The United Nations Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP) in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Korea through its Korea National Statistical Office (KNSO) conducted the second Regional Course on Disability and Health Statistics, as a follow-up of ESCAP/WHO Project on Improving Disability Statistics and Measurement in Support of the Biwako Millennium Framework.

The course was held from 22 to 26 September 2008 at Statistical Training Institute (STI) of KNSO, Daejeon, Republic of Korea. It was the second course in the series. It addressed the need of national statistical offices in the region for development of valid, reliable, and internationally comparable disability data. The course was primarily designed for participants to learn application of International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), joint use of census and survey and implementing the 2002 Biwako Millennium Framework. There were 22 participants from 21 countries in the region, including two participants from the host country, Republic of Korea. ESCAP provided fellowships for some participants from countries in the region.

            The course was designed and directed by SIAP and conducted with the support of two consultants, one of which has extensive knowledge about this specific medical matters and extensive experience of applying ICF to data collection, the other has extensive knowledge and practical experience in collecting and analyzing.

            The content of the course included: disability statistics and the ICF framework, Statistical data sources on disability, Disablity data analysis and interpretation, Disability data dissemination. Workshop exercises were organized during the course in order for participants to acquire an understanding of the ICF framework. Participants were grouped into four. Each group conducted group project on planning disability survey using the coming 2010 round census and successfully made presentation on the closing day.  Beside the formal programme, KNSO arranged cultural programme for participants in the evening.

All 22 participants successfully completed the training course requirements. All participants indicated that the course was relevant to their work in their respective countries. The conduct of this course brought to light the urgent need for common understanding of ICF framework and national capacity building on collecting data on disability using the coming 2010 round census and sample survey.