In carrying out its various activities, the department follows international standards and practices. In this regard, a central piece of reference is the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics.

Information on policies and practices which the department adopts in discharging its duties is uploaded on the website on "Country Practices on National Official Statistics" maintained by the United Nations Statistics Division. This website provides reference materials to illustrate the application of the United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics. It elaborates the essential elements behind each of the Principles and provides examples of polices and practices adopted by statistical authorities for implementing the various elements of the Principles.

In addition, staff of the department also make regular reference to the Declaration of Professional Ethics of the International Statistical Institute.