Report on global assessment of Uzbek statistical system finds significant improvements

The global assessment provides a comprehensive analysis of the institutional, technical and organisational capacities of the Uzbek statistical system to ensure the development of high-quality and comparable official statistics. It was conducted by two EFTA experts from Statistics Norway and Statistics Switzerland, together with two experts from UNECE and one from Eurostat. Over five days, they held a constructive exchange with staff from the Uzbek Statistics Agency regarding the legal, organisational and technical aspects of official statistics in Uzbekistan.

The report outlines a number of positive developments in the Uzbek statistical system since the last global assessment in 2018. For instance, it notes that coordination and cooperation between the Uzbek Statistics Agency and other producers of official statistics, as well as international bodies, is functioning well, and that the Uzbek Statistics Agency is well positioned to become the de facto national data steward. A new statistics law and presidential decree ensure a sound legal framework, which supports these developments.

The experts also highlighted some areas for improvement such as the further optimisation of work processes, and encouraged the Uzbek Statistics Agency to build on its improvements regarding cooperation and coordination with other agencies and international bodies.

Global assessments are extremely important to EFTA’s work. Feedback from experts helps strengthen our partner countries’ statistical systems and ensure that they provide timely, accurate and reliable official statistics, which are crucial for decision makers. Central Asia is an important region for EFTA in the new geopolitical context because of trade relations, and because of Switzerland’s longstanding commitment to represent these countries at the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank and support their economic development. High-quality official statistics are essential in supporting this endeavour.

Full report