China and UN sign pact to boost statistical reporting standards in region

In a move to help China and other developing Asian countries improve the quality of their statistical reporting, the United Nations has signed its first-ever trust-fund agreement for technical cooperation with the world’s most populous State.

The large, five-year project was established to advance the use of reliable and up-to-date statistics, considered the foundation for effective national development policies, in developing countries in the region.

“In a globalizing economy, tackling economic crises and addressing social and environmental issues call for more availability of official statistics at the national, regional and global levels,” said Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, at the signing ceremony in Beijing yesterday.

“As we often say in China, those who do not have the facts should refrain from making decisions,” Mr. Zukang told the gathering, stressing that importance of statistics in decision-making can never be over-estimated.

In related news, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today arrived in Beijing, where he is slated to meet with President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and other Chinese officials in Beijing on Friday and later, on Saturday, in Xi’an.

While in China, he will participate in a number of climate change-related programmes, including a “Green Light” event focusing on energy efficient technologies and the extensive production and use of energy saving lamps.