| Activity type | Other meeting |
| Title | Second Steering Committee meeting |
| Participants | High-level representatives from each of the partner countries |
| Location | Online |
| Timing | 8 December 2020 |
| Activity code | MM_43 |
The participants were informed of the milestones reached by the programme since the first Steering Committee meeting: the launch of activities, the adaptation to online working modalities following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the launch of the STEP newsletter, website, and Twitter account. Feedback from participants has been very positive.
The STEP work programme until 31 October 2021 was presented with special emphasis on the R training and the “Communication for statistics” activity which are planned for the first quarter of 2021, and the production of regional publications which require the active involvement of partner countries.
The participants were informed about the rationale behind the proposed extension of the STEP programme by nine or twelve months. All partner countries confirmed the importance of the STEP programme and their interests in continuing the collaboration; all of them approved the proposed extension of the programme.
