About Us
Introduction
The Voorburg Group on Services Statistics was created in 1986, in response to a request from the United Nations Statistical Office (UNSO), for assistance in developing services statistics. The first meeting, hosted by the Netherlands Statistical Office (CBS) was held in January of 1987 in Voorburg (Netherlands), from which the Group derives its name.
Purpose
The purpose of the Voorburg Group (VG) is to address issues related to the production of service statistics, including service product outputs and inputs, the estimation of the real product of service activities, price indices of service products and industries, and their implications for product and industry classification (Central Product Classification (CPC) and International Standard Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC).
In 2021, the VG refreshed its mission and vision with the implementation of a new strategic plan for 2022-2026.The mission of the VG is to establish and maintain an internationally comparable methodology for measuring output and producer and import price indexes for the service and service-related industries. We focus on the development of concepts and methods, the sharing of best practices, and identification of classification needs. In so doing, we will be mindful of the diverse needs of VG members and continue to focus on the importance of expanding our knowledge base in line with rapid change in services industries and/or related product areas.
The Voorburg Group has contributed over the years to building up and sharing a considerable and growing body of knowledge of Service Sector Statistics. It has prompted international cooperation in the development of standards and has assisted in resolving statistical and measurement challenges in the Service Sector.
Bureau of the Voorburg Group
The organization and the planning of the annual meeting are done by the Bureau. The Bureau consists of a core group of members, the host of the last meeting and the host of the next meeting, as well as the Voorburg Group Secretary who is responsible for various logistical activities including taking notes at Bureau meetings, organizing Country Progress Reports, and providing logistical support for the Voorburg Group Co-Chairs.
As of April 2024, the members of the Bureau are:
Marcus Friden | Statistics Sweden (Co-chair) |
Mathieu Thomassin | Statistics Canada (Co-chair) |
Melanie Santiago | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (VG Secretary) |
Dorothee Blang | Destatis, Germany |
Mariagrazia Moschetta | Istat, Italy |
Ariel Juarez | INEGI, Mexico |
Rohan Draper | Statistics Denmark |
Christian Puchter | Statistics Austria |
Fahmida Qureshi | Office of National Statistics, UK |
Ruth Vizner | Israel Central Bureau of Statistics |
Furuta Sahoko | Bank of Japan |
Previous Meetings
The Voorburg Group meets for one week every year. The previous meetings were held as follows:
1987 Voorburg, the Netherlands
1987 Stockholm, Sweden
1988 Wiesbaden, Germany
1989 Ottawa, Canada
1990 Paris, France
1991 Helsinki, Finland
1992 Williamsburg, United States of America
1993 Oslo, Norway
1994 Sydney, Australia
1995 Voorburg, the Netherlands
1996 Newport, Wales
1997 Copenhagen, Denmark
1998 Rome, Italy
1999 Christchurch, New Zealand
2000 Madrid, Spain
2001 Örebro, Sweden
2002 Nantes, France
2003 Tokyo, Japan
2004 Ottawa, Canada
2005 Helsinki, Finland
2006 Wiesbaden, Germany
2007 Seoul, South Korea
2008 Aguascalientes, Mexico
2009 Oslo, Norway
2010 Vienna, Austria
2011 Newport, Wales
2012 Warsaw, Poland
2013 Tokyo, Japan
2014 Dublin, Ireland
2015 Sydney, Australia
2016 Zagreb, Croatia
2017 New Delhi, India
2018 Rome, Italy
2019 Paris, France
2020 Helsinki, Finland (virtual)
2021 Washington DC, United States of America (virtual)
2022 Ottawa, Canada (virtual)
2024 Tel Aviv, Israel (virtual)
Reports to the United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC)
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