Top photo: Ambassador Millicent Cruz Paredes (second from left) and Philippine Statistics Authority Undersecretary Claire Dennis S. Mapa (middle) with the Philippine delegation
Bottom photo: Undersecretary Mapa delivers the Philippine country statement
BANGKOK, 05 SEPTEMBER 2022 – The Philippines, led by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), emphasized the value of data and statistics to the sustainable development of a country at the eighth session of the Committee on Statistics of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) held on 23-25 August 2022 at the United Nations Conference Center in Bangkok and online.
Undersecretary Claire Dennis S. Mapa, National Statistician and Civil Registrar General, led the Philippine delegation with the support of Philippine Ambassador to Thailand and ESCAP Permanent Representative H.E. Millicent Cruz Paredes.
The Committee on Statistics meets biennially to discuss statistical developments in the Asia Pacific region, including progress in strengthening national statistical systems for the implementation of the 2030 United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development, and regional initiatives to advance universal civil registration and vital statistics.
The Philippines shared its work in three key fields: tracking and monitoring the country’s progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG); advancing regional cooperation on disaster-related statistics; and modernizing civil registration systems.
The Philippines regularly releases its SDG Watch, which provides all available data for tracking the progress of the country. This data informs policy-making and the targeted delivery of government services to communities in need, including children, women,the elderly, persons with disabilities, and marginalized sectors.
The Philippines also shared how it is utilizing digital technology to streamline and modernize civil registration and notification processes, with a vision of establishing an efficient e-Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system for every Filipino. This includes an online payment scheme and quick turn-around time for birth, marriage, and death papers needed for various purposes such as employment, benefits claims, school enrollment, among others.
The Philippines was elected to serve in the Governing Council of the ESCAP Statistics Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP) from 2022 to 2025.
For more information on the eighth Session of the ESCAP Committee on Statistics, please visit the meeting’s webpage at: https://www.unescap.org/events/2022/committee-statistics-eighth-session END.
