Over 30 years ago, the most senior statisticians in countries across Europe, Central Asia, and North America created a set of 10 principles governing the production of official statistics. They recognised the need to provide a framework to ensure that the statistics published by member countries are reliable and trustworthy.
In 1992, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) adopted these fundamental principles, and they have since been recognised as a global standard around the world.
The CSO adheres to these principles and associated behaviours and they are reflected in the Statistics Act, 1993.
This means that we, along with other member countries, produce statistics in accordance with internationally agreed methods, standards, and professional ethics. This framework helps build trust and credibility around the production of official statistics and we believe producing statistics using these standards is fundamental for a democratic society.
Official statistics provide an indispensable element in the information system of a democratic society, serving the government, the economy and the public with data about the economic, demographic, social and environmental situation. To this end, official statistics that meet the test of practical utility are to be compiled and made available on an impartial basis by official statistical agencies to honour citizens' entitlement to public information.
To retain trust in official statistics, the statistical agencies need to decide according to strictly professional considerations, including scientific principles and professional ethics, on the methods and procedures for the collection, processing, storage, and presentation of statistical data.
To facilitate a correct interpretation of the data, the statistical agencies are to present information according to scientific standards on the sources, methods, and procedures of the statistics.
The statistical agencies are entitled to comment on erroneous interpretation and misuse of statistics.
Data for statistical purposes may be drawn from all types of sources, be they statistical surveys or administrative records. Statistical agencies are to choose the source with regard to quality, timeliness, costs and the burden on respondents.
Individual data collected by statistical agencies for statistical compilation, whether they refer to natural or legal persons, are to be strictly confidential and used exclusively for statistical purposes.
The laws, regulations, and measures under which the statistical systems operate are to be made public.
Coordination among statistical agencies within countries is essential to achieve consistency and efficiency in the statistical system.
The use by statistical agencies in each country of international concepts, classifications and methods promotes the consistency and efficiency of statistical systems at all official levels.
Bilateral and multilateral cooperation in statistics contributes to the improvement of systems of official statistics in all countries.