Statistics at CrossRoads

Transcription

1 Statistics at CrossRoads Inside this issue: Interview with Prof. Orhan GÜVENEN Turkey Statistics Day Ceremonies Eurostat Visit to TurkStat News on Cooperation Activities Visit of Federal Statistical Office of Germany Visibility Conference of USST Programme Impressions of TSS Staff Who is who 12 Contact us Phone: [email protected] Volume 1, Issue 3 Editorial Is Statistics only a tool for monitoring the achievement of goals or can it be considered as a goal itself? This concern has come up to be one of issues raised and discussed by participants of 45th Session of UN Statistical Commission held on 4-7 March The discussion came into sight in the context of Post-2015 agenda, which is currently being prepared to maintain the Millennium Development Goals. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) took account of this subject in its report prepared for the mentioned meeting. Their claim was that a revolution is needed in the way the world views statistics. In order for statistical systems to remain relevant and equipped to meet demands, statistics must be positioned as a development objective in its own right. Therefore, it was proposed that members of the Commission agree to take collective actions to advocate for the inclusion of effective national statistical systems as a goal in the post-2015 development agenda. TurkStat delegation headed by President Birol AYDEMİR, strongly supported the idea of ESCAP and claimed that positioning of statistics development as an individual goal, will further highlight the importance of official statistics and the need for trustworthiness beyond the statistical community. June 2014 UN Statistical Commission Meeting was not the only international event to which TurkStat had contributed within last six months. This issue of Statistics at Cross- Roads also contains information on several activities as well. Additionally, we have the honor to welcome Professor Orhan GÜVENEN in this issue with a delightful interview. Besides being the ex-president of TurkStat and having a bright career as a diplomat, he is continuing his academic studies in Bilkent University in the field of nano-technology. He was so modest to accept us in his room in Bilkent University where we had the chance to congratulate him for being awarded with GUSI Peace Prize. We wish a pleasant reading time

2 Page 2 Statistics at CrossRoads Interview with Prof. Orhan GÜVENEN Former TurkStat President Prof. Orhan GÜVENEN, born in 1939, Erzurum / Turkey, married with two children. After graduating from Lycée Saint Joseph in İstanbul, he earned his B.Sc. degree in Economics from İstanbul University, M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Econometrics from University of Paris Sorbonne. Between he was President of Turkish Statistical Institute. He also served in many important duties as Ambassador of Permanent Representatives of Turkey to the OECD in , Undersecretary of State Planning Organization in He received several national and international awards such as ISI, The Adolphe Quatelet Medal, Best Public Sector Manager of the year 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994 and recently GUSI Peace Prize. He is currently acting as the Chair of the Department of Accounting and Information Systems, and Director of the Institute of World System Economies and Strategic Research. The GUSI Peace Prize Philippine and International Committee decided to award the GUSI Peace Peace Prize 2013 to you, for your working for people s welfare through Académie (Economics & Strategic Research) & Diplomacy. Would you please clarify a bit, what is the context of this prize, to whom it may be awarded? The Gusi Peace Prize was founded and headed by Gusi Family of Phillipinnes; however an international committee conducts fastidious assessments according to a set of criteria in order to select the awardees. The GUSI Peace Prize Foundation s main objective is to give proper recognition through the conferment of awards of excellence and distinction to individuals or groups worldwide who have distinguished themselves as brilliant exemplars of society or who contributed towards the attainment of peace and respect for human life and dignity. Professor Güvenen, your career is full of achievements both in bureaucratic and academic arena. However, you are more likely to be known as a diplomat who successfully represented Turkey in several international organizations, such as OECD, UNESCO, Europe Development Bank. Would you please share with us some of your experiences, especially in terms of your contributions? Let me tell you one prominent memory during by tenure ( ) in OECD Ambassador to Turkey. OECD decisions are taken by consensus rule. The majority rule is only applied in exceptional situations. At one time, there had occurred a tendency to move to majority rule in taking decisions. My opinion was that this kind of change would transform OECD as a political organ instead of its current status as a consultancy body which is supported by

3 Volume 1, Issue 3 Page 3 Interview with Prof. Orhan GÜVENEN Former TurkStat President academic studies. Majority rule would politicize OECD by encouraging actions like backstage and lobbying. When the issue came into agenda, I had entered in to a great struggle to convince the delegates to oppose the idea. I expressed my idea on the disadvantages of majority rule and claim that then the convention should be discussed which includes the principles and aims of OECD. The topic was removed from the agenda as a result of heated debates. After 18 years, the consensus rule has still been applied in OECD, this is one of the contributions of Turkey. Although you left TurkStat Presidency after your term between , you have always been in contact with Statistics. How do you evaluate this period after 20 years? My return to Turkey as the President of TurkStat was due to the invitation of Prime Minister Turgut ÖZAL. At that time, I had no previous experience in public sector; however I was aware that a strong and well established statistical system would strengthen the decision-making mechanisms of a country. I have always considered public service as worship. During my term in TurkStat, my target had been to make TurkStat one of 10 best statistical offices in the world. I was not to teach TurkStat professionals how to perform their work, I only could try to become a good maestro and establish a working environment which takes its strength from academic basis and free from any kind of political influence. I received the support of universities and valuable academicians. These helped to maintain a more academic and scientific ground for studies and publications of TurkStat; and strengthen skills in verbal and written communications. Although I had left TurkStat 20 years ago, I still feel myself a part of TurkStat among you. I follow TurkStat publications with pleasure and admiration. I support TurkStat in every occasion and feel the obligations to defend it against off-putting claims.

4 Page 4 Statistics at CrossRoads How do you evaluate international cooperation activities for national statistical offices? Were they so significant during your term? I had efforts to establish high level contacts with many statistical offices and improved bi -lateral relations. The most important feature for statistical offices should be trustworthiness since they represent the country. The official statistics provided from different countries are not often comparable in terms of their quality and quantity as well. Producing internationally comparable statistics is not an easy task. One way to overcome this challenge is to relate with international counterparts. In the last Euro-Asian University Rectors Meeting, the presented projections indicated that world s economic center of gravity has shifted to the east. Statisticians should monitor these kinds of developments closely. You initiated the Turkey Statistics Day which then was spread world-wide. What are your suggestions to popularize the statistics-awareness in the public? When I first suggested setting down a date as Turkey s Statistics day, I was not aware if there had been such a tradition around the world. I then got to learn that there is one in Japan. My dream was to construct a museum of numbers, which then I learned there is one example in Australia. Such prestigious attempts are really significant in today s environment. The basic source of statistics is from national units. Those data, which is to be received from households and enterprises, have to be correct. We have to trust in public s prudence although it may be subject to continuous damages by different sources. We should present the importance of mathematics and statistics through visual communication channels. I had positive feedbacks after my efforts in this direction. I tried to explain what the published statistical data meant, using all the available communication channels. These explanations should be clear and brief and understandable by various segments of the public. To this aim, statistical offices can consult to scientific authorities and get their support on how to communicate with the public. Children are important factor. Studies can be done for early awareness in schools and family environments. Thank you for this delightful conversation. My pleasure.

5 Volume 1, Issue 3 Page 5 25th April- Turkey Statistics Day and 88th Anniversary of TurkStat TurkStat celebrated the 88th Anniversary of its foundation, together with the Turkey Statistics day on 25th April Mr. Ali BABACAN, Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy graced TurkStat with his presence and made a speech on the importance of statistical data on both measuring and directing economic and social developments. In the context of the ceremonies, there also realized a Panel Discussion titled as Statistics from the View of Users. TurkStat President was the moderator of the panel where, Mr. Vural ÇAKIR, President of Turkey Research Foundation, Prof.Dr.Erol KAYMAZ from Middle East Technical University Economics Department and Prof. Dr. Deniz GÖKÇE who is an economist and columnist were the other panellists. After the panel discussion, Mr. Ali BABACAN, presented the performance-awards to first three regional offices which were rated according the performance indicators, set for regional offices of TurkStat. In this context, Directors of Manisa, Adana and Kastamonu Regional Offices and successful staff received their gifts and plaques.

6 Page 6 Statistics at CrossRoads Eurostat Visit to TurkStat Mr. Walter RADERMACHER; who has been the President of Eurostat since 2008, paid a visit to Turkey on 22 January Along with statistical developments in Turkey s EU harmonization process; Eurostat TurkStat relations and ongoing projects were the core topics discussed during the visit which was hosted by TurkStat President Mr. Birol AYDEMİR. Chapter 18th: Statistics, is among the 33 Chapters evaluated in Turkey s Negotiation Process with the EU. The chapter opened for active negotiations on 26th June 2007 with two closing criteria. These criteria basically include the presentation of the methodology used in compiling agricultural statistics and national accounts and also the indicators obtained. Mr. RADERMACHER also visited Mr. Cevdet YILMAZ, Minister of Development, Mr. Mehdi EKER, Minister for Food, Agriculture and Livestock and Mr. Erdem BAŞÇI, President of Central Bank in their offices. During these appointments, Mr. RADERMACHER evaluated the current status of closing critera and expressed Eurostat s support to Turkey in this regard. Eurostat President Mr. Radermacher signed the TurkStat Honour Book, stating his contentment on the opportunity to meet with TurkStat.

7 Volume 1, Issue 3 Page 7 News on Cooperation Activities Indonesia Dr. Suryamin (the Chief Statistician of Indonesia), who was in Ankara on the occasion of the fourth sessıon of OIC-StatCom, paid a courtesy visit to TurkStat on April 22, During his visit, a brief presentation on Statistical Production Processes was made by TurkStat representatives. Mongolia President of Mongolian Statistical Office, Mr. Mendsaikhan SONOMTSEREN visited TurkStat on 28 May- 1 June The visit had been an opportunity to discuss and evaluate the cooperation activities realized between the two offices. The Mongolian delegation also visited the Nevşehir and İstanbul Regional Offices of TurkStat in the context of the visit. Turkmenistan "Turkish delegation paid a visit to Turkmenistan in order to determine the demands of State Statistics Committee of Turkmenistan (TurkmenStat) as well as to make necessary studies before the signature of the protocol between TurkStat and TurkmenStat." TurkStat Representatives also visited TİKA (The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency) Office in Turkmenistan. TİKA is a government agency which was established in 1992 and engages in cooperation activities in 30 countries in Asia and Africa. Kazakhstan TurkStat is the sub-contractor of the Strengthening the Statistical System of Kazakhstan Statistical Office Project which is financed by World Bank. In this regard, TurkStat hosted a Study Visit on March Kazakhstan Delegation met with TurkStat staff to discuss and share experiences on Migration Statistics.

8 Page 8 Statistics at CrossRoads Visit of Federal Statistical Office of Germany Mr. Roderich EGELER, President of Federal Statistical Office of Germany and German Delegation, paid a visit to Turkey on April During the visit which was hosted by TurkStat, a Joint Declaration of Intent, aimed at improving cooperation between TurkStat and Destatis was signed. This Joint Declaration of Intent will strengthen the technical cooperation among the two institutions through organization of traineeships and seminars. Mr. EGELER and the German Delegation also visited Nevşehir Regional Office of Turk- Stat after the meetings and contacts in Ankara. TurkStat President Mr. Birol AYDEMİR and high level representatives accompanied the German Delegation in Nevşehir where they had to chance to monitor the newly established TurkStat Training Center and Disaster Recovery Center. Mr. Egeler signed the TurkStat Honour Book, expressing his gratitude to TurkStat for the hospitality and friendship during his stay in Turkey.

9 Volume 1, Issue 3 Page 9 The Visibility Conference of USST Programme Phase III titled as Capacity Building in Statistics was held on 8th November Upgrading the Statistical System of Turkey (USST) Programme Phase III having a budget of 3 million euros is jointly financed by EU Commission and Republic of Turkey. The Programme is consisted of two components; Training Grant Component has been operational since July 2011 and executed by TurkStat itself. Technical Assistance Component which is implemented by GOPA Consultants has a duration of 24 months between 28 December December The Conference on Capacity Building in Statistics which is a part of the visibility activities within the framework of USST Programme Phase III, was realized on 8th November 2013 in Hotel Ankara Hilton with the participation of national and international stakeholders, academic environment, media and NGOs. During the Conference, Mr. Cevdet YILMAZ, Minister of Development, Mr. Birol AY- DEMİR, President of TurkStat, Mr. Muhsin ALTUN, President of Central Finance and Contracts Unit, Mr. Michel VILLANI, the first Deputy Undersecretary of EU Delegation to Turkey and Mr. Ahmet YÜCEL, Deputy Undersecretary of Ministry of EU Affairs, and made the opening speeches. During the Conference, Mr. Enver TAŞTI, Vice President of TurkStat made a presentation about the USST Programme with its content and achievements. Additionally, the Heads of TurkStat technical departments presented the studies of TurkStat on the areas of social, business, environmental and demographic statistics. Representatives of UNECE, The World Bank, Eurostat, EFTA and EU Member States Statistical Offices like INSEE and Statistics Denmark also attended to the Conference and the studies which have already realized and planned in the context of USST Programme Phase III shared with the audience of almost 300 participants.

10 Page 10 Statistics at CrossRoads SOME FRAMES FROM VISIBILITY CONFERENCE Mr. Cevdet YILMAZ, Minister of Development Mr. Birol AYDEMİR, TurkStat President Representatives of TurkStat, EU Delegation, UNECE, Worldbank, EFTA, Eurostat, GOPA Consultants, Statistics Denmark and INSEE of France in the Family Picture.

11 Volume 1, Issue 3 Page 11 Impressions of Some Turkish Experts Participated in Various International Activities During the last six months, TurkStat staff participated in 112 international activities, which is composed of 19 study visits, 58 meetings and workshops, 26 training courses and 2 traineeship programmes. Additionally, 6 TurkStat staff were assigned to consultancy services in Statistical Offices of Albania, Iran, Oman, Yemen, United Arab Emirates. Attendance to LAMAS Working Group meeting is very beneficial for the experts who work in labour market units. The working group initiates task forces that are set up to address specific issues. This sub missions led to establish relationships with colleagues and improve problem solving skills of the participants. H. Erdem ŞAHİNLER Income Distribution and Earnings Statistics Group October Luxembourg The aim of the workshop that I attended aims at establishment of the standards for production and publication of monthly unemployment figures by exchanging experiences. During the workshop, current practices had been reviewed and discussed. Participating in this meeting and having the opportunity to see other countries practices provided me a new perspective on Monthly Unemployment Estimates. Nejla ARSAL ERGÜÇ Workshop on monthly unemployment estimates 7-8 November Heerlen The meeting was very crucial so as to learn about fishery statistics and Eurostat practices. I had the opportunity to gain experience of participating in an international meeting related to fishery statistics, share the experiences of MSs, compare methodologies and especially try to make strategies for our harmonization studies. Establishing continual relations with other Member States and delegates of organizations like ICES and FAO were also beneficial for me. Besides it was so tasteful to eat every kind of marine products on one plate at the fishery meeting during lunch... Tuğba GÖÇMEN Fishery Statistics Working Group October Luxembourg "The 2014 ESS Big Data Event" enabled me to see various approaches related to this fastevolving field. There were more than one hundred participants with different professions from all over the world, and I had a chance to exchange ideas with some of them. I also had the opportunity to introduce new concepts, especially methodological ones and best practices, to colleagues in Turkstat from a variety of departments. Ilker GÜVEN 2014 ESS Big Data Event Rome

12 Who is Who? TURKISH STATISTICAL INSTITUTE Enver TAŞTI Vice President Tel: Şennur ONUR Head of International Relations Department Tel: /125 Yücetepe Mah. Necatibey cad. No: Çankaya/Ankara TURKEY Phone: Fax: Alper GÜCÜMENGİL Head of International Project Management Group Tel: /164 Gürdal GEDİK Head of International Relations and EU Coordination Group Tel: /165 International Project Management Group Metin EROL Expert /168 Ebru ÇÖKMEZ Expert /168 Osman ORHANLI Expert /169 Betül TAŞDEMİR Expert /169 Gözde ÖZTELLİ Expert /163 Çağatay IŞILAK Expert /163 Jale YELMEN Statistician /169 Derya KOÇ Statistician /163 Nuray KIZILBAYRAK Secretary /168 International Cooperation and EU Coordination Group Berna BAŞARAN Expert /167 Nilgün ÇELEBİOĞLU Expert /167 Turgay ALTUN Expert /166 Neslihan ÖNCÜL Expert /166 Şükrü ÇALLI Expert /167 Serap GÖZEL Engineer /167 Halime ÖNDER Economist /166 Deniz SAÇILIK Secretary /166