International Recommendations for Water Statistics

The International Recommendations for Water Statistics (IRWS) were developed to assist countries establish and strengthen information system for water, which in turn support the design and evaluation of better water policies. In particular, these recommendations: a) support the collection, compilation and dissemination of internationally comparable water statistics in countries; b) support the implementation of the System of Environmental-Economic Accounts for Water (SEEA-Water); and c) provide the necessary information for deriving coherent and consistent indicators, enabling comparisons over time and between countries from an agreed list of data items. The IRWS consolidate the experiences and practices of countries and international organizations in water statistics. The United Nations Statistical Commission is the highest decision-making body for international statistical activities, especially the setting of statistical standards.