As set forth by the Economic and Social Council, in the terms of reference,[4] the Commission shall assist the Council: One of the best known subunits of the Statistics Division is the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN), also known as the United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names (UNCSGN).

This unit attempts to standardize the names of locations across languages, alphabets, and cultures.

One issue addressed at these conferences was the Sea of Japan naming dispute.

The officers are the Chairman, 3 Vice-chairmen and the Rapporteur, elected for a one-year period by the members of the Commission at the beginning of a session.

Since 1999, its role is more of a steering one; the Chairman may seek for complementary assistance from other members (Friends of the Chair).