Turkmenstat told about its innovations at a meeting of the heads of statistical departments of ECO countries
The State Committee on Statistics of Turkmenistan presented its study experience during the pandemic at the 5th meeting of the heads of national statistical departments of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).
The meeting was held on Tuesday by video conferencing and its main focus was on the current state of statistical operations in the era of COVID-19, their tools and best practices, and the formation of the ECO databank.
Speaking to colleagues, Chairman of the State Committee on Statistics of Turkmenistan Silap Velbegov told about the transition of the national statistical office to new methods and digital technologies, the introduction of indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals and the internationally agreed System of National Accounts (SNA) 2008.
It was highlighted that Turkmenistan has made significant progress in introducing the SNA 2008 into statistical practice, which reflects significant changes in the organization of the economy in a significant number of countries in the world that have occurred in recent years, the enhanced role of information and communications technologies in production processes, and the increase in the importance of intangible assets and services.
In particular, the country has improved the classifiers and calculations of financial intermediation services, indicators of research activities and a number of others. The elaboration of the calculations of housing rent, tourism satellite accounts and other related activities are in progress.
Preparations are underway for an important campaign. This is the Population and Housing Census of Turkmenistan 2022 next year. International organizations, including the United Nations Population Fund, provide technical and methodological support in this large-scale work to the country’s statistical office.
Turkmenistan also actively cooperates with other UN agencies, including the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the International Labor Organization. Surveys such as “The impact of the global pandemic on the socio-economic situation of households in Turkmenistan”, “The situation of children and adults with disabilities covered by the social protection system in Turkmenistan” were carried out.
During the meeting of the heads of the ECO statistical departments, the need was specified to expand the practice of using such tools for collecting digital data as mobile phones, smart gadgets, online questionnaires, which are useful in conditions of social distancing.
The planned creation of the ECO Databank was also discussed in order to enhance the joint actions of national statistical departments and the development of regional statistics. The heads of delegations also approved a new five-year ECO strategic plan for cooperation.
Jemal ANNAEVA
