CES drives statistical work in the UNECE region to address emerging challenges through joint international work and pooling of resources. In practice, CES and its Bureau:
- Bring together Chief Statisticians of more than 60 countries and a number of international organizations
- Advise UNECE about countries’ statistical development needs in the region
- Develop statistics and methodology according to countries’ priorities
What does CES do, and how does it work?
CES brings together national and international statistical experts to identify and work on areas where cooperation adds the greatest value. We organize:
- High-level talks for the Chief Statisticians at the annual CES plenary sessions.
- Seminars and expert meetings to advance statistical work.
- Networks of experts to develop guidelines, recommendations and statistical standards.
- Reviews of emerging issues in statistics that often lead to pioneering work.
- Collections of good practices and sharing of experience.
- Capacity building and training in statistics.
What are the roots of CES?
CES is one of the oldest statistical bodies working on international statistics:
- With roots in the first Conferences of Statistics held under the League of Nations as of 1928
- Founded in its current form in 1953 as the governing body of UNECE in statistics
- As the original creator of the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, endorsed in 1991. The United Nations General Assembly adopted these principles in 2014.
Learn more
UNECE is one of five regional commissions of the United Nations. See about UNECE for more information. You can also read more about our work in the UNECE annual report.