Generic Law on Official Statistics for Latin America

The Generic Law on Official Statistics for Latin America was adopted by the Statistical Conference of the Americas of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean at its tenth meeting. Its purpose is to provide a regional model for Latin American countries that are interested in formulating or reformulating the legal basis for the functioning of their National Statistical Systems (NSS) and the production of official statistics.

The Generic Law defines the rights and obligations of the bodies that compose the National Statistical System as well the principles and procedures to be applied in producing and disseminating official statistics. The organizational model proposed by the Generic Law defines the National Statistical Office (NSO) as the leading authority of the National Statistical System and as a professionally independent body. The Law also lays down the rights and obligations of respondents and regulates the access of agencies producing official statistics to different data sources.

This document is an adaptation of the Generic Law on Official Statistics for Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia, published by the Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in 2016.