UNITED NATIONSECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFICSTATISTICAL INSTITUTE FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
UNITED NATION COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON BUSINESS AND TRADE STATISTICSUNITED NATIONS, DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS,STATISTICS DIVISIONWebinars on Indicators on business performance related to well-being andsustainability

26 April, 31 May and 13 September 2023
Concept NoteI.

Background

Historically business statistics have focused very much in measuring the economic performance andcompetitiveness of businesses. However, businesses play a very important role toward sustainabilityand wellbeing. Since its establishment in 2018, the UN Committee of Experts on Business and TradeStatistics (UN CEBTS) recognized the need to measure the role of businesses toward sustainability
and wellbeing and thus created a dedicated task team to address the measurement challenges. TheTask team identified a set of 18 reference indicators related to the measurement of the businesssector’s impact on well-being and sustainability. These indicators were based on the review of theindicators of the Sustainable Development Goal indicators of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the core indicators for entity reporting on contribution towards implementation of
the Sustainable Development Goals in order to provide a bridge between the information available
at business level with business statistics and ultimately with relevant SDG indicators.
The Manual on Principal Indicators for Business and Trade Statistics, vol 1. contains a reference listof business statistics indicators related to three priority areas: business demography, business dynamics, and entrepreneurship; globalization and digitalization; and well-being and sustainability
which were developed by the task teams on the UN CEBTS. Methodological sheets were preparedfor each indicator based on existing international guidance in order to support their implementation1

in countries. In addition, relevant breakdowns were identified to provide additional granularity tothe indicators. The set of business indicators related to selected aspects of well-being and sustainability indicators is not comprehensive. It is rather a consolidated set of indicators that are generally
more readily available and for which guidance is available. The webinars will also provide an opportunity to collect feedback on the list of indicators based on the challenges and opportunities in theirimplementation.
This webinar series will focus on the set of indicators related to wellbeing and sustainability and isorganized to (1) provide an overview of the importance of measuring impact of businesses on wellbeing and sustainability; (2) review data sources including, for example non-financial reporting; and(3) share country experiences on challenges and opportunities in the compilation of these indicators.

II.

Target audience and main objectives

The target audience for these webinars are government / official statisticians experienced in either
SDG reporting, environmental statistics or business statistics, including labour statistics. Staff responsible for new statistical products may also benefit from the first webinar where the concept isintroduced.
The main objectives of the webinars are:
1. To introduce the importance of compiling indicators on the businesses’ impact on well-being
and sustainability.
2. To share information on data sources and compilation methods.
3. To discuss challenges and opportunities in the compilation of these indicators.
4. To strengthen technical capacity to compile the proposed business indicators on well-being andsustainability.

III.

Structure and dates of webinars

The three webinars will be organized on 26 April, 31 May and 28 June. Each webinar will last for twohours, beginning with substantive presentations of the topics by experts followed by discussion sessions. The webinars will be conducted in English without interpretation. Background materials regarding the compilation will also be prepared in English. Participants will have an opportunity tointeract with the presenters orally.

2Webinar 1 (26 April): Introduction to the importance of measuring the impact of businesses onwellbeing and sustainability.
Description:
This webinar will provide an introduction to the importance of measuring the impact of businesses
on selected aspects of wellbeing and sustainability, the rationale and purpose of the suggested business statistics indicators, their link to the SDGs indicators and the role of non-financial reporting in
producing these indicators. Examples of compiling and dissemination on selected indicators will bepresented.
Time (UTC)
7:00-7:15
7:15-8:00
8:00-8:10
8:10-9:00

AgendaWelcome remarks (Organizers)
Introduction to indicators on business impact on well-being and sustainability – Q&A and discussion
Stretch Break
Examples of compiling and dissemination

Webinar 2 (31 May): Compiling business statistics indicators related to selected aspects of environmental sustainability.
Description:
This webinar will focus on business indicators related to selected aspects of environmental sustainability (e.g. indicator related to water, energy, emission etc.). It will cover a review of data sourcesand data compilation. It will also provide as a forum to share country experiences and identifying
areas of further work.
Time (UTC)

Agenda7:00-7:15
7:15-8:00

Welcome remarks (Organizers)
Introduction of business statistics indicators related to the environment
Presentation of country example
Stretch BreakRound table on challenges and opportunities in the compilation of theseindicators (chaired by presenters)

8:00-8:10
8:10-9:00

Webinar 3 (13 September): Compiling of indicators of business performance related to selectedsocial aspects of well-being and sustainability.
Description:
This webinar will focus on business indicators related to selected social aspects e.g gender, employment, productivity etc. It will cover a review of data sources and data compilation. It will also provide
as a forum to share country experiences and identifying areas of further work.
3Time (UTC)
7:00-7:10
7:10-8:00

8:00-8:10
8:10-8:55
8:55-9:00

IV.

AgendaWelcome remarks (Organizers)-Introduction of business statistics indicators related to selected social
aspects of wellbeing and sustainability-Importance of business for wellbeing and social inclusion
Stretch Break
Presentation of country example
Q&A (chaired by presenters)
Final Remarks

Access to the webinar presentations

Webinars will be recorded. Recordings and presentations will be shared on SIAP website after eachwebinar.

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