Mineral resource classification is the classification of mineral resources based on an increasing level of geological knowledge and confidence. In an effort to achieve a standard set the classifications, representative bodies from Australia, Canada, South Africa, the USA and the UK reached a provisional agreement in 1997 on the definitions of each of the various mineral classifications. This was followed in 1998 to have these definitions incorporated into the International Framework Classification for Reserves and Resources - Solid Fuels and Mineral Commodities, developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe(UN-ECE).