Assessing compliance with the United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics: A maturity model for continuous improvement1

Abstract

In 2019 the United Nations Statistical Commission (UN STATSCOM) celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of their adoption of the United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics (UNFPOS). To mark this milestone and drive further adoption of the principles, a UN STATSCOM Friends of the Chair Group on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics (FoC) was convened to work on selected aspects of implementing the UNFPOS. One aspect the group worked on was development of criteria for assessing compliance with the UNFPOS. The group achieved this by developing a maturity model that both assesses compliance with the UNFPOS and identifies areas for continuous improvement. The Maturity Model was endorsed at the 51st session of the UN STATSCOM in March 2020. Compliance with the UNFPOS signals that official statistics are produced in a trusted apolitical way and that governments and citizens have available valuable and reliable information about their economic, social, environmental and demographic situations. In the era of ‘fake news and alternative facts’, compliance with the globally endorsed ethical, professional and scientific standards and guidelines that make up the UNFPOS builds confidence and trust in official statistics.