The 57th Session of the international statistical institute concludes in Durban to resounding acclaim

Abstract

The 57th Session of the International Statistical Institute (ISI) 2009 concluded in Durban South Africa on the 22nd August to widespread acclaim from the statistical fraternity. The session lasted from 16th August and was held in sub-Saharan Africa for the first time in the institutes 124 year history. Addressing the Institute, the President of the Republic of South Africa, H.E. Jacob Zuma, said he was delighted to see that onequarter of the 2500 delegates from 135 countries at the meeting were Africans. “The discussions around the African development agenda will provide new directions in statistical capacity building and development in Africa”, he said. Mr Zuma said it was clear that multilateral financial institutions currently have a limited capacity to respond to world economic crises. He urged statisticians to contribute to the search for durable solutions that will benefit all nations. The African Statistical Coordination Committee (ASCC), comprising the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), the African Union Commission (AUC), and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) worked hard to make ISI 2009 truly an African event.