Methodology
Quality Assurance Meetings and Events
Meeting of the Expert Group on National Quality Assurance Framework (EG-NQAF)
This meeting follows-up on the request of the Commission to develop additional materials and guidance to support countries in the implementation of a national quality assurance framework and to address relevant issues such as quality assurance when administrative or other data sources are used to produce official statistics. Specifically, the meeting will work on the finalization of draft guidance on the use of administrative and other data sources and draft guidance on the implementation of a quality culture. The meeting will address remaining issues and amend the existing draft materials as required and prepare a worldwide consultation on them. The meeting will also review the status and possible development of guidance and tools on other issues and review the further workplan of the Expert Group.
Workshop on the Implementation of a National Quality Assurance Framework for Official Statistics in countries of the Latin American and Caribbean Region
The workshop will train participants from national statistical offices on quality assurance and its implementation throughout the national statistical system. It will also support the development of additional guidelines on quality assurance. Specifically, the workshop will provide an overview of the contents of the Manual, the United Nations National Quality Assurance Framework, the Code of Good Practice in Statistics for Latin America and the Caribbean, and ECLAC’s Guide for the implementation of a quality assurance framework for statistical processes and outputs. It will review and discuss the implementation of quality assurance in participating countries. A special focus will be on quality assurance when administrative and other data sources (such as big data or citizen generated data) are used for producing official statistics. Other topics will include quality culture and data stewardship. The sharing of experiences will be a central element of this workshop and support the development of additional guidance on some of the above-mentioned topics.
Global Seminar on Assuring Quality When Using Administrative and Other Data Sources
The UN Expert Group on National Quality Assurance Frameworks and its Subgroup on administrative and other data sources are hosting a global seminar on assuring the quality when administrative and other data sources are used for producing official statistics.
The use of such data sources poses special challenges as the data was not compiled for the purpose of producing official statistics. These challenges when using administrative and other data sources for producing official statistics will be discussed in this seminar. Specifically, this seminar will focus on, and provide examples, on how quality aspects of the source data, the source itself and the production processes can impact the quality of the final statistical output.
Global Seminar on Quality Culture
The UN Expert Group on National Quality Assurance Frameworks hosted a global seminar on 24th October at 8:30 AM EDT. In the era of data-driven decision-making, the accuracy, reliability, and integrity of official statistics play a pivotal role in shaping policies and strategies at both national and international levels. This seminar aims to bring together professionals and experts from national statistical systems and international organizations to exchange insights, share best practices, and foster a culture of data quality excellence. The seminar is designed for individuals who are actively engaged in quality assurance and data management within the national statistical system and international organizations, including statisticians, data managers, quality assurance managers, researchers and professionals working to ensure the accuracy and reliability of official statistics.
UNSC54 side event: Implementation of quality assurance for official statistics in countries
More accurate, coherent and timely data leads to better decision-making for countries. Since the adoption of the United Nations National Quality Assurance Frameworks Manual for Official Statistics (Manual1) in 2019, more countries have implemented their national quality assurance framework (NQAF).
The side event informed about the overall status of the NQAF implementation around the globe, introduced the Roadmap for NQAF implementation, a new tool for implementation, and presented country experiences on challenges and lesson learned during the NQAF implementation. This side event was organized by the Expert Group on National Quality Assurance Frameworks (EG-NQAF). It is linked to the Commission’s agenda item 3(m) National Quality Assurance Frameworks and will provide an opportunity for an informal discussion.
Workshop on the Implementation of a National Quality Assurance Framework for Official Statistics in countries of the Africa Region
The Workshop will train participants from national statistical offices on quality assurance and its implementation throughout the national statistical system and support the development of additional guidelines on quality assurance. The Workshop will provide an overview of the contents of the Manual and the UN National Quality Assurance Framework, review and discuss the implementation of quality assurance in participating countries and discuss quality assurance in the case when new and administrative data sources are being used. The sharing of experiences will also support the development of further implementation guidance.
Side Event of the 53rd Session of United Nations Statistical Commission: Roadmap for the implementation of NQAF and additional checklists
During the 53rd Session of United Nations Statistical Commission, the Expert Group on National Quality Assurance Frameworks (EG-NQAF) organized a side event titled " Roadmap for the implementation of NQAF and additional checklists". It presented the work on additional tools to support countries in implementing their national quality assurance framework (NQAF) and in achieving quality improvements. It introduced a roadmap for the implementation of the national quality assurance framework developed by the Expert Group and guidance on the development of additional quality assurance checklists for specific purposes. In addition, South Africa and the Philippines presented their own journey and ongoing efforts towards the implementation of their national quality assurance framework. Over 70 participants attended this side event.
International Workshop on the implementation of NQAF and GSBPM
The workshop aims to increase the knowledge of participants of the Asia and the Pacific region in the implementation of the national quality assurance framework (NQAF) and the Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM). This workshop is organized by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), in collaboration with the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) through the National Bureau of Statistics of China, and with support of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
Side Event of the 51st Session of United Nations Statistical Commission: Quality assurance as a tool of official statistics in the new emerging data ecosystem
During the 51st Session of United Nations Statistical Commission, the Expert Group on National Quality Assurance Frameworks (EG-NQAF) and the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) organized a side event titled "Quality assurance as a tool of official statistics in the new emerging data ecosystem". The event brought together 60 participants to discuss how quality assurance and the new United Nations National Quality Assurance Frameworks Manual for Official Statistics, as an operational and strategic tool, can support countries in safeguarding the role of official statistics as a trusted source of information in a changing environment.
Workshop on the Implementation of a National Quality Assurance Framework for Official Statistics in countries of Eastern-Europe/Central-Asia Region
The Workshop aims at training participants from national statistical offices of the Eastern-Europe/Central-Asia region on quality assurance and the development of a national quality assurance framework and its implementation throughout the national statistical system, with special focus on quality assurance of data from new sources, new providers and SDG indicator data and statistics. The Workshop will first provide an overview of the contents of the new United Nations National Quality Assurance Frameworks Manual for Official Statistics (UN NQAF Manual) and will subsequently focus on specific topics and tools geared towards the needs of participating countries.
Workshop on the Implementation of a National Quality Assurance Framework for Official Statistics in countries of the Africa Region
The Workshop aims at training participants from national statistical offices of the Africa region on quality assurance and the development of a national quality assurance framework and its implementation throughout the national statistical system, with special focus on quality assurance of data from new sources, new providers and SDG indicator data and statistics. The Workshop will first provide an overview of the contents of the new United Nations National Quality Assurance Frameworks Manual for Official Statistics (UN NQAF Manual) and will subsequently focus on specific topics and tools geared towards the needs of participating countries.
Second meeting of the Expert Group on National Quality Assurance Frameworks (EG-NQAF)
The meeting will discuss the implementation of the United Nations National Quality Assurance Frameworks Manual for Official Statistics (UN NQAF Manual) developed by the Expert Group and adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission in March 2019 at its fiftieth session. In its decision 50/106, the Commission welcomed the planned initiatives to support countries in the implementation of a national quality assurance framework, including through the establishment of an expert forum, the sharing of best practices and the development of tools. This meeting will review the workplan of the Expert Group and its implementation plan for the UN NQAF Manual, work on the development of a checklist for self-assessment and other tools and develop a plan for an ongoing engagement with countries.
Meeting of the Expert Group on National Quality Assurance Frameworks (EG-NQAF)
The meeting will discuss the draft Manual of the United Nations National Quality Assurance Framework (UN-NQAF) which is being developed by the Expert Group based on decision 48/106 of the United Nations Statistical Commission in March 2017. The Commission requested the Expert Group to address implementation issues, among them assuring the quality of SDG indicator data and data from new sources and new data providers. The draft chapters have been developed in virtual meetings and two rounds of formal consultations over the last year. This meeting will review the draft chapters in detail with the aim to resolve remaining issues and to make the draft Manual ready for the worldwide consultation among all countries before its finalization and submission to the 50th session of the Statistical Commission in March 2019.