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EGM on Compilation and Analysis of Energy Statistics and Indicators

03
-
05
March
2009
Location: 
Beirut
The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) is organizing an Expert
Group Meeting in cooperation with MEDSTAT, International Energy Agency (IEA),
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and the United Nations Department of
Economics and Social Affairs' Statistics Division (UNSD).
Background
Energy represents a basic input to all sectoral and national development plans, particularly in
ESCWA member countries where the energy sector has a vital role in the economic and social
development. While the development of national policies and programmes is highly
dependent on the availability, accuracy and reliability of statistical energy production and
sectoral consumption information, the quality of energy statistical information in most of
ESCWA member countries still needs capacity building to meet the appropriate statistical
requirements for formulating national development plans and international reporting.
The availability and overall quality of data on energy face several problems in the ESCWA
region and thus there is an urgent need to upgrade the level of awareness in the field of energy
statistics as well as for harmonizing the definitions and classification of energy statistical data.
ESCWA, UNSD, OPEC and ECE (Economic Commission for Europe), have organized a
similar activity in 2004. Since then, IEA has been leading the InterEnerStat meetings, where
major regional and international organizations share experiences for further cooperation and
harmonization in energy statistics. UNSD had performed a review process on the International
Recommendations of Energy Statistics, and it is organizing an International Meeting on
Energy Statistics in Mexico in December 2008 and reviewing the System of Integrated
Environmental and Economic Accounts (SEEA), including the energy accounts, to become an
international standard in 2012. MEDSTAT had developed a programme to assist
Mediterranean countries in improving their statistics on energy.
Objective
With the aim of further assisting ESCWA member countries in developing and improving
applied statistical skills, as well as promoting measures to improve the availability and
reliability of energy statistics and the harmonization of definitions and methodologies,
ESCWA is organizing the EGM inviting experts from the region and international experts to
discuss the topics below:
 
Main Topics
- International recommendations of energy statistics, methodologies for compilation of
oil, gas and electricity, renewable energy statistics;
- Energy balances and accounts;
- Energy indicators; and
- Analysis and dissemination of energy data.
Outcomes
The main outcomes of the meeting will be to:
1- Improve the capacity of users and producers of energy statistics in compiling,
analyzing and disseminating energy statistics and indicators and prepare energy
balances and accounts; and
2- Increase the harmonization in producing and disseminating data on energy statistics
regionally and internationally.