UN Entities Team Up to Mark World Statistics Day

20 August 2010 –Many UN entities that have statistical units and/or abundantly use statistics in their work, have already announced that they will collaborate with other agencies in organizing joint conferences to mark World Statistics Day.

In Geneva, a conference entitled Measuring a Globalized World: Geneva Contribution will be held on 20 October under the leadership of the UN Conference on Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). This conference, whose focus will be economic, social and environmental statistics, is organized with the participation of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), World Health Organization (WHO), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and World Trade Organization (WTO).

In Vienna, in the context of World Statistics Day, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will hold a joint seminar on the relevance and use of their respective statistics (14 October) and will present a week-long display of their statistical activities.

In Washington, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank plan to hold joint activities highlighting their statistical work on 19 and 20 October. The contents of these activities should be soon confirmed.

Several other UN entities including regional economic commissions, the UNESCO Institute of Statistics and the World Tourism Organization also plan to celebrate World Statistics Day through a variety of activities.