1. The views expressed herein are those of the author and should not necessarily be attributed to the IMF, its Executive Board, or its management Regional Workshop on Strategic Statistical Planning: Towards a Stronger ASEAN Community Statistical System ASEAN Secretariat Jakarta, Indonesia (November 28–29, 2012) He Qi Advisor IMF Statistics Department The IMF’s Cooperation with ASEAN in Statistics

2. Main Messages  The growing importance of Asia in the global economy and the promise of economic cooperation—as noted by the IMF’s Managing Director in her speech in Kuala Lumpur on November 14.  Statistical development plays a critical role in supporting the economic development at the national, regional, and global level.  Coordination and cooperation in statistics help facilitate statistical development as evidenced in the success of many projects in the region. 2

3.  The IMF’s capacity building program in the region is carried out mainly by providing technical assistance missions and conducting joint seminars/workshops with ASEANstats.  Currently the IMF has four capacity building projects benefitting Asian countries funded by the government of Japan in the areas of external sector statistics, government finance statistics, national accounts, and the General Data Dissemination System (GDDS), in which many ASEAN member states are participating. 3 The IMF’s Past and Ongoing Cooperation with ASEAN and Its Member States

4. Joint Seminars and Workshops  Inception Workshop on the Establishment of an ASEAN Forum on the SNA, jointly organized with the ASEAN Secretariat for ASEAN member states (Bangkok, 2007).  Workshop on the Coordinated Direct Investment Survey, attended by ASEANstats staff and ASEAN member states (Bangkok, 2011).  Regional Seminar on Enhancing Monitoring Capacity and Capital Flows, coordinated with Dr. Rillo, the Director in charge of ASEANstats, who served as a session chair and facilitated the participation of ASEAN member states (Tokyo, 2012). 4

5. Four Capacity Building Projects Funded by the Government of Japan (1) I.Project on implementing the SNA and the International Comparison Program (ICP). Objective: Improve the accuracy of price statistics and national accounts estimates. Participating Countries: Selected countries in Asia and the Pacific (from ASEAN: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao P.D.R., Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam). Mode of Delivery: TA missions and training workshops. Duration: Three years (2011- end 2013). 5

6. Four Capacity Building Projects Funded by the Government of Japan (2) 6 II.Project on Improving Government Finance Statistics (GFS) in Asia and the Pacific. Objective: Improve countries’ capacity for compiling GFS according to the framework of the Government Finance Statistics Manual 2011 (GFSM 2011). Participating Countries: Selected countries in Asia and the Pacific (from ASEAN: Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam). Mode of Delivery: TA missions and training workshops. Duration: Three years (2012-2015).

7. Four Capacity Building Projects Funded by the Government of Japan (3) 7 III.Project for Improving External Sector Statistics in Asia and the Pacific. Objective: Improve external sector statistics with regard to availability, accuracy, comparability, and timeliness, 1/ following the sixth edition of the Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (BPM6). Participating Countries: Selected countries in Asia and the Pacific (from ASEAN: Cambodia, Lao P.D.R., Myanmar, and Vietnam).

8. Four Capacity Building Projects Funded by the Government of Japan (3)—Cont’d Mode of Delivery: TA missions and training workshops. Duration: Three years (2012-2015). 1/ Main datasets covered under the project include balance of payments, International Investment Position, Coordinated Direct Investment Survey, Coordinated Portfolio Investment Survey, and external debt statistics. 8

9. Four Capacity Building Projects Funded by the Government of Japan (4) 9 IV.Project on Increasing the Participation of the IMF’s General Data Dissemination System for Selected Countries in Asia and the Pacific, Middle East, and Central Asia Objective: Help countries strengthen the development of macroeconomic data and metadata to be posted on the GDDS website. Participating Countries: Selected countries in Asia and the Pacific, Middle East, and Central Asia (from ASEAN: Lao P.D.R. and Myanmar). Mode of Delivery: TA missions and training workshops. Duration: One and a half years (2011-2013).

10. Main Areas for Further Cooperation to Support ASEAN’s Strategic Statistical Plan 10  Continue to cooperate with ASEANstats and member states in the following main areas:  Implementing the 2008 SNA and BPM6 to further progress in the harmonization of ASEAN statistics.  Promoting the participation/implementation of the four projects for selected ASEAN member states to enhance the national statistical system.

11. Thank you! 11