A/HRC/31/31 process, rights holders themselves have identified indicators most pertinent to their claims and collected the relevant data, including information obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. VIII. Confidentiality and other safeguards, including human rights, ethical and statistical standards 58. The collection, use and analysis of data requires a number of human rights and ethical safeguards.47 For instance, it is essential to disaggregate indicators in order to identify existing or potential patterns of discrimination in the enjoyment of rights concerned. Yet for some groups, if data are collected and analysed without careful safeguards, such disaggregation can lead to abuse, including by perpetuating stigma and discrimination. 59. In the first principle of the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, endorsed by the General Assembly, it is stated that official statistics provide an indispensable element in the information system of a democratic society, serving the Government, the economy and the public with data about the economic, demographic, social and environmental situation. To this end, official statistics that meet the test of practical utility are to be compiled and made available on an impartial basis by official statistical agencies to honour citizens’ entitlement to public information (see General Assembly resolution 68/261). 60. For the right to public information to be realized in practice, relevant statistical information must be made publicly available, on time, and in an accessible language and format, taking into account relevant considerations such as literacy levels, age, disability, language and cultural background. 61. Access to information must be balanced with the right to privacy and data protection. Individual data collected are to be strictly confidential and used exclusively for statistical purposes and this must be regulated by law. An independent body at the national level with appropriate powers to ensure compliance should supervise data protection at all stages of collection, processing and storage. Bulgaria (through the Commission for Personal Data Protection), and Romania (the National Supervisory Authority for Personal Data Processing) are examples of countries that have set up such bodies.48 62. For the principles stated above to be effective safeguards, their violation needs to be subject to administrative and/or judicial recourse. IX. Conclusions and recommendations 63. Drawing from a range of practice and experiences, in the present report, a number of necessary requirements for measuring the realization of economic, social and cultural rights have been highlighted. They include the need to: (a) Clearly link human rights commitments, the processes implemented for their realization and results; 47 48 See the Declaration of Professional Ethics adopted by the International Statistical Institute in 2010. Available at www.isi-web.org/. See www.cpdp.bg/en/ and www.dataprotection.ro/. For a list of other countries in the European Union with data protection bodies, see http://ec.europa.eu/justice/dataprotection/bodies/authorities/eu/index_en.htm. 17