In February 2010, USAID/Tatweer received an original copy of the long-awaited signed bilateral agreement between the Central Organization of Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT) and The Romanian National Institute of Statistics (NIS). This document represents the capstone on over 18 months of effort and hard work from the USAID/Tatweer team in facilitating cooperation between the two national statistics organizations.

The agreement, signed by NIS President Vergil Voineagu and Dr. Mehdi Alalak, president of COSIT, formally establishes "direct statistical cooperation ties" between the two national statistics organizations. This cooperation includes exchanges of expertise and information, cooperative missions and study visits, organization of training courses and workshops, and exchanging publications and methodologies. The NIS-Romania also agreed to host COSIT internship groups to facilitate straightforward transfers of practical knowledge. The areas of cooperation fall into a number of key statistical sectors, including surveys of business, labor cost, labor vacancies, labor supply and budget.

The agreement included months of planning, correspondence, and a USAID-funded week-long study trip for COSIT to Romania to work with the NIS. Romania represents the ideal statistical partnership for Iraq, as it is the top-ranked nation on the World Bank Statistical Category Index for statistics among upper-middle income countries. COSIT has begun implementing lessons learned in its next activities, including preparations for the 2010 National Census as well as its other surveys. The original, signed copy of the bilateral agreement was presented to COSIT leadership shortly after USAID/Tatweer received the document, and steps have already been taken to explore coordinating follow-up activities between the two organizations.

"The function of statistics is vital to any government for assessing needs and determining policy,” said USAID/Tatweer's coordinating team leader emphasizing the importance of this accomplishment. “The signed bilateral agreement not only affirms Iraq's growing statistical capabilities, but also serves as a tangible testament to this long-isolated country's improving ability to engage with the international community."

In February, USAID/Tatweer's team leader for COSIT is scheduled to spend a week in Ottawa, Canada coordinating a meeting between a delegation of COSIT senior staff and Statistics Canada. It is hoped that this visit, facilitated in part by the successes of COSIT and NIS-Romania, will help form a similar partnership with yet another respected foreign statistics agency.