26.2. Importance of dissemination. The availability of official statistics in general and statistics of international merchandise trade in particular is one of the cornerstones of public confidence in good government, as such statistics can inform debate and decision-making both by Governments and by the wider community. In this context, IMTS 2010 highlights the importance of countries’ adherence to the United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics[1] which state, inter alia, that:
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26.3. In the light of these Principles, the dissemination of trade data and metadata is an integral part of the national programme of trade statistics and should be carried out with great care and attention to the needs of users, while at the same time ensuring adequate confidentiality of data providers.
[1] The Principles are available at http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/statorg/FP-English.htm