Charter of Swiss Official Statistics

In May 2002, the statistical offices and services of Switzerland adopted a Charter of Swiss Public Statistics. In this code of professional ethics they declare that official statistics are an essential public service which meets the needs of our democratic society and a modern state. They also describe the pertinence, quality and credibility of published statistical information as the main objectives of official statistics.

From the contents of the Charter

Preamble

Charter of Swiss Public Statistics

In the preamble, the Charter makes reference to the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics of the United Nations European Commission (April 1992) and to the Declaration on Professional Ethics of the International Statistical Institute ISI (August 1985). It also takes into account the European Statistics Code of Practice (February 2005), which is addressed to the FSO and other statistical bodies entrusted with the production and dissemination of European statistics.

Basic principles of the Charter

The first part of the Charter formulates its basic principles. Of central importance in this context are the independence of official statistics, the protection of individual respondents with regard to the use of personal data, the quality of statistical methods and the up-to-dateness and accuracy of the statistical results. Statistical information is stored in as much detail as possible in order to ensure that future generations can use it.

Ethics Board for Public Statistics

The Ethics Board for Public Statistics is a private, independent body. It is tasked with contributing to the promotion of the fundamental principles of the Charter and to support their implementation. To this end, it has powers to note, to advice and to inform. But it has no authority to impose sanctions. The Ethics Board acts upon all written petitions it receives which are related to the application of the basic principles of the Charter.

Scope of application of the Charter

The Charter applies to all activities relating to the production or distribution of official statistical information. This includes collecting and processing data, drawing up and updating classifications, nomenclatures and terminologies, formulating measures to distribute and preserve statistical information, maintaining and using registers of observation or survey units and developing the Swiss system of official statistics.

Modification of the Charter

The FSO, the Regional Statistical Offices (CORSTAT) and the Official Statistics Section of the Swiss Society for Statistics (SSS-O) undertake to exchange opinions on the Charter on a regular basis and to consider, whenever the circumstances require it, whether the charter should be amended. The Ethics Board takes part in this evaluation. Modifications to be made to the Charter are drawn up jointly after due consultation with the signatories.

Footnotes and references

• FSO, Swiss Conference of Regional Statistical Offices CORSTAT (eds): Charter of Swiss Public Statistics, Neuchâtel/Bern 2007 (PDF)

Further reading

• Swiss Society of Statistics (ed.): Reglement des Ethikrats der öffentlichen Statistik der Schweiz (Rules of the Ethics Board for Swiss Public Statistics), second revised edition, January 2008 (PDF, German)

External links

• Swiss Statistical Society, Swiss Charter for Public Statistics / Swiss Ethics Board for Public Statistics

See also

Charter