History

In 1992, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) adopted the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics in the UNECE region. They were adopted two years later at the global level by the United Nations Statistical Commission, taking them from a regional to a global standard.

Later, in 2013, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) endorsed the Principles. And in January 2014 they were adopted by United Nations General Assembly – a truly remarkable recognition at the highest political level of their importance for evidence-based decision-making.

The Fundamental Principles were devised at a time of immense change and upheaval across the region. As centrally-planned economies transitioned to market economies in many member States, statisticians in these newly democratic countries realized more than ever that they needed a shared framework to define the principles that guide what they do.

Codes of practice and ethics for statisticians were not new – the profession of statistics as a whole had its own guidelines, while some countries had codified the expectations of official statistics in legislation or in the guidelines of professional associations. But this was the first appearance of an internationally-agreed set of fundamental principles, common to all and endorsed by all.