1. UNECE recommendations for the implementation of the 2008 System of National Accounts in the countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia and South East Europe
Presentation by UNECE

2. Overview of presentation
Background
Recommendations
UNECE activities in supporting the regional recommendations
Conclusions

3. Background
UNSC (40th session) adopted the 2008 SNA and supported the implementation strategy proposed by the ISWGNA
UNSC requested that particular circumstances of countries be recognized and emphasized the role of the UN Regional Commissions to facilitate implementation of 2008 SNA
ISWGNA developed global implementation guidelines which have to be adapted to the needs of each region
UNECE recommendations for EECCA and SEE countries
In line with global guidelines
Aim to help countries build their implementation plans in a coherent way
Aim to foster quality and international comparability of NA data

4. Background
The UNECE recommendations are based on variety of source information collected from countries and broad consultation with country experts and partner organizations (CIS-STAT, EFTA, Eurostat, IMF, OECD, UNSD):
Two surveys on the current status and main challenges with the 1993 SNA (2010) and implementation plans for the 2008 SNA (2012)
Results of global assessments
Discussions at the Special Sessions of the Group of Experts on National Accounts: April 2010 and May 2012
The Workshop “Implementation plans for the 2008 SNA in the EECCA and SEE countries” (Kiev, 29 November – 2 December 2011)
The recommendations were finalized in consultation with the CES Steering Group on National Accounts

5. Recommendations
The ISWGNA guidelines recommend three stages of implementation
The regional recommendations suggest a number of activities and a timeframe for each stage, which take into account the statistical and institutional capacity of statistical systems of UNECE countries, the needs of the main users and the required resources
The recommendations are available in English and Russian on the dedicated website:

6. Recommendations
Implementation of the 2008 SNA should not be left as sole undertaking of the NA Departments. It should be a strategic choice of the national statistical system of the country.
National Accounts are needed by:
Policy makers and government officials in order to base their economic policies
International organizations, donors, investors to define economic development and investment policies
Society to take economic and social decisions
The production (and revision) of national accounts is a resource intensive exercise and will require support from policy makers, government institutions, academia, businesses, in the form of resources, access to data sources, expertize.

7. 2008 SNA implementation coordinated by the NSO
STAGE 1 – Developing of national implementation strategies and detailed programmes for the 2008 SNA
Prioritization of the main outstanding issues: 1993 and 2008 SNA
Inclusion of the 2008 SNA implementation in the strategic plans for the development of national statistical systems
Adoption of a detailed action plan for the 2008 SNA
Ongoing consultation with the main stakeholders for the 2008 SNA implementation (Central Bank, Ministry of Finance, government, public, international organizations, other data users and concerned NSO departments)
Involvement of stakeholders
Communication & Dissemination Strategy
STAGE 2 - Adaptation of classification frameworks, business registers and frames, surveys, administrative data sources and information technology infrastructure
2008 SNA implementation coordinated by the NSO
IT and staff resources
Classification frameworks, business registers and frames, surveys, administrative data
Adequate IT infrastructure and support
Recruitment and training policy
IOs role in staff training
Continuous review throughout the SNA implementation
Adoption of new relevant classifications and improvements in business registers
Review of related source statistics compiled by the statistical office
Review of related macroeconomic data sets compiled outside the statistical office
Use of administrative data sources
STAGE 3 - Development of national accounts in accordance with the 2008 SNA 1
Basic indicators of GDP 2
GNI and other primary indicators
3-6
Institutional sector accounts

8. Recommendations
STAGE 1 – Developing of national implementation strategies and detailed programmes for the 2008 SNA:
Prioritization of the main issues: analysis of the most needed national accounts series and identification of the issues which are likely to have a greatest impact on these series
GDP and its main components
Integrated set of accounts and major indicators (GNI and Gross Saving)
Improvement of institutional sector accounts
Consultation with the main stakeholders for the 2008 SNA implementation:
Users: policy makers, government officials, forecasting agencies, central banks, international organizations, investors, donors, media
Data (resource) providers: Central Banks, Ministries of Finance, Tax Authorities, Social Security Institutions, supervisory institutions

9. Recommendations
STAGE 1 – Developing of national implementation strategies and detailed programmes for the 2008 SNA:
Inclusion of the 2008 SNA implementation in the strategic plans for the development of national statistical systems
or annexes to existing long-term (5-year) strategic documents
Adoption of a detailed action plan for the 2008 SNA
the overall strategy → short and medium term action plans
Assessing the availability of data and new data needs
Matching required outputs with resources: available data, timing, human, funding, IT

10. Recommendations
STAGE 2 - Adaptation of classification frameworks, business registers and frames, surveys, administrative data sources and information technology infrastructure:
Adoption of new relevant classifications and improvements in business registers (coverage of private and small businesses)
Review of related source statistics compiled by the statistical office. Main concerns:
Development of sampling techniques and proper coverage of private businesses, particularly in short-term business surveys
Coverage of services in SBS: methodology and data sources
Development of new short-term indicators for services
Development of price indices for double deflation method: particularly PPIs for industry and services branches (including industrial services), exports and imports price indices.
Coherence of bookkeeping standards with international guidelines

11. Recommendations
STAGE 2 - Adaptation of classification frameworks, business registers and frames, surveys, administrative data sources and information technology infrastructure:
Review of related macroeconomic data sets compiled outside the statistical office
Central Banks: financial and monetary statistics, coordinated implementation of BPM6 with 2008 SNA
Ministries of finance: the new GFSM 2012 is in line with 2008 SNA
Use of administrative data sources
Important to avoid increase in response burden
Inventory of available administrative data sources
The NSO requires the power to negotiate and secure information from government organizations and non-government organizations
IT and staff resources

12. Recommendations
STAGE 3 - Development of national accounts in accordance with the 2008 SNA: priorities set up by countries in their implementation programmes
Basic indicators of GDP - Milestone 1
GNI and other primary indicators - Milestone 2
Institutional sector accounts: Milestones 3 to 6
In line with the six milestones developed by the ISWGNA

13. Recommendations Basic indicators of GDP - Milestone 1 General issues:
Measurement of services, including financial services:
Constant prices: output deflators, double deflation, chain linking
Exhaustiveness of GDP
Measurement of the government sector: accruals, coverage
Balancing in a supply and use framework
Improved measures of GFCF and consumption of fixed capital
Seasonal adjustments methods for quarterly national accounts

14. Recommendations Basic indicators of GDP - Milestone 1(cont)
and specific 2008 SNA issues:
linked to financial services: FISIM, Output of the Central Bank, insurance services,
linked to fixed assets: expenditure on R&D, military expenditure, mineral exploration, databases and software
linked to informal and illegal activities,
new classifications ISIC Rev4/NACE Rev.2
goods for processing, merchanting
Breaks in the series; backcasting
Communicating the changes to users (overcome the perception of error)

15. UNECE Activities
The UNECE work with the EECCA and SEE countries involves the following groups of activities:
Surveys of national practices and implementation plans
Workshops and special sessions
Recommendations and other guidance on the implementation of the 2008 SNA
Promoting the implementation of internationally agreed standards and good practices also in other areas of economic statistics
A designated website with relevant documentation and training material for 2008 SNA Implementation

16. UNECE activities in supporting the regional recommendations
Date and venue
Activity
February 2010
UNECE survey on status and main challenges with the implementation of the 2008 SNA in EECCA and SEE countries
26 April 2010
Geneva
Special session for transition economies back-to-back with the meeting of the Group of Experts on National Accounts discussed the progress and main challenges for the implementation of SNA in the region
2-6 May 2011
Vienna
Joint IMF/EFTA/UNECE Workshop on Links between Government Finance and National Accounts Statistics for EECCA and SEE countries
June - September 2011
Country consultation to update of the 2010 Survey and produce country profiles which present structured information for each country in the region
Autumn 2011
Development of template for implementation plans based on the stages and milestones recommended in Global Implementation Strategy
29 Nov - 2 Dec 2011
Kiev
Joint UNECE/UNSD/EFTA workshop on the implementation of the 2008 SNA in EECCA and SEE countries
March 2012
UNECE survey on national implementation plans for the 2008 SNA
April 2012
Launch of a UNECE website on implementation of the 2008 SNA, including information on meetings, survey results, detailed country information and links to training materials and similar websites of other organizations
1 May 2012
Special session for transition economies back-to-back with the meeting of the Group of Expert on National Accounts

17. UNECE activities in supporting the regional recommendations
Date and venue
Activity
January 2013
Regional recommendations for the 2008 SNA implementation in the UNECE region
19-21 March 2013
Kishinev
Joint UNSD/Eurostat/UNECE Workshop on International Economic Classification to discuss implementation aspects in the statistical offices of EECCA and SEE countries
20 – 22 November
Istanbul
Joint IMF/EFTA/Eurostat/UNECE Workshop on Implementation of the 2008 SNA and Linkages to Government Finance Statistics for EECCA and SEE countries (including both NSOs and Ministries of Finance)
6-9 May 2014
Geneva
Special session for transition economies back-to-back to the meeting of the Group of Experts on National Accounts, to take stock and plan for the following two-year period
tbc
Regional workshop on the implementation of the 2008 SNA in EECCA and SEE countries
Mid-2016

18. Conclusions and future work
UNECE will follow up and assist the countries on the progress with the issues identified as main priority for Milestone 1
In 2014 the recommendations will be reviewed taking into account emerging data needs and the experience gained during the first stage of implementation of the 2008 SNA
The recommendations would be extended to gradually cover concrete issues related to milestones 2 - 6

19. Comments and suggestion can be send to
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