Collectivité

UNESCO. Division des statistiques

• UNESCO. Division of Statistics

• BPE/ST

1990-08-31 – 1999-06-29

The Organization’s mandate in the field of statistics can be traced to Article VIII of the Constitution which requests each Member State to report periodically to the Organization concerning its statistics on educational, scientific and cultural life and institutions. It also comes from a general United Nations (UN) system context where the 1946 Agreement between the United Nations and UNESCO called for the secretariats to exchange statistics within their own spheres. The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) had further recommended that UN specialized agencies develop social statistics. The Population Commission had also recommended that UNESCO collaborate with international agencies in the collection of social and cultural statistics. Finally, the UN Statistical Commission and ECOSOC had urged UNESCO to assume primary responsibility for an international programme of education in statistics, in collaboration with the International Statistical Institute (ISI) and other appropriate agencies (UNESCO, 5 C/5 (II), p. 300).

UNESCO first created a statistical service in 1947 when the UNESCO Documentation, Library and Statistical Services unit was created. In 1949, the Organization’s mandate in the statistical field was defined further by the Report of the Expert Committee on Educational, Scientific and Cultural Statistics. Following the 1949 Report, the Statistical Service was separated from the other information services and made a distinct service unto itself. The focus of the statistical work at UNESCO for early years was the collection of education statistics (all levels of schooling) as well as the further development of social and cultural statistics. The Statistical Service initially reported directly to the Office of the Director-General, as was the case with other general administration services like the Legal Service of the Bureau of Personnel. Although the Organization’s statistics were supposed to be centrally managed by the service, both the Statistical Service and programme departments were collecting statistical data from published sources and sending out questionnaires to member states. However, by 1951, the service was renamed the Statistics Division and its central role was reaffirmed: all statistical data were to be centralized and managed by the Division. On 1 January 1952, the Division was incorporated into the Department of Social Sciences and renamed the Statistical Division. In the Programme and Budget for 1953 and 1954, it was noted that the move did not prevent the Division “from being of service to the Secretariat as a whole, in addition to promoting the teaching of statistical science” (UNESCO, 7 C/5, p. 274). During this period, collaboration with ISI in the promotion of teaching of statistical science resulted in the creation of an international statistical training centre in Calcutta, as well as an ISI Statistical education advisory service. In addition to this, UNESCO was granting fellowships in educational statistics under the Exchange of Persons programme and offering technical assistance for regional seminars and expert missions.

In addition to supplying statistics for other UN and UNESCO publications, the Division was responsible for the publication of statistical reports and studies. The first Basic Facts and Figures was published in 1952. Both the Statistical Reports and Studies series and the Current School Enrolment Statistics periodical first appeared in 1955. These publications were consolidated in 1963 with the launch of the UNESCO Statistical Yearbook.

Work on the international comparability of statistics in education, culture and mass communications resulted in the adoption of eight recommendations at UNESCO’s General Conference over time: the Recommendation concerning the International Standardization of Educational Statistics (10th Session, 1958); the Recommendation concerning the International Standardization of Statistics Relating to Book Production and Periodicals (13th Session, 1964); the Recommendation concerning the International Standardization of Library Statistics (16th Session, 1970); the Recommendation concerning the International Standardization of Statistics on Radio and Television (19th Session, 1976); the Revised Recommendation concerning the International Standardization of Educational Statistics (20th Session, 1978); the Recommendation concerning the International Standardization of Statistics on Science and Technology (20th Session, 1978); the Recommendation concerning the International Standardization of Statistics on the Public Financing of Cultural Activities (21st Session, 1980); and, the Revised Recommendation concerning the International Standardization of Statistics on the Production and Distribution of Books, Newspapers and Periodicals (23rd Session, 1985). The Statistical Division was responsible for the preparatory and follow-up work for these instruments.

In the 1960s, in the general context of decolonization, there was an increased focus on compiling and analyzing statistical data required for the quantitative assessment of human resources in member states in the fields of UNESCO’s competence, particularly in relation to educational planning. UNESCO through the Statistical Division worked with the International Labour Organization on manpower surveys at this time. This work took place also in a context where both the Statistical Office of the United Nations and the World Bank were creating large primary socio-economic data banks (Lengyel, 1986).

The UNESCO Secretariat was reorganized as of January 1967 and services concerned with the free transmission of knowledge at the international level were merged to form the Communication Sector (COM). The newly named Office of Statistics was moved to this new Sector, as well as the Office of Free Flow of Information and International Exchanges, the Department of Mass Communications, the Department of Documentation, Libraries and Archives and the Office of Public Information. The Director of the Office of Statistics reported directly to the Assistant Director-General for Communication. At this time, the Office had the following units: Office of the Director, Division of Statistics on Education, Division of Statistics on Science and Technology, Division of Statistics on Culture and Communication, Statistics Tabulation Unit, Computation and Documentation Unit, and Data Processing Unit. This organization remained relatively stable except for the gradual consolidation of the smaller units into one Statistical Operations Unit. A Statistical Education Projections unit was also created under the Division of Statistics on Education. In 1970, a new document series called Current Surveys and Research in Statistics was launched. The Office was providing assistance to member states for the development of their statistics through the Participation Programme and UNDP-financed projects. Funds-in-Trust financing was also used for this purpose beginning in the 1980s.

With another large-scale reorganization of the Secretariat from1975 to 1976, the Office of Statistics was moved to the Sector for Programme Support and Administration (ADS). In 1978, this Sector was split and the Office of Statistics was moved to the new Sector for Programme Support (PRS). During this time, two divisions in the Office were merged to create a Division of Statistics on science, technology, culture and communication and a new Unit for Operational Activities was created. A Statistical Documentation Centre was also created. In 1990, when the Sector was downgraded in 1990 to first initially a Bureau for Progamme Support and Administration (BSA), then the Bureau for Programme Support (BPS), the Office was also downgraded to a Division of Statistics (BSA/ST then BPS/ST). The Division was transferred to the Bureau of Studies, Programming and Evaluation in 1992 (BPE/ST). The units within the Division were reorganized at this time, creating a Section for the Development of Statistical Services (ST/DEV), and a Section on Data Collection and Analysis (ST/DAT).

By the mid-1990s, there were calls to improve statistical products and services, both in quantitative and qualitative terms, from different stakeholders. To meet the aim of opening up UNESCO’s data bank to all constituencies, the Organization began consultations in 1995 and the resulting proposal for a UNESCO Institute for Statistics was presented to the 29th Session of the General Conference in 1997 (UNESCO, 29 C/5, 1997). The 29th Session authorized the Director-General to start on an experimental basis the measures aimed at transforming the Division of Statistics into the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). UIS was formally established and its Statutes approved at the 30th Session of the General Conference in 1999. The location of the Institute was decided in 2000 at the 159th Session of the Executive Board. During this transitional period, the Division of Statistics continued to exist within the Bureau of Studies, Programming and Evaluation until 30 June 1999 when UIS began its existence in Paris, moving to Montreal, Canada, in September 2001.

The Division of Statistics and its predecessors had the following heads: B.A. Liu, 1950-1963; J. Kappel, 1963-1966; Karl Gunnar Brolin, 1967-1974; Hassouna Ben-Amor, 1975-1987; Gabriel Carceles, 1988-1991; Farid El Boustani, 1991-1995; and Geraldo A. Nascimento Filho, 1995-1999.

UNESCO. Bureau for Programme Support (1990-08-31 - 1994-08-24)

UNESCO. Bureau pour le soutien et l'administration du programme (1990-02-28 - 1990-08-30)

UNESCO. Bureau d'études, de programmation et d'évaluation (1990-02-28 - 2000-09-30)

ISU (1999-06-30 -)

UNESCO. Office des statistiques (1967-01-01 - 1990-02-27)

Following RAD Rule 24.1A, authorized form of name comes from UNESCO Terminology Database as reference source.

Entered after review by Chief Archivist, AWT, 8-12-2015.

-Lengyel, Peter. (1986). International Social Science: The UNESCO Experience. Transaction Books: New Brunswick, New Jersey. UNESCO Library.
-Lengyel, Peter. (1966). Two decades of social science at Unesco. In International Social Science Journal. XVIII, 4. P. 554-568. Accessed online in UNESDOC, accessed 12-8-2015: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0001/000187/018736eo.pdf
-UNESCO. (1 March 1999). Director of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). DG/Note/99/8. UNESCO Archives, AG 6 Secretariat Documents.
-UNESCO. (22 décembre 1997). Restructuration du Secteur des programmes généraux et du soutien du programme (PRS) et affectations aux postes de directeur de ce Secteur. DG/Note/87/17/FM. Archives de l’UNESCO, AG 6 Documents du Secrétariat.
-UNESCO. (27 June 1997). Establishment of a UNESCO International Institute for Statistics. DG/Note/97/24. UNESCO Archives, AG 6 Secretariat Documents.
-UNESCO. (4 mai 1995). Directeur de la Division des statistiques. DG/NOTE/95/18. Archives de l’UNESCO, AG 6 Documents du Secrétariat.
-UNESCO. (16 mars 1992). Plans de travail pour 1992-1993. DG/NOTE/92/4. Disponible en ligne dans UNESDOC, accédé le 19-10-2015 : http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002190/219033fo.pdf
-UNESCO. (31 August 1990). Structure of the Secretariat and staffing table for 1990-1991. DG/NOTE/90/30. Available online in UNESDOC, accessed 12-10-2015: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002189/218996eo.pdf
-UNESCO. (28 February 1990). Reforms with a view to implementing the new Medium-term Plan adopted by the General Conference at its twenty-fifth session. DG/NOTE/90/2. Available online in UNESDOC, accessed 19-10-2015: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002189/218944eo.pdf
-UNESCO. (2 octobre 1975). Directeur de l’Office Statistiques. DG/NOTE/75/30. Archives de l’UNESCO, AG 6 Documents du Secrétariat.
-UNESCO. (1949). Preparatory Committee on ESC (Education, Science and Culture) Statistics. STAT/0, STAT/1. Available online in UNESDOC, accessed 14-9-2015: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0017/001782/178262eb.pdf
-UNESCO. (15 September 1947). Functions of UNESCO Documentation, Library, and Statistics Services. Director-General’s Bulletin. DGB/48. UNESCO Archives, AG 6 Secretariat Documents.
-UNESCO. Executive Board, 165th Session. (4 September 2002). Report by the Director-General on the establishment of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics in Canada and the first year of operation. 165 EX/42. Available online in UNESDOC, accessed 13-10-2015: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001271/127182e.pdf
-UNESCO. Executive Board, 159th Session. (2000). Decisions adopted by the Executive Board at its 159th session, Paris, 15-26 May 2000. 159 EX/Decision 8.2. Available online in UNESDOC, accessed 13-10-2015: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001201/120127e.pdf
-UNESCO. Executive Board, 154th Session. (2 April 1998). Report by the Director-General on the creation of a UNESCO International Institute for Statistics. 154 EX/5 + ADD. Available online in UNESDOC, accessed 13-10-2015: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001112/111281e.pdf
-UNESCO. General Conference, 31st Session. (16 August 2001). Report by the Governing Board of UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIC) on the activities of the Institute, 1 July 1999 - 31 December 2000. 31 C/REP/21. Available online in UNESDOC, accessed 13-10-2015: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001234/123439e.pdf
-UNESCO. General Conference, 30th Session. (2000). Records of the General Conference, 30th session, Paris, 26 October to 17 November 1999, v. 1: Resolutions. 30 C/Resolutions 43 and 44. Available online in UNESDOC, accessed 13-10-2015: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001185/118514e.pdf
-UNESCO. General Conference, 30th Session. (22 July 1999). Adoption of the Statutes of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. 30 C/22 + ADD. & CORR. Available online in UNESDOC, accessed 13-10-2015: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001167/116752e.pdf
-UNESCO. General Conference, 29th Session. (1998). Records of the General Conference, 29th session, Paris, 21 October to 12 November 1997, v. 1: Resolutions. 29 C/Resolution 50. Available online in UNESDOC, accessed 13-10-2015: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001102/110220e.pdf
-UNESCO. General Conference, 29th Session. (25 October 1997). Strategic plan for the strengthening of UNESCO's statistical programmes and services. 29 C/57. Available online in UNESDOC, accessed 13-10-2015: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0010/001099/109938e.pdf
-UNESCO. General Conference, 29th Session. (1997). Draft Programme and budget, 1998-1999. 29 C/5. Available online in UNESDOC, accessed 13-10-2015: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0010/001058/105832e.pdf
-UNESCO. General Conference, 12th Session. (1966). Draft Programme and Budget for 1967-1968. 12 C/5. Available online in UNESDOC, accessed 12-10-2015: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0016/001602/160249eb.pdf
-UNESCO. General Conference, 11th Session. (1960). Proposed Programme and Budget for 1961-1962. 11 C/5. Available online in UNESDOC, accessed 26-08-2015: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0016/001605/160500eb.pdf
-UNESCO. General Conference, 8th Session. (1954). Proposed Programme and Budget for 1955 and 1956. 8 C/5. Available online in UNESDOC, accessed 26-08-2015: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0016/001607/160777eb.pdf
-UNESCO. General Conference, 5th Session. (1950). Budget Estimates for the Financial Year 1951. 5 C/5 (II). UNESCO Archives, AG 4 General Conference Documents.