SPEECH BY TS. NYAMDORJ OF THE OF //

Esteemed guests, Ladies and gentlemen,

Together with my morning greetings I wish to welcome you to and wish most pleasant sojourn in Mongolia. Taking this opportunity, I wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to UNESCAP, Paris21 Consortium and the National Statistics Office of Mongolia for organizing this High Level Forum for East and North-East Asian countries in Ulaanbaatar.

On behalf of the Parliament of Mongolia and my personal behalf, I wish to greet the delegates and participants to the Fourth High Level Forum and would like to wish success to the world of the Forum. We regard it symbolic and honorable that the Forum is being held in the capital of Mongolia in the historic year when Mongolia is celebrating the 800th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Great Mongol State.

Since its establishment Paris21 Consortium has been working to enhance the statistical capacities of developing countries and to draw the partners attention to this direction. We do greatly appreciate its efforts to advise the countries in formulating and implementing the strategies for national statistics development. The strategis planning to develop statistics is the key indicator of performance for statistics organizations and provides with more effective administrative and regulatory framework. Therefore, I am pleased to note that the present Forum on Strategic Planning in Statistics is a timely and important event and we accord due significance to the Event.

Up until 1994 the Mongolian National Statistical office was a Government’s Agency. In 1994 the Parliament adopted the Law on Statistics by which it redefined its status and mission. By Law the National Statistics Office Mongolia is an national independent, from the Government, agency responsive to the Parliament and is charged with a mandate to provide the State, Government and the users with true and accurate information expeditiously. In 1997 the Law was amended to reflect the 10 principles recommended by the UN to member-states. In 1999 and 2004 the law was further amended to create a wholistic and efficient regulatory framework for statistics.

1 The law defines the statistics organization as an independent and sovereign service with clearly defined professional principles and scientifically-grounded methodologies. The Mongolian National Statistics Office reports to the Mongolian State Great Khural, and this demonstrates the heightened professional responsibility, role and significance of the country’s statistical service.

The 2004 amendments to the Statistics Law contained a provision to develop and have approved by the Parliament a Program defining the short term goals with respect to the official statistics indicators, census and surveys. The Program of Development of Official Statistics for 2006-2010 has been developed, endorsed by the Parliament and is now being implemented. This is, on one hand, is an act fully consistent with the ideals and spirits of the UNESCAP and Paris21 Consortium recommendations; and, on the other hand, is the manifestation of the state’s support and the presence of the political will to implement development strategies for statistics.

The role and responsibilities are ever heightening for statistics organizations in determining the trends and tendencies of countries’ economic development, reliably supplying necessary statistics to the increasing needs of the users, and timely reflecting the changes in economic and social indicators upon realistic and meticulous observations.

Mongolian Parliament has ratified the MDG indicators and is now in the process of identifying the country’s development strategies based on these indicators. The fact that the National Statistical Office is responsible for provision of all necessary data and information in this comprehensive exercise of utmost importance acknowledges and testifies the role and responsibilities of the statistics organization in the society. The delegation of the mandate to define the MDG indicators, create the database, and to provide the state/government and the people with necessary data and statistical information to the Mongolian National Statistics Office shows that this mandate has not only become the mission of the NSO, but also the fact testifying the independence and sovereignty of statistical service in Mongolia.

Although the quality of statistical data and information is improving and it is being increasingly used at policy-making level, much remains to be accomplished and improved to provide data that perfectly suit and meed users’ needs and requirements.

One of the best examples illustrating the efforts of the Mongolian National Statistics Office to improve the national and regional official statistics system and to enhance statistics capacities has been the

2 UNESCAP resolution To Enhance Statistics Capacities of the Countries of Asia-Pacific Region adopted at its 62nd Congress, initiated by Mongolia jointly with Australia, Thailand and Myanmar. I am pleased to note from this reputable rostrum that your efforts, distinguished guests, the efforts of your respective government, statistics organizations and agencies and our partner-international organizations shall be of pivotal importance in developing the national statistics systems of member- states and states aspiring membership, in enhancing the capacities of statistical organizations to collect, process, disseminate and monitor official statistics, and in successfully attaining Millenium Development Goals and other developmental goals agreed collectively at international fora.

I am fully confident that this High Level Forum shall make valuable contributions to successfully addressing collective challenges in our statistical systems and organizations and shall mark an event of historical importance in cooperation among the statistical organizations of North East Asia.

Let me reassure you of my wishes for the success of the Forum.

Thank you.

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