International Seminar on Official Statistics : meeting Productivity and New Data Challenges Tianjin, China, October 2013 DAW Chaw Chaw Assistant Director Central Statistical Organization

Introduction The Central Statistical and Economic Department ( CSED ) was formed under the Statistical Act ( Act No 34 of 1952 ). The CSED was reorganized as Central Statistical Organization ( CSO ). The Central Statistical Organization ( CSO ) regularly collects, conducts, analyses and presents social and economic statistics to authorities, International organizations and users.

Responsibility  CSO is the focal office responsible for compiling and presenting timely and reliable data to users for formulating social and economic plan and presentation of reports and research papers.  CSO is close cooperation with government departments and organizations and also ASEAN Stats, ESCAP, SIAP, UNICEF, FAO, EASCAB, IMF, UNFPA, and other international organizations in order to improve its statistical activities and to provide updated data and publication to those organizations and agencies. 3

Objectives  To compile reliable and timely data to be used as basis for formulating long-term and short-term economic plans.  To present economic and social situations of the country in terms of statistical indicators.  To develop and consolidate statistical methods and techniques for collecting and presenting data and provide others departments in statistical field.  To exchange published data with those of UN organizations and agencies to make further studies by means of international comparison. 4

Data collection System Data are collected from respective social and economic sectors by three ways. 1.Statistics provided by concerned agencies. 2.Statistics jointly compiled by agencies concerned. 3. Statistics obtained from surveys. 5

Myanmar Statistical System Myanmar Statistical System is decentralized. Every Ministry has own planning and statistical units. Those units are compiling their own data independently to serve their own purpose. The CSO is responsible for compiling, conducting, analyzing and presenting economic and social data and to render assistance with the help of the data towards the economic development of the country. 6

Data Dissemination CSO has long been disseminating social and economic data by printing text and tables. They are given in book form. Like all the other CSO, Statistical Yearbook is the main one, relating to time-series for ten years. Urgent data are given in the Selected Monthly Economic Indicators. There consists of daily or monthly data.

Since 2012, CSO entered new area. Previously, CSO was situated in the capital, as of the main organization, without branches. Last year, CSO was reorganized and expanded by recruiting of one hundred staffs and empowered. New branches are opened in all state and division, including major cities. Special assignments are given to them..

Challenges facing of CSO in Myanmar  Statistical System of Myanmar is a decentralized  functioning on a national level since 1952  many departments have statistical units to meet their needs.  statistics is facing various challenges. 9

Challenges 1. CSO needs to amend the Statistical authority Act 2.National Statistical Coordination Board should be formed as new organization 3. To capture of private sector data in timely and regularly 4.Need to fulfill the data gaps such as environmental statistics, tourism statistics, trade statistics and some indicators such as HDI, Happiness Index and Well-being Index 5. Frequency of census & survey to estimate the absence of real data 6. Need of human resources, financial assists, technical support and IT resources 7. Consistency in data from different sources8. Timeline of data & reports 8. Timeline of data & reports 9. Plan for National Statistical Development Strategies to overview, monitor and evaluate management system for statistics 10

Problems Cooperation between private and public sector is a must. Myanmar needs to enhance its people qualifications and capabilities to improve human resources Development program. Private and public sector officials should meet at least once a month in order to produce sound relationship, to facilitate their works,to solve the difficulties, to obtain suggestion and recommendations. 11

Conclusion CSO is producing macroeconomic statistics and providing those statistics to authorities, international organizations and users. And also CSO dispatches its staff to participate in training, workshop and seminar at home and abroad for Capacity Building and to improve the ability, knowledge and technology.

13