04.03.2025 - The UN Statistical Commission, the highest body of the global statistical system and a subsidiary body of the UN Economic and Social Council, plays a key role in the coordination and standardisation of data and statistics. The Director General of the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO) will chair the Commission for a second year in 2025.
The 56th session of the United Nations Statistical Commission kicked off on Tuesday 4 March 2025 with the election of its Bureau. The Director General of the FSO, Georges-Simon Ulrich, was re-elected Chair for a further one-year term. The Bureau has five members: Switzerland, South Korea, Mexico, Slovenia and Sierra Leone.
Switzerland's election to the chairmanship of the UN Statistical Commission is a mark of recognition by it's peers in the field of data and statistics. The Commission provides a forum for the exchange and sharing of knowledge between countries around the world to improve standards and methodologies as well as the international comparability of data and statistics.
Reliable data: a vital challenge
We need reliable, standardised and comparable data more than ever before as a basis to meet future challenges such as combating misinformation and the questions posed by artificial intelligence. It is with this goal that Switzerland will continue to pursue its commitment to innovative working methods and to strengthen the global statistics and data ecosystem. Its election as chair is also a boost to Switzerland's international presence.
The 56th session will cover a broad range of topics, including the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, the working methods of the Statistical Commission, social and demographic statistics, business and trade statistics, and price statistics. The Commission is also scheduled to adopt a draft resolution to modernise the System of National Accounts (SNA) in 2025 and a draft resolution on the preparations for the 2030 World Population and Housing Census Programme.
Towards a review of the SDG indicator framework
The Commission will also deliberate on changes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicator framework. This review will ensure that the indicators remain relevant and reflect current challenges as we approach 2030.
A forum for exchange and innovation
In the run-up to the 56th session, the UN Statistical Division organised a series of events on current topics, including a seminar that focused on strengthening the capacities of national statistics systems. These exchanges will feed into discussions at the fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in June 2025, where countries will advocate for the financing that national statistical systems need to monitor progress towards the sustainable development goals. The seminar was followed by a high-level forum on data governance attended by Switzerland.
