Mr. Georges-Simon Ulrich, Chair of the Statistical Commission and Director General of the Federal Statistical Office of Switzerland,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Welcome to the 56th Session of the United Nations Statistical Commission.
I am honored to address this Commission at the start of this week¡¯s important discussions on data and statistics, especially given the growing role and influence of algorithms, machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Data shapes nearly every aspect of our lives and societies, and is the foundation of decision-making for development policies and interventions.
To ensure that progress on data and statistics is inclusive, our efforts must be underpinned by sound and trusted forms of data governance and sufficient capacity development. I am pleased to note that these important topics were the focus of two recent high-level events held just before this Commission.
Over the next few days, the Commission will consider two important resolutions for the 2030 World Population and Housing Census Programme and the System of National Accounts 2025. These two programmes have a rich history and they remain highly relevant in measuring the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and are fundamental to the monitoring needs of the 2030 Agenda.
Conducting population and housing censuses is essential for delivering on the 2030 Agenda and beyond. The new 2025 System of National Accounts will enhance our ability to measure the digital and global economy, and contribute to the discussions on beyond GDP.
I appreciate that foundational statistics remain central to the Commission¡¯s work. As digital transformation progresses, it is important that the Statistical Commission embark on innovative transformation, while maintaining and setting new internationally agreed-upon standards and methodologies as needed.
Nonetheless, the Commission¡¯s role within the broader data ecosystem is also under discussion. The UN World Data Forum, has exemplified this outreach. I congratulate you on the success of the fifth edition of the UN World Data Forum held recently in Colombia, launching the Medell¨ªn Framework for Action on Data for Sustainable Development.
I am confident that the Commission¡¯s work will strengthen engagement in wider UN processes, including the three major conferences that UN DESA will organize in coming months, namely the Third UN Ocean Conference in June in France; the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in July in Spain; and the Second World Summit for Social Development in November in Qatar. Data governance and capacity development are expected to feature prominently in these major conferences.
In closing, let me reaffirm that UN DESA fully supports your important work.
I wish you productive deliberations and a successful session.
Thank you.