19 October – 9 December. Online
The demand for technical assistance in the compilation of trade in services statistics is evidently strong. This is supported by the December 2005 WTO Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration, Annex C which referred in para.10 to trade in services statistics. It in particular states that WTO, inter alia, should provide targeted technical assistance: “… such assistance should be provided on, inter alia, compiling and analyzing statistical data on trade in services, [and] assessing interests in and gains from services trade….”. The United Nations Statistical Commission in its 2010 report also “encouraged all relevant international agencies and the United Nations regional commissions, especially members of the Task Force, to contribute to the implementation of MSITS2010, and recognized the efforts of the International Monetary Fund in capacity-building with regard to balance-of-payments statistics; and recognized that training is particularly important in trade in services statistics because of its methodological complexity.” Based on several requests received from the member states and different entities, the Development Statistics and Information Branch, Division on Globalization and Development Strategies, of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) initiated discussions with partners from different international institutions on the possibility to develop a common approach in responding to these needs.
Objectives
- Increase knowledge on trade in services statistics and its concepts
- Enhance statisticians’ work with data
- Master the use of the Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services (MSITS 2010)
Target Population
Primary Target: Compilers and producers of data (statistics of international trade in services, balance of payments, business statistics, etc.):
- BoP statisticians (from Central Banks or National Statistical Institutes)
- Statistical officers in trade and services
- National accountants
- Business statisticians
Secondary Target: Data users:
- Ministries (Tourism, Trade, Economy, Finance)
- Other industry players (economists, lawyers, etc.)
Duration
6-week e-learning course from 19 October to 29 November (6 hours per week)
follow-up webinar of 90 minutes on 8 December
Modules
- Importance of Trade in Services Statistics
- Setting up Pre-requisites for Data Collection and Compilation
- Data Sources and Collection
- Data Compilation (BOP STIS)
- Data Compilation (FATS)
- Dissemination and Analysis
Cost
The course is offered free of charge.
Registration
Follow these steps to register to the course:
For the English course:
- Go to https://tft-reg.unctad.org/en
- Select Statistics of International Trade in Services 2026 (SITS)
- Use the access code “SITS.2026”
For the French course:
- Go to https://tft-reg.unctad.org/fr
- Select Statistiques du Commerce International des Services 2026 (SCIS)
- Use the access code “SCIS.2026“
Note
Please note that the international recommendations were revised in 2026 and the Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services 2026 (MSITS 2026) was formally adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission at its 57th session in March 2026. The white-cover version of MSITS 2026 is available at: https://unstats.un.org/UNSDWebsite/statcom/session_57/documents/BG-3h-2-MSITS_2026_white_cover_version-Rev-E.pdf. Therefore, this course will be updated to incorporate the latest recommendations set out in MSITS 2026. The revised course is expected to be launched in 2027. Further information will be provided when it becomes available.