Principle 9 - International Co-ordination

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.

To facilitate international comparisons of statistics, as well as to achieve efficiency and quality in their production, international

statistical standards (ie frameworks, concepts, classifications) should be used as far as possible in the production of official statistics.

The use of statistical standards across all sources of official statistics produced within a country also facilitates integration of the statistics and efficiency (see Principle 8). Judgements and compromises will be required in the application of international standards to suit the conditions and requirements of users within each country. Many countries, or groupings of countries, have developed their own statistical standards based on international standards modified to suit local needs.

Many countries have made commitments to various international organizations through

international statistical agreements for the statistics being produced in terms of type, method or quality. In many cases, this will require

co-ordination of statistical activities within a country to ensure awareness of such obligations and that requirements are met (see Principle 8)