I.   General provisions
 II.   Principal activities and functions
 III.  Administrative bodies and employees
 IV. Organization of work
 V.  Final clauses

1.  The Interstate Statistical Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States (hereinafter - CIS Statcommittee) is the interstate body acting in the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States for the purpose of coordinating the activities of national statistical services, promoting the organization of information exchange, analysis of socio-economic development of the states and elaborating common recommendations in the field of statistics.

In its activities the CIS Statcommittee is guided by the Statute of the Commonwealth of Independent States, interstate (intergovernmental) agreements adopted in the framework of the Commonwealth, decisions of the Council of the Heads of States, the Council of the Heads of Governments of the CIS, the Economic Council, as well as by the present Statute.    

The CIS Statcommittee is subordinated to the Council of the Heads of Governments of the Commonwealth and carries out its own activities in close cooperation with national statistical services, Economic Council, Executive Committee of the CIS and other bodies of the Commonwealth.

The work of the CIS Statcommittee is directly guided by the Council of the Heads of Statistical Services of the CIS which is the supreme administrative body of the Committee.

2 .  The CIS Statcommittee is a legal entity, owns its property, has its own balance sheet, settlement and other bank accounts, standard seal with its name, acts as plaintiff and defendant in the courts, has property responsibility in accordance with the legislation of the country of its residence.

3. The principal activities of the CIS Statcommittee are as follows:

• promotion  of  state statistics reforming in the CIS countries in accordance  with the socio-economic transformations and international standards of  accounting and statistics;

• coordination of statistical activities and development of recommendations on the common  statistical methodology;

• multilateral exchange of statistical information and development of common information and statistical space in the framework of the Commonwealth;
• analysis of the tendencies of economic development of integration processes in the Commonwealth of Independent States

• development of coordinated statistical methodology based on  corresponding international rules and standards;
   
• interaction with national statistical services of the Commonwealth in organization of staff training,  seminars and other activities related to reforming of state statistics;
   
• interstate exchange of statistical information and its publication in accordance with  annual work programmes;
   
• development, maintenance  and   systematic updating of the common statistical base of the Economic Union participating countries, characterizing interstate relations, economic situation of the states, economic reforms, macroeconomic tendencies, structural changes in the economy, social sphere  and ecology;
   
• statistical study of socio-economic development of the CIS countries  and their  cooperation in the course of  formation of common market of the Commonwealth and integration  into the world economy;
   
• preparation of analytical and information-prognostic materials on common economic situation, dynamics and tendencies of economic cooperation of the states-participants of the Commonwealth;
   
• information interaction with the Economic Council, Executive Committee of the Commonwealth,  Secretariat of the Interparliamentary Assembly Council and other bodies of the Commonwealth;
   
• international statistical cooperation jointly with the national statistical services, participation in the work of international statistical organizations and representation in them on behalf of  the statistical services of  the Commonwealth;
   
• assistance in implementation of modern information technologies in state statistics ensuring their compatibility in the framework of the Commonwealth;
   
• publication of statistical and information bulletin.

• receives  statistical information free of charge from the corresponding bodies of the CIS countries in the framework of interstate exchange for  developing common statistical  database of the Economic Union participating countries and other  common databases  as well as normative acts on  most important socio-economic  problems;

• disseminates official statistical information of the  CIS countries in accordance with the procedure established by the Council of the Heads of Statistical Services of the  CIS;
   
• when needed organizes working groups on selected projects and meetings on the matters related to its terms of reference;
   
• in accordance with the established order makes proposals on the matters to be decided by the Council of the Heads of States and the Council of the Heads of Governments of the CIS, Economic Council,  and other bodies of the Commonwealth;
   
• recommends  developed methodology on the organization  of state statistics in the CIS  countries;
   
• coordinates the conduct  of  common statistical works in the CIS countries;
   
• makes decisions on any other matters related to its competence.

6.  The supreme administrative body of the CIS Statcommittee is the Council of the Heads  of  Statistical Services of the CIS
(hereinafter the Council). The Council consists of the heads of CIS statistical services as well as of the Chairman of the CIS Statcommittee (ex-officio). The Council conducts its meetings when necessary but at least twice a year.

     The Council is headed by a Chairman who is elected by turn from the heads of  statistical services of the CIS for a period of one year. The former Chairman and the following ones are his co-chairmen. When the Chairman of the Council is temporarily absent one of his co-chairmen is entrusted with his duties.

   The Council discusses the most important problems of the interstate statistical cooperation. Its exclusive terms of  reference include:

- determination of the forms of  realization  of the CIS Statcommittee’s main activities  implementation;
- examination of changes and additions to the Statute of the CIS Statcommittee and drafts of  its budget;
- establishment  of the order  of  occupying leading posts at the CIS Statcommittee;
- approval of the organizational structure, number of staff, regulations, work programme and reports on the CIS Statcommittee’s  activities.

      Decisions of the Council are adopted by simple majority and  are registered by protocol.  When adopting the decision any member of the Council may have his opinion fixed in the protocol if he has no interest or disagrees with the draft decision or some of its provisions.

7.  In the period between the meetings of the Council the functions of its working body are executed by the staff of the CIS Statcommittee.

8. The staff of the CIS Statcommittee is headed by the Chairman and his deputies  being the citizens of the states-participants of the Commonwealth, who are appointed in rotation for the period of three years.

    The Chairman of the CIS Statcommittee is elected by the Council of the Heads of Statistical Services of the CIS and approved by the Council of the Heads of Governments of the CIS.
     The deputy Chairmen of the CIS Statcommittee are appointed by the  Council of the Heads of Statistical Services of the CIS in  the order  established by the Council.

9. The Chairman of the CIS Statcommittee:

 - organizes the work of the CIS Statcommittee, issues orders and gives instructions on the matters  under his terms of reference;
 - appoints  to and relieves  leading staff and specialists of their posts;
 - distributes the duties between the deputy Chairmen;
 - makes proposals about changes in the structure, approves regular appointments lists, rates  and increments of  staff salary in accordance with the approved budget;
 - approves the statutes of the structural units of the Committee.

11. The budget of the CIS Statcommittee is approved in  the order  established by the  Council of the Heads of  Governments of the CIS.

12.  The  employees of   the CIS Statcommittee are international  servants; they are citizens of the CIS countries and are  appointed to their  regular posts, being engaged on a contract  or quota basis,  and they can not represent the interests of their countries.  Conditions  of material and everyday services, medical care  and social security of the above mentioned employees are similar to those of civil servants of corresponding governmental  bodies    of the country of residence and they  are specified by bilateral agreement between the CIS Statcommittee and the country of  its residence.

13. Conformity  with the register of civil posts of the country of residence  is  regulated by the table of correspondence of posts of the CIS Statcommittee employees to the civil posts of the Russian Federation and civil posts of the Federal civil servants.

14. Pension security of the CIS Statcommittee employees is provided for in the order and under the conditions, specified by the legislation for civil servants of the state they are the citizens of.  Along with that, the period of work in the CIS Statcommittee is included in the length of civil service period.

15. The CIS Statcommittee organizes its work in accordance with  its regulations and present Statute.

16. The current activities of the CIS Statcommittee are carried out in accordance with its annual  work programmes.

17. The CIS Statcommittee sets up the internal rules of its  performance and carries out financial and economic activities according to the legislation of the country of its residence.

18. The CIS Statcommittee is financed by the states-participants of the Commonwealth in the order established by the Council of the Heads of Governments of the CIS.

19.  The CIS Statcommittee is provided with office premises and property in the order and under the conditions established  by the Agreement with the country of its residence.

20. The CIS Statcommittee  creates a Scientific Council for the development  of statistical  methodology. The statute of the Scientific Council is approved by the Council of the Heads of Statistical Services of the CIS.

21. The working  language  of the CIS Statcommittee is Russian.

22.  The CIS Statcommittee is located in Moscow (Russian Federation). Conditions of the CIS Statcommittee’s residence in the Russian Federation are stipulated by the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the CIS Statcommittee.

23. Changes and additions may be included in the present Statute.