Launching the International Comparison Program Newsletter

The International Comparison Program (ICP) Regional Office, which is a part of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) Statistics Division, has launched a periodic newsletter as a forum to exchange information and experiences, and making users of statistics aware of the ICP. This newsletter aims at highlighting ICP activities and expectations for the end of the 2011 ICP round. Results of the program will help policy makers, economic operators, social workers, civil society activists and the public at large in making their picture of socio-economic position of their respective countries as compared to others. Having the right facts and evidence is the first and necessary step towards improving socio-economic policies. The ICP is a global statistical initiative, which aims at estimating Purchasing Power Parities (PPP) that are used to convert Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and its components from national currency denominations into a common international currency unit at an equal price level. Exchange rates are not suitable for converting GDP to a common currency as they do not correct for international price level differences.