SBJ-SIAP Collaboration Webinar
" Strengthening Statistical Literacy: Communicating Official Statistics More Effectively "

Introduction

The Statistics Bureau of Japan (SBJ) and the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP) will co-host a Webinar on Statistical Literacy on 27-28 October 2026. This webinar focuses on strengthening statistical literacy, which is essential for improving the accessibility, usability and reliability of official statistics, and for supporting more informed decision-making. The webinar aims to strengthen the capacity of NSOs to innovate and address these challenges. This collaboration with international partners is expected to provide valuable global perspectives and promote a broader exchange of knowledge.

Streaming Method

The webinar will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. The access link will be provided to registered participants prior to the event.

Date and Agenda (JST, UTC+9)

Language

The working language will be English and all documentation will be in English.
*English-Japanese simultaneous interpretation services will be provided.

Webinar Archive

To be updated

Moderator

Christophe Bontemps is a statistician lecturer at the UN Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific, specialized in Data Science (A.I., Machine Learning, Big Data) with a strong interest for pedagogy and communication. He has created several face-to-face and online courses in Data Visualization, Machine Learning and Data Science, and is advocating for the use open source tools such as R or Python. Since 2020, he is a member of the UN Committee of Experts on Big Data and Data Science. Previously in the academics at the Toulouse School of Economics, he has published several scientific papers and books in econometrics, data visualization and in environmental and food economics.
He holds a PhD in Applied Mathematics and Master's degrees in Econometrics and in Computer Science, all from the University of Toulouse, France.

Speakers

Jo Parry MBE will present findings from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's (UNECE) in-depth review of statistical literacy, which she led and presented at the Conference of European Statisticians plenary session in October 2025. Drawing on survey responses from nearly 50 countries, Jo will highlight key findings and recommendations for statistical organisations worldwide. These will include how organisations understand the purpose and value of statistical literacy, the activities they deliver, the audiences they target, how they measure impact, and ideas for promoting statistical literacy in the future, such as storytelling. She will also introduce a new self-assessment tool developed as an UNECE High-level Group for the Modernisation of Official Statistics project. The tool is designed to help statistical organisations assess and strengthen their confidence and capability in statistical literacy. Jo is Head of Strategic Marketing and Planning at the UK's Office for National Statistics, where she has spent seven years building public engagement with, and trust in, official statistics. She led the award-winning Census 2021 public engagement campaign, which reached more than 26 million households and helped achieve a response rate of over 97%. Jo holds a Masters in Social and Public Communication from the London School of Economics and has more than 20 years' experience in national public engagement and behaviour change communications for the UK Government.

Natalie is a Senior International Policy Officer at the UK's Office for National Statistics, supporting Jo Parry's keynote and delivering a portion of the presentation on statistical literacy findings. Natalie has over seven years' experience in government communications and policy, specialising in strategic international engagement and stakeholder management. She has worked closely with statistical organisations, advising on communications strategies that build trust and confidence while helping them engage more effectively with their audiences. She designed and delivered a capability-building programme across statistical offices in Africa. In her current role, Natalie collaborates with international partners to tackle joint challenges and shape the future of global statistics.

NISHI Chinami is Director of the Statistics Information Utilization Promotion Division, Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC). She has been engaged in statistical work for 35 years and has been responsible for the Consumer Price Index, Population Census, Input-Output tables, and the creation of anonymized data. She has held her current position since April 2026.
This presentation introduces initiatives undertaken by the MIC to improve statistical literacy among the public. With recent advances in data science and AI, society is increasingly shifting toward data-based decision-making. Against this backdrop, the importance of statistical literacy, or the ability to correctly understand and use statistics, has been growing in Japan. In response to these societal needs, school education has placed greater emphasis on data interpretation and analytical skills, while universities have expanded data science education. In addition, promoting EBPM in national and local governments has increased the need for experts in utilizing statistical data.The SBJ has implemented a wide range of initiatives aimed at people of all ages, from children to working adults. Through these initiatives, the SBJ aims to promote statistical literacy across society and advance a data-driven society.

MINAKUCHI Ayako is responsible for planning and organizing face-to-face events for elementary and junior high school students to promote statistical literacy. She was previously engaged in office reform initiatives aimed at transforming administrative work practices, as well as work related to act on general rules for administration and policy evaluation system.

Heather Page is a Statistician in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Monitoring Section of the UN Statistics Division. She has supported the programme on global monitoring of SDG progress for over a decade, including development and implementation of the SDG indicator framework, The Sustainable Development Goals Report produced annually and capacity building for developing evidence-based Voluntary National Reviews and data storytelling. She also serves in the Secretariat for the UN Collaborative on Citizen Data, focusing on impact storytelling and communications.
Data are more than numbers. At their core, they are a snapshot of people's lived realities. Yet when those realities are distilled into data points, they can lose their human dimension. While the data may be meaningful to the statisticians and analysts who produce and interpret them, they do not always resonate with broader audiences. After all, data rarely speak for themselves. Data storytelling helps bridge that gap. By combining data with compelling narratives and clear visualizations, official statistics can reconnect audiences with the people behind the numbers. When effectively deployed, data storytelling can broaden the reach and impact of official statistics, strengthening advocacy, raising awareness, and informing policy decisions. Drawing on UNSD guidance for integrating storytelling into official statistical communication, particularly in the context of SDG reporting and Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), this presentation explores the key principles, practical steps, and tools for transforming official statistics into compelling stories that make data more meaningful, accessible, and actionable.

Yuniarti is a Statistician at BPS-Statistics Indonesia with more than 15 years of experience in official statistics, with expertise spanning statistical modelling, big data and machine learning, national accounts, SNA 2025 implementation, and macroeconomic data visualization. She has a longstanding interest in statistical literacy and innovative approaches to communicating official statistics. Since 2018, she has explored the use of comics, infographics, and other visual storytelling approaches to make statistical concepts and official statistics more accessible and understandable, including communicating seasonal adjustment figures and statistical knowledge. She has also shared these experiences in international statistical forums. Her recent work focuses on developing creative talent within BPS and exploring how statisticians can become effective data storytellers. As the project lead of the BPS Data Storytelling Challenge, she has led initiatives to foster a culture where statistical rigor and creativity come together, encouraging statisticians to communicate official statistics in engaging and accessible ways and reach wider audiences. She holds a Master's degree in Applied Mathematics and Statistics, and Scientific Computation (AMSC) from the University of Maryland, USA.

Information and Correspondence

For further information regarding the webinar, please contact:
International Cooperation Section, Statistics Bureau of Japan
Phone +81 (3) 5273 1116 / Email stat-general[at]soumu.go.jp
Please replace "[at]" with "@" when sending an email.