VIENTIANE, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Sixth Session of the Asean Community Statistical System (ACSS) Committee opened in Vientiane to discuss ways to improve the statistical systems used by the committee, Lao news agency KPL reported Wednesday.
The meeting, kicked off on Tuesday, was attended by Lao Minister of Planning and Investment Souphanh Keomixay, Head of the Lao Statistics Bureau Samaychanh Boupha, and delegates from other ASEAN countries.
Speaking at the meeting, Minister Souphanh said, "Since the establishment of the ACSS in 2011, this is the first time Laos has hosted a meeting of the ASEAN heads of national statistics offices. The purpose of this important meeting is to discuss cooperation in improving the statistical systems used by this committee. "
"We need to produce better official statistics as evidence for monitoring socio-economic development plans, and to measure the progress made in working towards the ASEAN Blueprint and Vision 2025 and also towards the Sustainable Development Goals," he said.
"To successfully carry out all these development plans, we need sound statistics for the production and dissemination of all related indicators within the Lao statistics system," said the Lao minister.
Over the first five years since its establishment, the ACSS has seen stronger mandates in ASEAN statistical cooperation. This has resulted in remarkable progress and achievements, said KPL report on Wednesday.
However, challenges remain in developing statistics systems further. It is especially challenging for ASEAN to produce the right indicators that truly reflect the pace of sustainable development among ASEAN Member States, said KPL.
