A delegation from the State Statistical Office participated in the 57th session of the United Nations Statistical Commission in New York

A delegation from the State Statistical Office, led by Director Dejan Stankov, PhD, participated in the 57th session of the United Nations Statistical Commission, held from 3 to 6 March at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA. This is the highest body in the international statistical system, which reviews and approves global statistical standards and traditionally brings together the chief statisticians of statistical institutions from all 193 UN member states.

During the session, key issues related to the development of official statistics across all statistical domains were discussed, including national accounts, environmental and climate statistics, social and demographic statistics, health statistics, data management, well-being measurement, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), etc.

Representatives of the SSO also participated in several side events, which traditionally precede or run parallel to the Commission session. Of particular interest was the readiness for the use of artificial intelligence in official statistics and the extent to which users receive accurate, timely, and relevant statistical data when using AI. This topic is closely linked to safeguarding the integrity of official statistics as a global public good in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.

Another important event was the forum on “Beyond GDP: Rethinking Progress in a Changing World”, where opportunities to develop additional indicators were explored, which could be used together with gross domestic product (GDP) to more accurately reflect the economic, social, environmental, and institutional dimensions of sustainable development.

Alongside the formal sessions, the week was also marked by numerous bilateral meetings with heads of national statistical offices and international organisations. These meetings provide opportunities to strengthen partnerships, identify shared priorities, and deepen cooperation within the global data and statistics community.

In addition, ahead of the 57th session of the United Nations Statistical Commission, Mr. Stankov attended the meeting of the High-level Group for Partnership, Coordination and Capacity-Building for statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The meeting was an important opportunity for this group of senior leaders in the official statistics community to review the preparations for the UN World Data Forum, including progress made on the logistics, pre-programme (Road to Riyadh) and programme, the outcome document and the selection of the next host. The group also reviewed the next steps on the implementation of the Medellin Framework and financing for development. This includes preparations for the 2026 Financing for Development Forum. In addition, the group explored areas where it can take a larger role aligned itself to the work of the IAEG-SDGs on the Lessons from a Decade of SDG Monitoring: Strengthening Global Frameworks for Acceleration to 2030.