The session is focused on current issues related to measuring migration and human mobility, as well as the impact of social and technological transformations on the fundamentals of official statistics. Participants will review the work of the High-Level Group on the Modernization of Official Statistics carried out last year and discuss its future plans. The results of the in-depth reviews conducted by the CES Bureau are also on the agenda.
The National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus is represented at the event by Aliaksei Yarkavets, Deputy Chairperson.
Speaking at the session on measuring migration and human mobility, Aliaksei Yarkavets noted that while traditional data collection methods, including censuses and special sample surveys, provide valuable information, alternative data sources are needed to more accurately assess migration flows. "In Belarus, official statistical information on internal and external migrants, including labour migrants, is based on administrative data. Belstat receives this data free of charge from state information resources and systems (SIR, SIS). Since last year, work has been underway to inventory data in state information systems to create a unified data management system in the country," the Deputy Chairperson emphasized. "Belstat has currently begun to develop the Statistical Population Register, which is a strategically important task in modernizing the statistical system of the Republic of Belarus.
Data from SIS/SIS will be used for its compilation. In preparation for the next population census, Belstat is already developing methodological recommendations and algorithms for integrating mobile positioning data into official statistics. Plans call for using these data to determine respondents' permanent place of residence and model the internal movements of migrants, as well as in tourism statistics to identify tourist flows. Using mobile operator data will lead to a more complete mapping of demographic, migration, and tourism processes in the country. This year, to assess urbanization processes, Belstat conducted an experimental calculation of the "degree of urbanization" indicator using the DEGURBA methodology, which takes into account population density rather than administrative-territorial division when classifying an area as urban. This indicator can be used in planning the development of administrative-territorial units to improve the efficiency of address infrastructure and logistics. A "digital foundation" is being formed in Belarus, which will provide a reliable support for the long-term development of the national economy and society."
Deputy Chairperson of Belstat also took part in the joint plenary session of the CES and the Regional Committee of the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management for Europe (UN-GGIM: Europe) where he shared the experience of Belarus in this field.
The Conference of European Statisticians is a platform for the coordination of international statistical activities, reviewing emerging issues and development of methodological guidelines and recommendations to improve national statistics and its international comparability.
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