International Organisations

1
International Organisations co-operation and its
impact on data consistency in dissemination
where should users look for what?
Agenda Item 3.5.

• OECD Statistics Directorate
• Andreas.Lindner_at_oecd.org

STD/SES/TAGS 2nd WPTGS Meeting 16.-18.11.2009,
Paris
2
Outline

1. A wealth of international databases
2. A compendium is available of what IOs offer for
   what type of analytical question
3. How could users more easily find what they are
   looking for? Across IOs!
4. How could data consistency across IOs be further
   improved?
5. How could data access be further rationalised and
   facilitated?
6. WPTGS delegates views are invited

3
A wealth of international databases

• It is well known that IO co-operate very closely
  on trade statistics, BOP, Globalisation
  Indicators (e.g. through Task Forces, UN expert
  meetings, OECDs WPTGS, etc.)
• WTO organised this May a Data Day which
  presented a summary of internationally available
  trade data and a description of tools
• But the question remains where a user could
  easily
• Find the information he/she is looking for
• Know what can be found
• Be ensured that the data obtained is probably the
  best one could find ( non-contradictory with
  another international data source)
• these were the questions several users asked at
  the WTO Data Day

4
Where to access these databases?

• All International Organisations involved in
  dissemination of trade data ( both merchandise
  trade and trade in services), BOP, Trade
  Indicators and market access data for policy
  makers, have compiled
• A short, but exhaustive, compendium of data
  bases, including a summary description of content
• The functionalities and tools to access and
  interactively work on data
• The Web address
• This compendium is available at the WTO website
  of the Data Day as PDF document at
• http//www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/data_day
  _may09_e/brochure_dataday_may09_e.pdf

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including a useful synopsis (excerpt)

• Structure Organization -Title Section- URL-
  Contact
• OECD Trade by Enterprise Characteristics (TEC)
  Trade http//www.olis.oecd.org/olis/2008doc.nsf/
  linkTo/std-ses-wptgs(2008)12
• Contact STD.TradeIndicators_at_oecd.org
• OECD International Trade Indicators (TIP) Trade
  
• http//www.oecd.org/std/its/tradeindicators
  Contact STD.TradeIndicators_at_oecd.org
• UN Commodity Trade Statistics Database (UN
  Comtrade) Trade
• http//comtrade.un.org/db/ Contact
  comtrade_at_un.org
• UNSD OECD Joint Trade Data Collection and
  Processing System Trade http//www.oecd.int/olish
  dweb/oecd_unsd/trade/Default.aspx
  Contact std.tradestats_at_oecd.org
• UNCTAD Handbook of Statistics Trade
  http//stats.unctad.org/handbook/ReportFolders/Rep
  ortFolders.aspx?CS_refererCS_ChosenLangen
• Contact handbook_at_unctad.org
• World Bank World Trade Indicators Trade
  http//web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/T
  RADE/0,,contentMDK21393040pagePK210058piPK210
  062theSitePK239071,00.html -
• WTO Common Data Set (CDS) Trade
  http//imts.wto.org/common_dataset_e.htm
• Contact tfimts_at_wto.org
• WTO International Trade Statistics report Trade
  
• http//www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/its2008
  _e/its08_toc_e.htm Con tact statistics_at_wto.org
  
• WTO Trade Profiles Trade http//stat.wto.org/Co
  untryProfile/WSDBCountryPFHome.aspx?LanguageE
• Contact statistics_at_wto.org
• WTO Online Statistics Database Trade
  http//stat.wto.org/Home/WSDBHome.aspx?LanguageE
  
• Contact statistics_at_wto.org

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This compendium (called Background Document)

• Is to our knowledge the most complete compilation
  of trade and associated data dissemination across
  IOs
• Reflects the specialties of IOs
• But does not address, of course, the issue of
  data consistency across IOs
• Nor does it facilitate easy retrieval, since
  organised by data base
• These two issues will be shortly addressed in the
  following

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IOs Co-operation does not necessarily mean data
consistency

• The only truly harmonised data set across IOs is
  detailed merchandise trade (COMTRADE-type). Why?
• Through a MoU, OECD feeds all OECD countries
  into COMTRADE (70 of world trade)
• Both UNSD and OECD have agreed on detailed
  processing routines
• Both organisations share the same, jointly
  developed, computer system
• Sequence OECDgt UNSD gt WTO
• The data vintage is the same and highly
  aligned, consistent statistics are
  re-disseminated world-wide
• A similar, concerted approach is the CDSCommon
  Data Set hosted by WTO, in which adjusted,
  reconciled merchandise trade totals are made
  available to the public. The CDS is fed by UNSD,
  OECD, FAO, Eurostat, and WTO and contains
  original and adjusted aggregates

8
Considerable data discrepancies across IOs
persist for Trade in Services

• Despite efforts of reconciliation and data
  sharing, the outcomes still are to be better
  aligned
• The present data sharing model
• Eurostat gt OECD UNSD, OECD adds Non-EU OECD gt
  UNSD Eurostat
• The most likely cause for discrepancies are
  vintage differences in IOs, but also slightly
  different details
• Framework not 100 aligned ( as with merchandise
  trade)
• OECD and UNSD have agreed to extend their MoU on
  Merchandise Trade also to Trade in Services
• The Task Force on TIS has been asked to look into
  this question across IOs and to propose solutions

9
Retrieval

• The WTO background document (compendium) provides
  an excellent starting point for a more integrated
  and easy to understand presentation of
  international trade and trade-related indicators
  databases for users world-wide
• It could be envisaged to transform it into a
  standard reference and query tool for users by
• Using a standard thematic structure for all IOs
• Advise for which type of needs a database would
  be appropriate
• Live links to databases, possibility of multiple
  choice per theme across IOs
• Such a tool could be included in each
  participating organisations trade statistics
  main website and result in a all at your
  fingertips data access, including all other IOs
  willing to participate

10
Questions to WPTGS delegates

• Concerning different data values published by the
  IOs, what is your point of view?
• A necessary nuisance?
• Should be eliminated to the extend possible?
• If the latter, any pragmatic proposal?
• Concerning the data retrieval across IOs
• Would you be interested in having such a tool, be
  it for your service or for user requests?
• Would you support such an initiative of
  re-grouping all available databases through a
  dedicated dynamic link on each IOs website, but
  accessing all other IOs using a standard
  thematic structure?

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Thank you for your attention!Andreas.lindner_at_oec
d.org