For Vietnam’s 2020 ASEAN Chairmanship Year on Statistics, Vietnam has proposed the initiative “Formation of an ASEAN statistical information system on sustainable development”. This initiative aims to establish a basic information system on sustainable development in ASEAN and serves as a tool for monitoring and evaluating ASEAN progress towards sustainable development goals.

To implement this initiative, Statistical Offices of 10 ASEAN Member States (AMSs) exchanged, discussed and agreed the following contents:

-    Review of the data quality and metadata of ASEAN’s Sustainable Development Goal indicators (SDG indicators) and discussing the outline of ASEAN SDG Indicators Baseline Report 2020;

-    Method for data aggregation of regional indicators, and contents of the online database of ASEAN SDG indicators.

-    Review of the regional report and highlight points surrounding the selected ASEAN SDG indicators.

-   Review of AMSs’ national report, including sustainable development goals and indicators that are expected to be emphasized in their own report in accordance with national priorities.

The implementation of the initiative aims to contribute to establish a synchronous and unified statistical information system on sustainable development in ASEAN; ensure adequate information for monitoring and evaluating sustainable development of ASEAN Community; promote partnerships in the implementation of indicators for monitoring and evaluating sustainable development of ASEAN Community; and enhance the capacity of AMS to collect and compile statistical indicators on sustainable development as well as to strengthen the coordinating role of the ASEANstats.