Syria’s Planning and Statistics Authority, in cooperation with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), inaugurated a virtual diagnostic workshop on national accounts in Syria.
According to the Authority’s publications, on Monday, August 18, the workshop aims to build an advanced national accounts system and mechanisms to generate currently unavailable data based on scientific and practical foundations. Following the workshop, a diagnostic report will be developed on the statistical data available in Syria.
The program of the workshop, held at the Institute of Economic and Social Planning in Damascus, extends over five days, with the participation of representatives from various ministries and public bodies (Ministries of Economy and Trade, Industry, Finance, Agriculture, Energy, Local Administration and Environment, Higher Education and Scientific Research, Education, Transport, Tourism, Communications and Information Technology, Health, Information, Public Works and Housing, in addition to the Central Bank of Syria, the Federations of Industry, Agriculture, and Commerce, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, and the Real Estate Development Authority).
The System of National Accounts (SNA) is a set of internationally agreed standard recommendations on how to compile measures of economic activity. It describes a coherent, consistent, and integrated set of macroeconomic accounts in the context of internationally agreed concepts, definitions, classifications, and accounting rules.
In addition, the SNA provides an overview of economic processes, recording how production is distributed among consumers, businesses, governments, and foreign entities.
It shows how the income generated from production, adjusted by taxes and transfers, flows to these categories, and how these flows are allocated to consumption, savings, and investment.
National accounts are one of the pillars of macroeconomic statistics and form the basis for economic analysis and policy formulation.
The SNA is designed for use by all countries to meet their needs at different stages of economic development. It also provides a comprehensive framework of standards for other areas of economic statistics, facilitating the integration of these systems with national accounts to achieve consistency.
United Nations
Project phases
The head of the Planning and Statistics Authority, Anas Salim, told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that the Authority and ESCWA agreed on a timeline extending from July 2025 until the end of 2026, which includes calculating Syria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for 2024, by the SNA 1993, while adopting ESCWA experts’ recommendations and incorporating the informal sector in the accounts.
SNA 1993
The United Nations Statistical Commission adopted the 1993 System of National Accounts at its 27th session in 1993 as the international standard for compiling national accounts statistics and internationally reporting comparable national accounting data.
The SNA consists of an integrated set of macroeconomic accounts, balance sheets, and tables, based on internationally agreed concepts, definitions, classifications, and accounting rules.
Together, these principles provide a comprehensive accounting framework for compiling and presenting economic data in a format designed for economic analysis, decision-making, and policymaking.
As a conceptual framework, it does not provide comprehensive guidelines for data compilation, nor a precise description of priorities for accounts and tables, nor standards for frequency and format of presentation. To provide practical guidance, international agencies have developed separate manuals, such as the national accounting manuals prepared by the UN Statistics Division.
With the evolution of market economies and global economic interactions, the 1993 SNA differed from its 1953 and 1968 versions.
Globalization aspects and the emergence of new economic phenomena required a comprehensive update of the 1993 SNA, leading to the development of the 2008 SNA.
United Nations
It also includes integrating the time series of national accounts for the period between 2020 and 2024, as well as those extending between 2000 and 2019, consistent with the application of the International Standard Industrial Classification “ISIC4” since 2020. Preparations will then be made to calculate quarterly indicators for national accounts, alongside developing a plan to implement the SNA 2008 by 2026.
SNA 2008
The evolving aspects of globalization and new economic phenomena required a comprehensive update of the 1993 SNA instead of a gradual revision.
Therefore, at its 34th session in 2003, the UN Statistical Commission adopted a more comprehensive review of the 1993 SNA, emphasizing:
No fundamental or comprehensive changes to the 1993 SNA.
Maintaining consistency with related manuals, such as the Balance of Payments Manual, Government Finance Statistics, and the Monetary and Financial Statistics Manual.
Focusing on updates regarding specific issues, with the list of issues remaining open.
Continuation of the administrative and coordinating role of the Intersecretariat Working Group on National Accounts, with support from the Advisory Expert Group (AEG).
Transparency of the review process to secure broad support within the international statistical community.
Global participation of the statistical community.
United Nations
ESCWA continues to support Syria
The Deputy Director of ESCWA, Tarek al-Alami, participated in the workshop via video and stated that cooperation with the Authority includes preparing to implement a rapid census project to provide updated population data, contributing to the development of the legislative and legal environment of the planning and statistics system, and providing technical support for calculating Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) according to international standards.
He emphasized ESCWA’s commitment to continuing support for Syria in developing its statistical system using innovative methods that comply with international standards and ensure the provision of accurate data that contribute to achieving sustainable development.
International cooperation
The head of the Planning and Statistics Authority, Anas Salim, explained in a previous statement to Enab Baladi that the Authority had held meetings with several international organizations, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the World Food Programme (WFP). An upcoming meeting with ESCWA was also scheduled.
During the meetings, agreements were reached on providing technical and financial support to develop statistical work and implement several specialized surveys. The head of the Authority noted that preparatory steps had already been taken for this.
According to Salim, statistical and planning work requires continuous updating of methodologies and tools, which necessitates regular review of the best international experiences and practices and capacity building in this field, requiring strategic partnerships with countries and organizations.
Syria cooperates with UN’s ESCWA to develop statistical system Enab Baladi.
Hence then, the article about syria cooperates with un s escwa to develop statistical system was published today ( ) and is available on ُEnabbaladi ( Syria ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Syria cooperates with UN’s ESCWA to develop statistical system )
Also on site :