BRICS NSOs Boost AI, Digital Data, Statistics Cooperation

Lucknow, Aug 4 (PTI) Heads of National Statistical Offices of BRICS countries on Tuesday adopted a joint statement to deepen cooperation in modernising statistical systems, expanding the use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence, and strengthening macroeconomic statistics across member nations.

The joint statement was adopted at the conclusion of the two-day Meeting of Heads of BRICS National Statistical Offices held here under India's chairship. The meeting, themed "Quality Statistics as Driver of Change", brought together representatives of BRICS national statistical offices, policymakers, academicians and technical experts.

"We... agreed to continue dialogue and enhance statistical cooperation among member countries," the heads of the statistical offices said in the joint statement.

The statement said the deliberations focused on the use of digital platforms for data dissemination, reforms in national statistical systems to address the evolving data ecosystem, identifying innovation areas for BRICS collaboration, and strengthening macroeconomic and sectoral statistics.

The member countries also agreed to document and share "experiences, good practices, and lessons learned on data dissemination" to improve the accessibility and use of official statistics through digital and other channels.


The BRICS nations further noted "the need to establish a regular mechanism for sharing experiences, and capacity-building efforts related to the implementation of the System of National Accounts (SNA) 2025" to facilitate a coordinated transition across member countries.

The statement said the countries would continue cooperation in areas such as modernisation of statistical systems, adoption of innovative methodologies and data sources, and enhancement of the quality, timeliness, relevance and accessibility of official statistics.

Heads of NSOs and representatives from Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation under the BRICS Statistics Track.

"We agreed to exchange best practices in survey modernisation, digital data collection, data dissemination, and data anonymisation, and to explore opportunities for collaborative pilot projects and technical cooperation in identified innovation areas," it said.

The BRICS statistical offices also reaffirmed their commitment to continuing the annual BRICS Joint Statistical Publication and the BRICS Joint Statistical Publication Snapshot, describing them as important instruments for knowledge sharing, transparency and cooperation.

The joint statement appreciated India's coordination of the BRICS Joint Statistical Publication and the organisation of side events on administrative data and AI readiness during the two-day meeting.