6 March 2026
On March 3-6, 2026, the 57th session of the UN Statistical Commission was held in New York. The Republic of Belarus was represented at the event by Timofey Zhigarev, First Deputy Chairperson of the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus (Belstat). He participated in discussions on agricultural statistics, environmental statistics and climate change issues, data management, welfare measurement, etc.
During the session “Agricultural and Rural Statistics” Timofey Zhigarev expressed support for the approval of the guidelines for the 2030 World Agricultural Census Program. He highlighted that the concepts and definitions contained in the document would help countries in planning and conducting agricultural censuses, and compliance with the guidelines would ensure international comparability of the data obtained.
In addition, he put forward a proposal aimed at improving the effectiveness of statistical activities. In particular, it was noted that countries where regular statistical monitoring provides full coverage of the activities of agricultural organizations should be given the opportunity to integrate existing data into the census results, which would avoid duplication of information requests, reduce the burden on respondents, and reduce financial and labor costs.
During the session “Environment and Climate Change Statistics”, the representative of the Belstat noted Belarus’ significant progress in this area. In 2025, the National set of statistical indicators related to climate change was approved and published, including 72 indicators harmonized with the Basic Principles for the Development of Environmental Statistics, the System of Natural and Economic Accounting, indicators for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as indicators for reporting under the Paris Agreement.
At the same time, support was expressed for the initiatives of the United Nations Statistics Division and the Expert Group aimed at revising the Global Set and Basic Principles for the Development of Environmental Statistics, updating which would improve the National Set of Statistical Indicators related to Climate Change and expand its practical application.
During the session “Data Management”, the First Deputy Chairperson of the Belstat noted the participation of the Republic of Belarus in the 2025 global survey on data management and the functioning of national statistical systems. According to him, the survey results show that Belarus demonstrates a high level of development in the field of data management. Since 2025, Belstat has been involved in government data management at the legislative level, standard structures of government data, metadata and classifications have been developed, its own software products have been adapted to maintain a catalog of government data and a unified classification system, and an inventory of data contained in all government information systems and resources has begun.
During the session “Well-Being Measurement” Timofey Zhigarev noted that work is already underway in Belarus to develop a national system for measuring sustainable well-being. It is based on the development of a national welfare index based on a balanced set of indicators that complement the GDP indicator. Thus, Belstat confirms its commitment to welfare monitoring based on indicators that expand the traditional framework for assessing economic development. According to the Belarusian side, the international welfare measurement system being created will become an important guideline for improving socio‑economic policy aimed at a real improvement in the standard of living of citizens.
The speeches of Timofey Zhigarev, First Deputy Chairperson of the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus, at the 57th session of the UN Statistical Commission can be found here.
Providing up-to-date and reliable statistical information makes an important contribution to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The participation of Timofey Zhigarev, First Deputy Chairperson of the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus, in the 57th session of the United Nations Statistical Commission was supported by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) as part of the Joint Project “Support to the Efforts of the Republic of Belarus in Nationalization and Localization of SDGs” funded by the Government of the Russian Federation.
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