During the ISI Berlin Session, a special meeting on "Revitalising the IAOS" was organised. The aim of the meeting was to discuss how we can ensure that the IAOS plays a vital and dynamic role in the field of official statistics. Because the timeframe for the General Assembly discussions are always restricted due to the administrative matters, it was felt useful to continue the exchange of views at this open meeting. More than 30 participants were able to attend. The discussion was opened by Ms Denise Lievesley, former President of the IAOS.

As the background for the discussion was the concerns expressed by many members about the future of the IAOS given the levelling off in IAOS membership and the average age of present members is increasing. At the same time, the demands for official statistics and their quality are increasing and the needs for networking with the users of official statistics are becoming more and more important. The role and the profile of the IAOS is not very well known among the international statistical society, not even among our own members. Further, the new electronic means to facilitate the activities and contacts among the members is not very efficiently used within the IAOS.

During the lively discussion, a number of views and ideas were presented to strengthen the IAOS. You can find the report of this meeting on this site.

As background information, you can also find the PDF-version of " Final report on the review of the profile, mission and tasks of the IAOS" prepared by the IAOS Review Committee chaired by Dr Carlo Malaguerra. This report was discussed during the ISI Helsinki Session in 1999.

Comments and suggestions are actively encouraged, and can be sent to IAOS President Irena Krizman at irena.krizman@gov.si.