Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics

Almost twenty years after their adoption in 1994 by the UN Statistical Commission, the ten Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics are still as relevant today as they were in the past. They have become an integral part and a common reference in the statistical systems at global and national level. 

A milestone in the history for the international statistical community was reached when, on 29 January 2014, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution concerning the Fundamental Principles. It is the first time they have received such high recognition at global political level and it shows the importance of good statistics for decision-making in the democratic society. 

The 20th anniversary of adopting the Fundamental Principles, which was celebrated in early 2014, was used as an occasion to further promote their worldwide implementation. In this context, two main tasks (amongst others) were mandated by the UN Statistical Commission: 

• Revision and update of the language of the preamble of the Fundamental Principles in order to take new global developments into account. 

• Strengthening the practical implementation by elaborating a practical guide for the implementation of the Fundamental Principles and on how to ensure independence of national statistical systems. 

The implementation guidelines for the Fundamental Principles in Part I list several actions or activities, which a statistical agency is advised to take into account when aiming to improve the practical and effective implementation of a certain Principle or when developing a certain Principle further. Concrete as well as practice-orientated examples (good practices) complement these recommended actions

Read more: https://unstats.un.org/unsd/dnss/gp/Implementation_Guidelines_FINAL_without_edit.pdf