Statement by the UN Resident Coordinator in the Kyrgyz Republic, Ms. Antje Grawe INTERNATIONAL FORUM “Modernization of Statistical Business Processes: Building a New Ecosystem of Official Statistics”, State Residence Ala Archa

Distinguished Mr. Bakyt Kudaibergenov, Chairman of the National Statistical Committee,
Excellencies, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

And a big shout-out to all the senior female staff of the National Statistical Committee that was awarded by the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers for their work. It is great to see that the NSC is mainly run by women!

It is a great pleasure and honour to join you, on behalf of the United Nations, on this important occasion and to extend my warmest congratulations to the Government and the National Statistical Committee on the 100th anniversary of the national statistical system.

This centenary is not only a moment to celebrate an important national institution. It is also an opportunity to recognize how central statistics are to governance and sustainable development. I wish to share a few reflections in this regard.

A strong statistical system helps public institutions understand realities as they are, not as they are assumed to be. It provides the evidence needed for sound decision-making, better targeting of public policy, more effective use of resources, and stronger accountability to citizens.

That is why the work of the National Statistical Committee matters so much.

Over the years, Kyrgyzstan’s statistical system has evolved into a key pillar of public administration. It has expanded digital reporting, strengthened methodologies in line with international standards, widened access to official data, and helped foster a culture of evidence-based policymaking.

This is especially important in the era of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The SDGs have significantly raised the ambition for national data systems, which are in turn instrumental for the achievement of the SDGs:

They require not only more data, but better data: timely, accessible, reliable and disaggregated. They require data that can show not only whether a country is progressing overall, but also who is progressing, who is being left behind, and where policy needs to adjust.

Kyrgyzstan has shown real leadership in this regard. The National Statistical Committee has built one of the region’s more developed SDG monitoring systems, including through the Open SDG data platform. Today, Kyrgyzstan tracks with 217 SDG indicators almost all indicators. That is a significant national achievement and a strong basis for policy and accountability. This even more so as the SDGs are fully integrated into the National Development Programme 2030.

Dear Participants,

As Secretary-General António Guterres has said, “Accurate data is the lifeblood of good policy and decision-making.”

Kyrgyzstan’s 2025 Voluntary National Review reinforced exactly that point. It showed that the next frontier is not only more indicators, but better disaggregation. The VNR is candid that important gaps remain, especially for persons with disabilities, migrants and rural women. This matters because Leaving No One Behind begins with visibility. If people are not adequately reflected in the data, they are less likely to be adequately reflected in policy, and – most importantly, they are less likely to receive the services they require and are entitled to.

This is also highly relevant for the implementation of the National Development Programme 2030. As Kyrgyzstan pursues its ambition to become one of the top 30 SDG performers globally, strong data systems will be essential to track whether progress is reaching people, reducing poverty and inequality, and translating national priorities into measurable results. In this context, allow me to suggest that data becomes a standing agenda item at the annual National Development Forum that brings together Government and international Development Partners.

This also underpins that investment in data is not only a technical matter. It is strategic in nature. It strengthens the ability of institutions to make informed decisions, identify inequalities, monitor results, and build public trust.

It also connects to a broader global discussion. Around the world, there is growing recognition that GDP alone cannot fully capture whether people are living better, whether inequalities are narrowing, and whether development is sustainable. Stronger statistical systems are therefore essential not only to measure growth, but to measure well-being, inclusion, resilience and sustainability more fully.

The United Nations has been partnering with Kyrgyzstan in this effort. Across the UN system, our support has included the conduct of censuses, surveys, sectoral statistics, SDG monitoring, data platforms and analytical work, including through digitalization and the increasing use of AI.

Let me conclude with a simple message: investment in statistics is investment in better decisions, better policies and better development outcomes.

On this important anniversary, I congratulate the National Statistical Committee and all those who have contributed to this institution over the past hundred years.

The United Nations remains a proud and committed partner to Kyrgyzstan in ensuring that data continue to serve effective governance, sustainable development and progress for all.

Thank you.