Overview

In February 1948, the ECOSOC recommended that Governments of Member States stimulate surveying and mapping of their national territories and that the Secretary-General of the United Nations take appropriate action to further such efforts. A Committee of Experts on Cartography was appointed by the Secretary General to study the problem and advise upon the means of its implementation. The Economic and Social Council, after consideration of this response, adopted resolution 556(XVIII) on 27 July 1954 and the first conference was held in the region of Asia and the Pacific in 1955. Taking note of the success of the regional cartographic conferences held in the region of Asia and the Pacific since 1955 and the region of Africa since 1963, and recognizing the need to hold similar conferences in other regions in which they have not yet been held, the ECOSOC, at its fifty-sixth session, from 22 April to 17 May 1974, adopted resolution 1839 (LVI) which "Requests the Secretary-General to make the necessary arrangements to convene the First United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for the Americas during the first quarter of 1976".

The Statistics Division organizes and services the following cartographic conferences: the United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific, convened every three years; and the United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for the Americas, convened every four years.

In addition, the Secretariat organizes ad hoc training courses, seminars, and expert group meetings, mostly in cooperation with host governments and international scientific and professional organizations. Subjects include application of modern technology in surveying and mapping in developing countries, geographical information systems (GIS) for application in basic mapping and applied mapping such as mapping for statistics, population census, environmental protection, tourism, land use, and cadastral registration; legal aspects in map production; and toponymy.

The Statistics Division also promotes the development of geographical information systems for population and demographic statistics in developing countries. In this connection, it had issued a publication "Handbook on geographic information systems and digital mapping".