Plan for strengthening ASEANstats

1. Plan for strengthening ASEANstats ASEANstats Presentation ASEAN Regional Workshop on Strategic Planning: Towards a Stronger ASEAN Community Statistical System ASEAN-Eurostat-PARIS21 workshop, ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, 28-29 November 2012

2. Background Broad Definition of the ASEANstats’ functions • compile and disseminate timely, comparable and relevant ASEAN statistics • provide support for the ASEAN Community Statistical System Sustainability issue • Technical and financial constraints • More responsibility ahead

3. Background AHSOM/ACSS Committee Responses • Assessment of workloads • Priority setting and monitoring tool • Raise the visibility and profile • Seminar/conference/workshop • Bring to the attention of the policy makers • Developed a Plan for Strengthening ASEANstats

4. Background Development of the Plan • ACSS Sub-Committee: 24-26 April 2012 • 2nd ACSS Sub-Committee: 4 July 2012 • Issues paper to SEOM: • The 44th AEM endorsed the plan to organise a voluntary Secondment Programme • 2nd ACSS Committee, 27-28 September 2012, Siem Reap, Cambodia: • Adopted the recommendations by the ACSS Sub-Committee

5. Assessment of ASEANstats Workloads • Done by an expert under the EASCAB assisstance • Objectives: • to provide a better picture of the gap between the existing capacity and the workload • Recommend measures to back ASEANstats’ mission • Findings • ASEANstats will not be able to implement the future work plans with 2 Senior Officers (SO), 3 Technical Officers (TO) • The 2012 AWP would require one additional SO position • The 2013 AWP needs an additional SO and 2 TO • Recommended 7 measures

6. The Seven Measures • Enhance ASEANstats organisation and management • Reengineering some of the production process • Outsourcing some operational tasks • Addressing human resource constraints • Staff secodnment ptogramme at ASEANstats • Strengthen cooperation between ASEANstats and its international partners • Increase involvement of AMSs in the activities of the ACSS Committee and its working groups.

7. Measure 1 Enhance ASEANstats organisation and management • Profile and Management • Raise the visibility and profile: ASEANstats a division level • Two SOs and 3 TOs; overall management and decision making is rest with the Director • Definition of profile and position • The expected profile should be precisely defined • The position shall describe activities and responsibilities • Improvement of Organization of Work • Delineation of functions • Time-use follow-up system • Due to the important of production tasks

8. Measure 2 Reengineering some production processes • A more systematic approach to data collection/compilation • So far based on various websites, publication and AMSs’ submission • Need to define a data transmission protocol and to use proper data transmission tool and an integrated database to store data • Upgrading the publication process • A heavy work for ASEANstats • Need to apply more automatic procedures

9. Measure 3 Outsourcing some operational tasks • Provide an expertise which is not available among own staff • Allow for the unit to focus more on core business • Possible areas for outsourcing: • Some parts of publication preparation: Preparation of layout, printing and delivery to recipients • Website and database development

10. Measure 4 Allocation of relevant human resources to ASEANstats • Current state: 2 SOs, 3 TOs, 1 Data entry, 1 secretary • The needed profile: • A core team of permanent staff in charge of continuous data production activities • Experienced statisticians to conceive new statistical tool to handle data production tool, publication, and analysis • High level senior statisticians to deal with various ASEAN bodies and promote the ACSS • Uniqueness: • a suitable technical background in statistics at every level • to adapt the number and the skills of the staff currently working for ASEANstats

11. Measure 5 Staff Secondment Programme at ASEANstats • A pilot exercise with the following advantages: • Support from AMSs staff with experience on statistical issues that are useful for ASEANstats • Catered to support the development of statistics under the ACSS AWP • Will latter bring home knowledge about ASEAN statistical process and issues (dialogue with users, management of harmonisation process, compilation of ASEAN statistics and estimate, dissemination, and a network of contacts) • The 44th AEM endorse the plan

12. Measure 6 Enhance cooperation between ASEANstats and its national Partners • Through a better compliance with the agreed data transmission protocol/framework • Better quality and consistency of data and informative metadata will expedite data checking and processing

13. Measure 7 Increasing involvement of AMSs in the activities of ACSS Committee and its Working Groups • Need to ensure greater involvement in: • Preparation of ACSS Committee and WG meetings/ workshops • Serve as a Lead country or centre of excellence

14. Nest Steps • Consultation at national and regional level • NSO to consult with MOFA, MoF, Civil service • ASEANstats to consult with HRD, CPR, ASEC Management on the detailed plan and arrangement of the secondment programme • ASEANstats consult with HRD on possible outsourcing • Develop in the short-term: • Detailed plan/implementation arrangement on secondment • Detailed proposal for upgrading ASEANstats • Develop a multinational framework agreement between ASEC and AMSs

15. Recommendations agreed upon by the ACSS Committee 2nd Session • ASEANstats to develop a multinational framework • NSO to designate its focal point(s) to work closely with ASEANstats • Detailed proposal for upgrading ASEANstats • ASEANstats to work on the CPR’s and Management’s approval of staff allocation and upgrading of ASEANstats • ASEANstats to implement efficiency measures • NSO to support ASEC with the submission of national statistics according to the agreed format and schedule.

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