis, dissemination
and communication of statistics in support of policy and program implementation,
monitoring and evaluation, as well as improved accountability in ASEAN.
The WGDSA takes responsibility for:
- Defination of a statistical dissemination and
communication model in line with the ASEAN Framework of Cooperation in
Statistics;
- Establishment of policies, guidelines and
procedures on data sharing, dissemination and communication;
- Overall coordination of provision of data in the
updating of statistical databases and inputs for ASEAN Statistical
publications;
- Provision of inputs and advice to the ASEANstats
in the development of ASEAN Statistical Indicators (ASI) and high profile
statistical products;
- Development of statistical dissemination and
communication products;
- Design and facilitation of the conduct of
capacity building programs for ASEAN Member States agencies responsible for
data compilation and the ASEAN Secretariat;
- Promotion, coordination and monitoring of
implementation of above policies and guidelines.
The WGDSA shall regularly report to the ACSS
Committee the progress of programs and plans. Decisions on the adoption and
implementation of policies and guidelines as recommended by the WGDSA rest
solely on the ACSS Committee.
4.3. The Working Group on International Investment Statistics (WGIIS)
The WGIIS serves as the technical arm of the
ACSS Committee on international investment statistics. The objective of the
WGIIS is to foster the development, compilation, dissemination and reporting of
international investment statistics by ASEAN Member States (AMSs) for the
design, development, implementation and monitoring of ASEAN investment policies
and programs.
The WGIIS is responsible for:
- Developing an Action Plan; timely and accurately
compiling, disseminating and reporting the statistics on ASEAN international
investment in compliance with international standards;
- Fostering the development of the necessary
statistical infrastructure or mechanisms for the collection/compilation of
comparable international investment statistics including, but not limited to
foreign direct investmnet statistics (FDIS) in AMSs;
- Ensuring adherence to international standards,
methodologies and best practices in the compilation of international investment
statistics; in particular, in compliance with Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Benchmark Definition’s concepts and
coverage for the compilation of FDIS; the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF)
Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual;
- Recommending statistical policies and providing
technical guidance on tools, recommending approaches to issues/problems related
to the implementation of methodology or statistical approach on data
collection, methods of data estimation, transmission, production and
dissemination;
- Promoting collaboration among AMSs in order to
narrow and close the gaps among AMSs’ international investment statistics;
- Giving recommendations to the ACSS Committee on
the compilation and dissemination of regional international investment
statistics;
- Collaborating, consulting with pertinent
regional bodies, international organizations and relevant stakeholders on
activities related to investment captital while ensuring that no work is
duplicated, resources are maximized in order to meet the objectives set up.
4.4. The Working Group on international merchandize trade statistics
(WGIMTS)
The ACSS Committee at its 2nd Session in Siem Reap, Cambodia, 27-28 September 2012 agreed
to convert the Task Force on International Merchandise Trade Statistics
(TFIMTS) into the Working Group on International Merchandise Trade Statistics
(WGIMTS) to reflect its permanent status within the decision making framework
of the ACSS Committee.
The main objective of the WGIMTS is to
facilitate the development and harmonization of IMTS, enhance timeliness and
effectiveness of IMTS data sharing and dissemination, and to better respond to
the information requirements in support of economic integration and development
as envisaged in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint.
The WGIMTS’s tasks are to:
- Define and recommend, for adoption and
implementation, common references based on international standards for the
compilation and reporting of more timely and comparable IMTS; Develop
mechanisms for improved collection, production, and dissemination of IMTS;
- Initiate a regular and comprehensive review of
data and metadata relative to agreed specification, methodologies, quality and
timeliness in the supply of national trade and related data to the ASEAN
Secretariat; Recommend mesures to address statistical gaps and deficiences;
- Identify relevant policy and procedural changes
and statistical developments that may affect the generation of IMTS, e.g.,
national processes/practices, regional economic agreements, changes in
international and regional frameworks, standards and classification systems,
among others, and recommend appropriate adjustments;
- Review the implementation of the Annual Work
Plan, mechanisms for the harmonization and improvement of IMTS at the national
and regional levels;
- Elevate, through the ACSS Committee, issues and
recommendations, to the ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting (AEM) through the
Senior Economic Officials Meeting, as well as to other concerned ASEAN bodies;
and
- Develop an Annual Work Plan to include capacity
building programme in support of the harmonisation and development of IMTS.
The WGIMTS shall meet at least once a year. At
the national level, the WGIMTS members shall lead in the implementation of
recommendations, mechanisms and activities and shall keep informed the ACSS
country focal point/ACSS SCPC of the implementation progress in the WG.
4.5. The Working Group on statistics on international trade in services
(WGSITS)
The original Terms of Reference (ToR) of the
Task Force on Statistics on International Trade in Services (TFSITS) were
adopted on 26-27 January 2010 at the Tenth ASEAN Heads of Statistical Offices
Meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
At the 2nd Meeting of the
ASEAN Community Statistical System (ACSS) Sub-Committee on Planning and
Coordination (SCPC) in July 2012, it was proposed that the TFSITS be converted
into the Working Group on SITS (WGSITS) to reflect its permanent within the
decision making framework of the ACSS Committee.
The WGSITS’s general objective is to promote the
development and harmonization of SITS in support of the ASEAN evidence-based
policy in monitoring the free flow of services within the ASEAN Economic
Community as well as between ASEAN and the global economy.
The functions/tasks of the WGSITS are to:
- Develop and recommend for the application of
common references and mechanisms for the regular SITS collection, compilation,
and dissemination ensuring timeliness, accuracy and comparability of SITS for
ASEAN purposes;
- Undertake a periodic data quality review of
national statistics and metadata based on the ACSS Code of Practice assessment
measures; Monitor the implementation progress of technical standards,
methodologies, quality and timeliness in the supply of national data to the
ASEAN Secretariat; Recommend measures to address statistical gaps and
deficiencies;
- Respond to user needs and identify relevant
statistical developments that may affect the generation of SITS for ASEAN
purposes, e.g., regional economic agreements, changes in international and
regional frameworks, standards and classification systems, among others; and
recommend appropriate adjustments;
- Recommend, promote and facilitate adoption and
implementation of strategies and programs for the improvement and harmonization
of SITS;
- Submit issues and recommendations, through the
SCPC, to the ACSS Committee for adoption.
The Working Group shall meet at least once a
year. At the national level, the WGSITS members shall lead in the
implementation of recommendations, mechanisms and activities, and shall keep
the ACSS-SCPC country focal point informed of the progress and developments in
the Working Group.
4.6. The Working Group on sustainable development goal indicators
(WGSDGI)
In the context that the global sustainable
development indicators (SDG indicators) may not necessarily be applicable to
all countries, and that indicators for regional, national and subnational
mornitoring indicators are necessary to be developed at the regional and
national levels, it is deemed important to create the Working Group on SDG
Indicators.
The WGSDGI’s Terms of Reference were adopted at
the 6th Session of ACSS Committee in November
2016.
The WGSDGI aims to address the statistical
requirements in monitoring and reviewing the implementation of the SDGs in the
AMSs and in the ASEAN, and the region’s position at the global level.
The main tasks of the WGSDGI are to develop and
disseminate the ASEAN SDG indicators. In order to fulfill these tasks, the
WGSDGI needs to improve professional skills, strengthen the coordination,
statistical capacity building as well as the dissemination of SDG indicators.
The WGSDGI shall meet at least once a year. The
Working Group takes responsibility for reporting the progress of developing and
disseminating the SDG indicators to the ACSS Committee, who may update the
relevant ASEAN Bodies.
4.7. The Working Group on System of National Accounts (WGSNA)
The WGSNA’s Terms of Reference were adopted by
the ACSS Committee at its 6th Session, 1-3 November 2016.
The WGSNA is set up to promote the production
and dissemination of SNA statistics to support the monitoring of the economic
development of individual AMSs and the ASEAN Community as a whole. The WGSNA
shall be a key forum for discussions on the development and improvement of
national accounts in ASEAN, the coordination of regional capacity building
efforts and advices on the 2008 SNA implementation recommendations.
The functions/tasks of the WGSNA are to:
- Support the periodic review of the 2008 SNA
implementation;
- Facilitate the the adoption of new/updated
frameworks, concepts, compilation guidelines, methodologies, and standards;
identify issues concerning the production, and dissemination of national
accounts statistics by AMSs and recommend possible solutions;
- Recommend key economic indicators that are
useful for comparative analysis of economic issues in the region and for the
purposes of monitoring the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025;
- Review the results of regional researches on
national accounts issues relevant to ASEAN Member States;
- Recommend measures for institutional,
information technology and human resource capacity building to support the
development of national accounts statistics;
- Provide standards, methods, and mechanism for
regular data dissemination of ASEAN Member States
- Implement a regular and comprehensive review of
data and metadata in line with the agreed specification methodology, quality,
and timelines in the supply of the national accounts statistics to the ASEAN
Secretariat and recommend the measure to address statistical gaps and
deficiencies;
- Provide recommendations on formulation of the
Annual Work Plan of the WGSNA in line with the ACSS Strategic Plan 2016-2025.
- The WGSNA shall operate within the framework of
the ASEAN Cooperation in SNA, and carry out its functions and activities under
the purview of the ACSS Committee.