1.2 Where are we in implementing the FPOS?#
1.2.1 Documented progress#
2004 Survey Report
The 2004 survey report provided valuable insights into the implementation of the FPOS across countries since its adoption in 1994. Key findings include:
Significant progress in implementing the Principles
Identification of barriers to broader implementation
Suggestion for reviewing the implementation by non-national statistical office producers
2011 Global Review
In 2011, the UNSC initiated a global review of the implementation of the principles. The UNSD conducted this review, which involved revising the preamble of the 2013 version of the Principles.
2013-2014 Developments
Revised Preamble Adoption: The UNSC adopted the revised preamble during its 44th session. Implementation Guidelines: The Friends of the Chair group was tasked with developing guidelines to ensure full independence of national statistical systems. Enhanced Website: A decision was made to create a dedicated website for:
Implementation guidelines
Country documents (statistical laws, best practices, codes of conduct)
2015-2017 Progress
Technical Assistance: The UNSD was requested to provide technical assistance to countries implementing the Principles. New Friends of the Chair Group: Established at the 48th UNSC session, this group focused on:
Implementation of the Principles
Examining the potential of a widened scope of the Principles for non-official and non-traditional data sources
Considering open data, Big Data, and quality assurance
2019-2020 Developments
2018 Global Survey: The survey revealed (UNSD, 2019):
Overall progress in implementing the Principles
There is a need for more work by national statistical offices and systems to achieve adherence Implementation Guide Updates: Two additional chapters were developed:
Adherence and maturity framework for implementing the Principles
Guidance for applying the Principles when using new data sources for official statistics
This documented progress demonstrates the ongoing efforts to improve and adapt the FPOS to evolving statistical landscapes and challenges.
1.2.2 Impact of the FPOS, so far#
After the CES adopted the Principles in 1991, several new democracies emerging in Europe began implementing them. This was accomplished in various ways: by incorporating them into statistical acts and regulations, internal guidelines and manuals, proclamations, and informational materials distributed by national statistical agencies to survey respondents and the general public. Initially compiled for the benefit of the new democracies rebuild trust in official statistics, the Principles quickly started being used by other statistical authorities in Western Europe. They served to inform statistical producers and users about the foundational principles of official statistics and to guide the operations of statistical agencies and their staff. The implementation of the Principles soon expanded to other regions of the world in the version adopted by the UNSC in 1994.
Since the development of websites by national statistical offices around 1995, the Principles became some of the first documents to be widely published online. They were incorporated into many countries’ legal frameworks for official statistics, especially as statistical laws and regulations were revised or newly created. Many of these updates involved adopting the Principles, either wholly or partially, often directly into laws and regulations or indirectly by referencing them in relevant documents.
The Principles guided the work of national statistical offices and similar central statistical agencies and were adopted by other producers of official statistics within the national statistical systems. This adoption was primarily driven by advocacy from national statistical offices, which saw it as beneficial to ensure that the statistical system adhered to the Principles. This was especially important regarding the principles of:
Professional autonomy (Principle 2)
Transparency (Principle 3)
Freedom to utilize various data sources (Principle 5)
Confidentiality (Principle 6) and
National coordination of statistical activities (Principle 8).
The Principles significantly influenced the development of various standards and codes of practice.
Council of the European Union Regulation No. 322/97 of 17 February 1997 on Community Statistics is partly based on the Principles.
The European Statistics Code of Practice (2017) uses and extends some main Principles.
The Dissemination Standards of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), E-GDDS, SDDS, SDDS Plus, are based on some of the main Principles, such as those on equal access (Principle 1), professional autonomy (Principle 2), and transparency (Principle 3).
Codes of practice that integrate the Principles have also been adopted in some regions and countries. Examples are:
African Charter on Statistics (2009, entered into force in 2015)
ASEAN Community Statistical System Code of Practice (2012)
Code of Good Practice in Statistics for Latin America and the Caribbean (2023)
The Generic Law on Official Statistics for Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia, issued in 2016, is based entirely on the Principles. The Generic Law was developed after 2010 by the United Nations and European agencies to assist the legislative efforts of new democracies, mainly in Central Asia. It was issued in 2016 in English, French, and Russian, and adapted by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia in Arabic, and by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean in Spanish and English, to fit the generic model to situations in these regions.
The Principles have been applied to the statistical operations used to compile Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicators. This concerns several Principles, such as those on professional autonomy (Principle 2), freedom to use various data sources (Principle 5), and national and international coordination of statistical activities (Principles 8 and 9).
1.2.3 Global and regional statistical frameworks supporting the FPOS#
As noted above, the Principles have significantly shaped regional and global statistical frameworks and standards. They have also established the foundation for statistical laws and regulations worldwide. In addition to the Principles, guides to upholding high standards in official statistics, such as ethical and professional frameworks that are consistent with the Principles, have been developed.
OECD and ISI
The OECD Recommendation on Good Statistical Practice and
The International Statistical Institute (ISI) Declaration on Professional Ethics.
These frameworks help ensure that official statistics are comparable, reliable, and aligned with international best practices.
Quality assurance frameworks
Alongside the Principles, various international guidelines have emerged to further enhance the quality and comparability of official statistics. Notable among these are the United Nations National Quality Assurance Framework (UN NQAF) and the Data Dissemination Standards of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which provide comprehensive guidance to ensure that NSSs produce and disseminate high-quality, reliable statistics. The UN NQAF (with its 19 principles, their associated requirements, and the “elements to be assured”) provides a practical and comprehensive approach to translating the high-level principles of the FPOS into concrete practices and procedures within national statistical systems. An operational mapping of these relationships is discussed in Chapter 2-2-1, with illustrations for each FPOS principle presented in Chapters 3-12.
Core Values of Official Statistics
In 2022, the Conference of European Statisticians led consultations and campaigns to mark the 30th anniversary of the FPOS, emphasizing the need to supplement the Principles with a clear set of Core Values of Official Statistics that reflect the ethos of official statistics in modern language. These values— relevance, impartiality, transparency, independence, confidentiality, and collaboration—were formally articulated to strengthen public trust and adapt to emerging statistical and societal challenges.
The core values are fully compatible with and complementary to the FPOS. They align as follows:
Relevant: Corresponds to the principles of relevance, impartiality, equal access, and the use of international standards.
Impartial: Reflects the principle of impartiality and equal access.
Transparent: Aligns with accountability, transparency, and adherence to legislation.
Professionally Independent: Matches principles emphasizing professional standards, ethics, and independence.
Respects Confidentiality: Upholds the principle of confidentiality and adheres to ethical standards.
Collaborative: Relates to principles of international cooperation and national coordination.
GSBPM and GAMSO
Other frameworks (discussed further in Chapter 2-2), such as the Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM) and the Generic Activity Model for Statistical Organizations (GAMSO), also play a significant role in modernizing and standardizing statistical processes, improving data quality and operational efficiency.