Originally published by Business Report on www.busrep.co.
For the first time in its 122-year history, the International Statistics Institute (ISI) will meet in sub-Saharan Africa, when its 57th session convenes in Durban in August 2009.
ISI sessions, held every two years, provide a platform for the gathering of the world's leading statisticians to share experience in a diverse range of statistics among public, private, research and educational institutions.
The award of the 57th session to South Africa coincides with an upsurge in statistical activity and partnerships in Africa, aimed at improving statistical data measurement and quality for monitoring and evaluating the continent's social and economic progress.
The 56th ISI session, held in Lisbon, ended on Tuesday, after the ISI "baton" was passed from Portugal to South Africa.
The Durban gathering aims to integrate Africa into the mainstream of statistical discourse, and to promote the broader scholarly participation of Africans at the ISI as well as to promote the continent's statistical data use for evidence-based policy making, measuring and monitoring.
In accepting the ISI's mandate, South Africa's ambassador to Portugal, Thandiwe Profit-McLean, addressed the assembled delegates on the continent's unique needs and the way the 2009 gathering can address these needs through statistical practice.
"Africa is a continent with about 1 billion people in 53 countries," said the ambassador. "It is the second-largest continent in terms of population after Asia.
"It is known for its mineral wealth. Yet the majority of its people are hungry and suffer from income poverty."
According to a recent International Comparisons Programme study led by the African Development Bank and the World Bank, people spend more time working to eat in Africa than on any other continent.
More than 50 percent of Africa's labour reward is spent on food, compared with about 17 percent elsewhere.
Profit-McLean said: "How does an African family become creative if 50 percent of its household expenditure is spent on food "Can Africa improve trade within the continent Can Africa develop its human resources, and to what effect These and many other questions require information and leadership.?
She continued: This serious avalanche of developmental challenges confronts not only South Africa, but Africa as a continent. This is why we believe that [the ISI] coming to Africa will make a difference. The battle against poverty is our number one agenda and for that we need to be part of a global strategy.
"As the leadership, and those who provide hope for our countries, we are seized by the need to deliver on the Millennium Development Goals, and we have to monitor whether we are reaching and achieving the targets we have set ourselves, such as halving poverty by 2015."
A report by the Friends of the Chair of the UN Statistics Commission advised the UN secretary-general to urgently address issues of measurement, particularly in the developing world. This advice came amid the realisation that Africa has little information on which to track and measure progress or lack thereof.
Statistics and information provide an array of diagnostic tools that pave the way ahead and empower policy makers and diplomats to respond appropriately.
"The leadership of our countries has realised the critical link between statistics and democracy," said the ambassador. "This involves transparency.
"In South Africa we are governed by a Statistics Act that gives professional autonomy to the statistician-general and ensures that our statistics are produced in an environment free of fear or favour."
In coming to South Africa, the ISI session will create the possibility for us, as Africans, to create, by ourselves, the rich legacy of solutions to the development challenges that confront us.
Profit-McLean concluded: On behalf of my president, Thabo Mbeki, I want to say, come to South Africa in 2009. We would love to receive you.
"We are in forward-looking mode. This is our Age of Hope and there is an infectious energy in the air. We have always expressed our gratitude to the international community for the support they have given us in making our country a better place for all."