Philippine Statistics Authority Undersecretary Dr. Claire Dennis Mapa (fifth from left) with ESCAP officials and other delegates to the 9th Session of ESCAP’s Committee on Statistics in Bangkok. (Photo courtesy of ESCAP)
BANGKOK, 13 DECEMBER 2024 - The Philippines championed a whole-of-society approach to achieve an inclusive and agile statistical system at the 9th Session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission of Asia and the Pacific’s Committee on Statistics held on 11-13 December 2024 at the UN Conference Center in Bangkok.
Undersecretary Claire Dennis Mapa, National Statistician and Civil Registrar General at the Philippine Statistics Authority, led the Philippine delegation, together with Undersecretary Lisa Grace Bersales, Executive Director of the Commission on Population and Development.
Undersecretary Claire Dennis Mapa and Undersecretary Lisa Grace Bersales at the opening of the Session. (Photo courtesy of ESCAP)
Undersecretary Mapa delivers his remarks at the Committee Session.
In the Philippine statement to the regional body, Undersecretary Mapa underscored the importance of the whole-of-society approach and political and financial support for inclusive statistical systems in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Strong collaboration among the government, private sector, and other stakeholders “have proven critical for ensuring that our statistical outputs remain inclusive, comprehensive, and policy-relevant.”
Undersecretary Mapa reiterated the Philippines’ commitment to building a more agile, innovative, and responsive statistical system which includes civil registration and national ID registration of all Filipinos.
He proudly shared the Philippine government’s successful implementation of the 2024 Census of Population and Community-Based Monitoring System (POPCEN-CBMS), the Provincial Product Accounts (PPA), and the enactment of the Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System (PENCAS) Act.
The POPCEN-CBMS of the Philippine Statistics Authority updates population statistics and the list of beneficiaries of social protection programs used by local government units, while the PPA measures economic performance at the local level. The PENCAS Act is legislation that integrates natural capital considerations into the country’s statistical frameworks.
Undersecretary Mapa highlighted that the Philippines’ community-based monitoring systems (CBMS) initiative was an important step in building a whole-of-society approach to using generated statistical data to support policies and programs that ensure no one is left behind.
Undersecretary Bersales, who served as a panelist at the roundtable discussion on promoting and advancing agile statistical systems, underscored proactive engagement at international, national, and subnational levels to attract more investments that will harness the capabilities of national statistics offices in addressing the diverse demands of its stakeholders.
Undersecretary Bersales speaks at the roundtable discussion during the session.
The 9th Session of the Committee on Statistics was the culmination of the Asia Pacific Statistics Week organized by UNESCAP from 09 to 13 December 2024. The week-long event, under the theme “The power of data,” also hosted the 20th session of the Governing Council of the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific and various expert group meetings and side events. END
