The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) welcomes the publication of the Handbook on Governance Statistics by the Praia City Group established under the auspices of the UN Statistical Commission. OHCHR wishes to recognize Cabo Verde's National Statistics Institute and all the national statistical offices and organizations, including civil society organizations, who participated in or supported the development of the handbook. OHCHR took part in this collective effort, leading in particular the work on the crosscutting chapter on human rights and on the specific chapter on non-discrimination and equality. As underlined in the Handbook, internationally agreed human rights standards provide a common and normative underpinning to the definition of governance statistics, as well as to data governance itself, upholding human rights in data and statistical processes.

OHCHR strongly encourage further cooperation between national statistical offices, national human rights institutions and other relevant stakeholders, including civil society organisations who represent or work with the groups who are left behind. OHCHR plans to continue participating in this effort and engage further in the measurement of civil, cultural, economic, political and social human rights. Better measurement of governance will help achieve the SDGs, and their declared objective to realize human rights for all, without discrimination.

For further information about the Praia City Group and the handbook, visit this page: http://ine.cv/praiagroup/