The UNECE Conference of European Statisticians (CES) has been involved
in the setting of statistical norms and standards since the Conference
was established. UNECE has also played an important role in involving
its wide membership in the development and dissemination of standards
that are the responsibility or the main interest of other institutions,
including OECD and the specialized agencies. Moreover, the Statistical
Office of the European Communities (Eurostat) is engaged in setting norms
and standards for use in the European Union. The UNECE has become increasingly
involved in ensuring coordination between Eurostat and countries outside
the EU in both the setting and dissemination of standards.
The CES has enhanced its role as the principal forum for the coordination
of official statistical work throughout Europe and North America. One
of the main coordination tools is the Database of International Statistical
Activities (DISA, formerly called Integrated Presentation). The Database
includes information about the statistical work carried out by over 30
international organizations active in the UNECE region, including Eurostat,
OECD, UN Statistical Division, CIS Statistics Committee, FAO, ILO, IMF,
WHO, WTO, World Bank, UNESCO and others. UNECE has been maintaining this
information tool since 1993. For the last few years it is available on
the Internet (http://unece.unog.ch/disa/).
Statistical Standards, Classifications and Recommendations Adopted
by the Conference of European Statisticians (CES)
The following are the most recent international standards that have
been developed and approved by the CES:
- Population and housing censuses: Conference of European Statisticians
Recommendations for the 2010 Censuses of Population and Housing (UNECE
recommendations were also drawn up for the 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990 and
2000 rounds of censuses) (adopted by CES in 2006, prepared jointly
with EU)
- Statistical Dissemination: Managing Statistical Confidentiality
and Microdata Access. Principles and Guidelines of Good Practice (adopted
by CES in 2006)
- Agriculture statistics: The Wye Group Handbook - Rural Households'
Livelihood and Well-Being (adopted by CES in 2006)
- Transport statistics: Revision of Classification Systems Used in
Transport Statistics (NST 2000) (adopted by CES in 2006)
- Information technology: Statistical Data Editing. Volume 3. Impact
on data quality (adopted by CES in 2006)
- Information technology: Common Metadata Framework (Part A adopted
by CES in 2006)
- Statistical dissemination: Making Data Meaningful: A Guide to Writing
Stories About Numbers (adopted by CES in 2005)
- Economic statistics: Consumer price index manual. Theory and practice.
(adopted by CES in 2004, prepared jointly with ILO, IMF, OECD, Eurostat
and the World Bank).
- Statistical dissemination: Communicating with the Media: a Guide
for Statistical Organizations (adopted by CES in 2004)
- Information technology: Recommendations on Formats Relevant to the
Downloading of Statistical Data from the Internet (adopted by CES in
2001)
- Information technology: Glossary of terms on statistical data editing
(adopted by CES in 2000)
- Information technology: Guidelines for Statistical Metadata on the
Internet (adopted by CES in 2000)
- Information technology: Terminology on Statistical Metadata (adopted
by CES in 2000)
- Information technology: Information Systems Architecture for National
and International Statistical Offices (adopted by CES in 1999)
- General: Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics (adopted
by CES in 1991, by UNECE in 1992)
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