1. What defines an international statistical standard and other types of international statistical publications in economic statistics?
Second Meeting of the United Nations Committee of Experts on
Environmental-Economic Accounting
(New York, 5-6 July 2007)

2. Outline of presentation
Background
Statistical frameworks
Criteria to define an international standard or international recommendation
Actions after adoption
Taxonomy for publications in economic accounting and statistics including environmental-economic accounting and statistics

3. Background
There is often confusion with what is meant with the term a) international statistical standard, b) international recommendation, c) guideline, handbook or manual.
First attempt to systematize the terminology used for the various types of methodological publications
Taxonomy is developed for publications in economic accounting and statistics including environmental-economic accounting and statistics

4. Statistical output, cross-functional and input frameworks
Output frameworks
Macroeconomic frameworks (e.g. SNA, System of Price and Volume Indexes, BPM)
Agreed concepts, definitions, classifications
Inter-related tables or accounts for broad sets of statistics
For the whole economy
System approach to statistics
Intermediate frameworks (e.g. International Recommendations for Industrial Statistics)
Agreed concepts, definitions and classifications
Agreed lists of data items to be collected and published
Not necessarily for whole economy
No system approach

5. Statistical output, cross-functional and input frameworks (cont.)
Cross-functional frameworks
Building blocks in support of the organization of the tables and accounts of macroeconomic frameworks
Conceptual frameworks for classifications, statistical units and sample frames that support the collection and reporting of economic activities of production, consumption and accumulation
For the whole economy
e.g. ISIC, statistical units, sample frames

6. Statistical output, cross-functional and input frameworks (cont.)
Best practices from countries and provide operational guidance on how to populate the standard tables or accounts of the international statistical standard or collect/compile the data items in the international recommendations.
Existing differences in data collection practices and institutional arrangements in countries prevent international agreement on methodologies

7. Criteria to define international statistical standard or an international recommendation
Statistical integration
Internal coherence of concepts, definitions, classifications and tables and accounts
External consistency among macroeconomic frameworks, cross-functional frameworks and intermediate output frameworks
Broad institutional process of consultation
National and international consultations of stakeholders
Relevance
Universal applicability of the compiled and disseminated data for use of policy planning, analysis and administration purposes

8. Actions with adoption of an international statistical standard and an international recommendation
Development of an implementation programme
Development of compilation guidelines
Development of databases
Collection of best practices
Development of data quality frameworks
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9. Taxonomy for publications in economic accounting and statistics

10. Taxonomy for publications in environmental-economic accounting and statistics