Towards an implementation strategy on national accounts and economic statistics Adriaan Bloem and Kim Zieschang (IMF) and Ivo Havinga (UNSD) Fifth Meeting of Advisory Expert Group March, 19-23, 2007

Four element implementation strategy Publication of a series of manuals and handbooks Research to support the conceptual development of national and satellite accounting Organization of meetings, training seminars, and workshops in national accounts Technical cooperation in individual countries

Statistical publications Eurostat (ESA, quarterly institutional sector accounts, input-output table, PPP) IMF (real sector (mainly on prices), monetary and finance, balance of payments, government finance) OECD (intellectual property products, capital stock, benchmark definition of direct investment) UNSD (handbook on national accounts, SEEA, structural and short term business statistics, classifications and units, business register, economic surveys)

Methodological research Presentation by UN ECE

Technical cooperation program User/policy perspective (relevance of national accounts) Institutional perspective (coordinating role of NSI, NSCP/PRSP, impeding factors, training, management) Statistical perspective (macro and intermediate level integrated frameworks, tools (business registers), basic data (economic surveys, data processing), quality frameworks Donor perspective (planning, coordination and monitoring, impact and outcome indicators, funding)

Tentative schedule Series of preparatory workshops led by ISWGNA members - 2007 Series of regional and sub-regional consultations - 2007 Implementation Strategy to Statistical Commission 2008 in December 2007 Conference on Action Plan for National Accounts and Economic Statistics – 2007 or 2008

Questions Are the main elements of the implementation strategy adequately addressed? What contributions could be made by AEG members in the formulation and execution of the implementation strategy?