Event:

IAOS Conference on "Statistics, Development and Human Rights"

Date/Venue:

4 - 8 September 2000/Montreux, Switzerland

Organiser/Co-organiser(s):

The Conference was jointly organised by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (SFSO) and Swiss Development and Co-operation Agency (SDC).

Description:

The objective of the Conference was to promote a dialog and a multidisciplinary exchange of experiences between producers of official statistics and users, in particular those involved in the implementation of human rights. The participants and speakers came from public and private sectors and from national and international spheres.

The general theme was "Statistics, Development and Human rights" and the interactions between them. General sessions would cover horizontal theme relating to the democratic framework and the role of official statistics within it.

Thematic sessions, running simultaneously, will also consider various subject matters such as population statistics (questions relating to minorities, refugees, internal displacement, migrant workers, etc.), the production of statistics relating to socio-economic and cultural development (including the development of indicators) or to fundamental human rights.

For more information see the event website

Scientific Programme:

Date: 4th Sep 2000
 

• Opening session
• Special Session ¨C Childhood at a glance: Statistical information as a basis for policies aiming at protecting and promoting the rights of the child

Date: 5th Sep 2000
 

• Introductory Session 1 ¨C Emerging challenges in human rights monitoring
• Introductory Session 2 ¨C Contribution of statistical methods to the measurement of human rights and the political violence
• Statistics in the democratic process
• Statistics for political debate and democratic dialogu
• Panel: The Enlightened Agora - Reception and analysis of statistical information and indicators on human rights issues by the media
• Historical perspective: Uses and misuses of statistical data
• Contribution of official statistics to establishing new processes or mechanisms of human rights promotion and protection

Contributed Paper Sessions

• Gender issues ¨C 1
• Measuring migration and displaced population - 1
• Development of indicators on poverty and living standards

Date: 6th Sep 2000

• Developing tools for measuring implementation or violation of civil and political rights
• Gender statistics and indicators of women's empowerment
• Statistical activities and political elections
• Role of statistical information in the protection of personal integrity and the administration of justice
• Measuring the consequences of war: Massive flows and brutal changes in population structures
• Official statistics on minorities: A risk of abuse or a chance for the promotion of the rights of minorities?
• Statistical information on refugees and displaced populations (SCORUS Session)
• Measuring migration and its socio-economic impact (SCORUS Session)

Contributed Paper Sessions

• Measuring migration and displaced population ¨C 2
• Analysing poverty and living conditions ¨C 1
• Education indicators
• Statistics in the Democratic Process ¨C 1
• Monitoring the implementation of children rights ¨C 1
• Experiences in implementing human development indicators
• Public services and social security
• Gender issues ¨C 2
• Monitoring the implementation of children rights ¨C 2
• Analysing poverty and living conditions ¨C 2
• Impact of statistics on development policies ¨C 1

Date: 7th Sep 2000
 

• Human development: design of indicators
• Experiences in implementing national and regional indicators on human development
• Poverty and socio-economic indicators
• Information on general living conditions, housing and forced evictions
• Measuring access to the information global network and its impact on development strategies
• Monitoring public health and measuring access to medical and health services
• Measuring access to education and educational achievements
• Access to impartial statistics as a fundamental right of citizens
• Promoting human rights within programmes of technical co-operation in the field of statistics
• Protection of personal data collected and processed for statistical purposes
• Public dissemination policies of statistical information by national statistical institutes

Contributed Paper Sessions

• Statistics in the democratic process ¨C 2
• How to measure human rights violations and ill-treatment?
• Statistics through a health and human rights lens
• Access to information and protection of personal data as fundamental rights of citizens and the society
• Political, economic and social reforms: a challenge for official statistics
• Contribution of statistics to human rights implementation ¨C 1
• Statistics on minorities and disadvantaged groups
• Impact of statistics on development policies ¨C 2
• Contribution of statistics to human rights implementation ¨C 2
• Statistics, human rights and population issues
• Analysing human development: some results

8th Sep 2000
 

• Monitoring human rights within the agenda of the international statistical system
• Concluding session and farewell