The Manual is published by UNSD at the request of the United Nations Statistical Commission to assist United Nations Member States in the implementation of the methodological guidelines laid out in International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Concepts and Definitions (published in 1998). The Manual has been prepared in cooperation with other international organizations and country experts. It is directed to all institutions which play a role in the collection, compilation and dissemination of trade statistics and it may also serve as a guide to users who wish to understand better the nature of trade data. The Manual discusses in detail the conceptual and institutional framework of data collection, the sources of data, methods of data compilation, and data dissemination, reconciliation and exchange.