22 May 1989

12th plenary meeting

International economic classifications

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling resolution 4 (XV) adopted by the Statistical Commission at its fifteenth session, in 1968,

Considering:

(a) The need for implementation of the programme on harmonization of international economic classifications developed by different international organizations,

(b) The importance of international data comparability for various statistics classified according to kind of economic activity or goods and services,

(c) The need to maintain co-ordination among the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC), the General Industrial Classification of Economic Activities within the European Communities (NACE) and the Classification of Branches of the National Economy (CBNE) of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, as well as among the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS) of the Customs Co-operation Council, the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) and the new Central Product Classification (CPC),

(d) The desirability of integrating different types of international economic classifications developed by different international organizations and ensuring their consistency with the revised System of National Accounts and the System of Balances of the National Economy,

(e) The action taken by the Joint Working Group on World Level Classifications of the Statistical Office of the United Nations Secretariat and the Statistical Office of the European Communities, by the United Nations Expert Group on Harmonization of Economic Classifications and by the Voorburg Group on Service Statistics to resolve the outstanding issues related to the third revision of the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities and the development of the Central Product Classification,

(f) The proposed revision of the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities, Revision 2, as described in the report of the Secretary-General on the revision and harmonization of international economic classifications, to be known as the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities, Revision 3,

(g) The proposed new Central Product Classification, as described in the report of the Secretary-General, to be known as the provisional Central Product Classification,

1. Recommends that Member States:

(a) Adopt as soon as possible the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities, Revision 3, with such modifications as may be necessary to meet national requirements, without disturbing the framework of the classification, or use, for purposes of international comparison, the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities, Revision 3, in reporting data classified according to kind of economic activity;

(b) Make use of the provisional Central Product Classification in order to gain experience in obtaining international comparability for data classified according to goods and services;

2. Requests the Secretary-General:

(a) To prepare a publication on the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities, Revision 3, together with indexes and correlation tables between that Classification, the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS), the Standard International Trade Classification, Revision 3, and the provisional Central Product Classification, based on the provisional text before the Statistical Commission at its twenty-fifth session and in the light of the conclusions of the Commission;

(b) To prepare a publication on the provisional Central Product Classification, together with the explanatory notes for the services part of the classification, based on the provisional text before the Statistical Commission at its twenty-fifth session and in the light of the conclusions of the Commission;

(c) To publish and circulate the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities, Revision 3, and the provisional Central Product Classification and to bring them to the attention of States Members of the United Nations or members of the specialized agencies for adoption.