President Aquino Declares October 20 as World Statistics Day

President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared October 20, 2015 as “World Statistics Day” in response to the call of the United Nations (UN) to celebrate and acknowledge the important role and many achievements of official statistics.

President Aquino made the declaration through Proclamation No. 1135, which he signed last October 1.

The proclamation directed all agencies and instrumentalities of the national government, including government-owned or –controlled corporations, local government units, as well as the private sector, to collaborate and cooperate with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in advocating and implementing activities pertaining to World Statistics Day (WSD).

Prior to the proclamation, the PSA Board approved Resolution No. 09, enjoining the support and participation of the members of the Philippine Statistical System to the nationwide observance of WSD in the country.

The World Statistics Day was first celebrated on October 20, 2010 pursuant to Resolution 64/267 issued by the UN General Assembly.

On June 3 this year, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution designating October 20, 2015 as the second World Statistics Day, under the general theme, “Better Data, Better Lives”, and stating that the WSD be celebrated on October 20 every five years.

In 2010, President Aquino issued Proclamation No. 43 declaring October 20, 2010, as World Statistics Day “to recognize the role of statistics in evidence-based decision making across all cultural and historical background of countries, despite diversity and variation in levels of development”.

October has also been declared as National Statistics Month pursuant to Proclamation No. 647 (s. 1990).

Both the National Statistics Month and the World Statistics Day will be celebrated this month through various activities that will highlight the important role of statistics in achieving sustainable and inclusive growth and improving access to health facilities and social protection programs critical in nation-building. PND (co)