Contents

United Nations Statistical Commission

Statistical organization

United Nations Statistical Commission

Abbreviation	StatCom
Formation	1947; 77 years ago (1947)
Type	Intergovernmental organization, regulatory body, advisory board
Legal status	Active
Location	Headquarters of the United Nations, New York, United States
Chair	Gabriella Vukovich,  Hungary[1]
Parent organization	United Nations Economic and Social Council
Subsidiaries	United Nations Statistics Division
Website	unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/
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The United Nations Statistical Commission (StatCom) is a Functional Commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, established in 1947.^[2] The Statistical Commission oversees the work of the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). Its 24 member states are elected by the Economic and Social Council on the basis of the following geographical distribution: African states (5), Asian States (4), Eastern European States (4), Latin American and Caribbean States (4), Western European and other States (7). Since July 1999 the Commission meets every year. As set forth by the Economic and Social Council, in the terms of reference,^[3] the Commission shall assist the Council:

• "In promoting the development of national statistics and the improvement of their comparability;"
• "In the coordination of the statistical work of specialized agencies;"^[4]
• "In the development of the central statistical services of the Secretariat;"
• "In advising the organs of the United Nations on general questions relating to the collection, analysis and dissemination of statistical information;"
• "In promoting the improvement of statistics and statistical methods generally."

One of the best known subunits of the Statistics Division is the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN), also known as the United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names (UNCSGN). This unit attempts to standardize the names of locations across languages, alphabets, and cultures.

The sixth UN Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names was in 1992 (New York), the seventh in 1998 (New York), the eighth in 2002 (Berlin), and the ninth in 2007 (New York). One issue addressed at these conferences was the Sea of Japan naming dispute.

The Bureau[edit]

The officers are the Chairman, 3 Vice-chairmen and the Rapporteur, elected for a one-year period by the members of the Commission at the beginning of a session. Since 1999, its role is more of a steering one; the Chairman may seek for complementary assistance from other members (Friends of the Chair).

Chairpersonship^[5]

Year	Session	Country	Chair
2023	54th	Hungary	Gabriella Vukovich
2022	53rd	Hungary	Gabriella Vukovich
2021	52nd	Japan	Shigeru Kawasaki
2020	51st	Japan	Shigeru Kawasaki
2019	50th	Kenya	Zachary Mwangi
2018	49th	Kenya	Zachary Mwangi
2017	48th	Brazil	Wasmália Bivar
2016	47th	Brazil	Wasmália Bivar
2015	46th	United Kingdom	John Pullinger
2014	45th	United Kingdom	Jil Matheson
2013	44th	Hungary	Gabriella Vukovich
2012	43rd	Hungary	Gabriella Vukovich
2011	42nd	Oman	Ali Bin Mahboob
2010	41st	Oman	Ali Bin Mahboob
2009	40th	South Africa	Pali Lehohla
2008	39th	South Africa	Pali Lehohla
2007	38th	Mexico	Gilberto Calvillo Vives
2006	37th	Mexico	Gilberto Calvillo Vives
2005	36th	US	Katherine Wallman
2004	35th	US	Katherine Wallman
2003	34th	Hungary	Tamás Mellár
2002	33rd	Hungary	Tamás Mellár
2001	32nd	Japan	Shigeru Kawasaki
2000	31st	Botswana	Guest Charumbira
1999	30th	Botswana	Guest Charumbira
1997	29th	Mexico	Carlos Jarque
1995	28th	United Kingdom	Bill McLennan
1994	Special session	Poland	Jozef Olenski
1993	27th	Netherlands	Willem Begeer
1991	26th	Netherlands	Willem Begeer
1989	25th	Argentina	Luis Alberto Beccaria
1987	24th	Ghana	Emmanuel Oti Boateng
1985	23rd	Ireland	Tom Linehan
1983	22nd	Hungary	Vera Nyitrai
1981	21st	US	Joseph W. Duncan
1979	20th	Soviet Union	Mikhail Antonovich Korolev
1976	19th	India	V. R. Rao
1974	18th	United Kingdom	Claus Moser
1972	17th	France	Jean Ripert
1970	16th	France	Jean Ripert
1968	15th	Australia	Keith Archer
1966	14th	Norway	Petter Jakob Bjerve
1965	13th	Norway	Petter Jakob Bjerve
1962	12th	Ireland	Donal McCarthy
1960	11th	Ireland	Donal McCarthy
1958	10th	New Zealand	George Wood
1956	9th	India	P.C. Mahalanobis
1954	8th	India	P.C. Mahalanobis
1953	7th	United Kingdom	Harry Campion
1951	6th	United Kingdom	Harry Campion
1950	5th	Netherlands	Philip Idenburg
1949	4th	Netherlands	Philip Idenburg
1948	3rd	Canada	Herbert Marshall
1947 (August)	2nd	Canada	Herbert Marshall
1947 (January)	1st	Canada	Herbert Marshall
1946	Nuclear session	US	Stuart A. Rice

See also[edit]

• Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities
• List of national and international statistical services
• United Nations Statistics Division
• Voorburg group
• World Statistics Day

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• Hausner, Isolde: Die „United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names“ (UNGEGN) und die Standardisierung geographischer Namen. In: Kainz, W. / Kriz, K. / Riedl, A. (eds.): Aspekte der Kartographie im Wandel. Festschrift für Ingrid Kretschmer zum 65. Geburtstag. Wien 2004 (= Wiener Schriften zur Geographie und Kartographie).
• Kerfoot, Helen: Role of the United Nations in the standardization of geographical names: some fifty years on. In: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistics Division (ed.): Manual for the standardization of geographical names. United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names. New York 2006: 83-97. ISBN 92-1-161490-2

External links[edit]

• Official website
• Home page for Statistical Division
• Official home page for UNGEGN
• Website for UNGEGN Working Group on Romanization Systems