Improved capacity on survey documentation in Lao PDR (Vientiane Province, 07-11 May 2012)

Improved capacity to document surveys was recently seen in Lao People’s Democratic Republic after the conduct of the DDI Production Workshop held last 07 to 11 May 2012 in Vientiane Province. The Lao Statistics Bureau (LSB), which was recently upgraded to bureau-level from department-level (formerly the Department of Statistics), organized the workshop, as well as a subsequent meeting with some agencies and stakeholders to further advocate microdata documentation and archiving.

Aside from enhanced documentation skills of staff from the LSB and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry who were trained in two previous DDI Production Workshops, the workshop also introduced capacity to document surveys to three more agencies: the Ministry of Education and Sports, Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, and Ministry of Public Health. The workshop produced DDIs for 6 new surveys which were thereafter reviewed for quality and uploaded in the NADA. To-date, the LSB has documented and published 21 surveys in the NADA.

The advocacy meeting held on 18 May 2012 aimed to present the work done on microdata documentation and archiving to stakeholders which included ADB consultants on a project to improve statistical capacity in Lao, and to discuss future steps to improve documentation, in LSB and in the entire Lao statistical system.