institutional environment for official statistics - un … environment for official statistics...

United Nations Development Account 10th tranche Statistics and Data

Institutional Environment for Official Statistics

Inter-regional seminar on national statistical systems reviews in SIDS

Co-organized by ESCAP, ECLAC and UNSD, with funding support from DFID

1-3 August 2017, Nadi, Fiji

Sound Institutional Environment to:

Enhance public trust and promote the use of official statistics

Improve coordination of the NSS and consistency of its deliverables

Promote dialogue and communication with and among users, data

communities and other stakeholders

Secure efficiency, effectiveness and quality

Ensure flexibility and resilience of the NSS and its deliverables

SDG Indicators: challenges and opportunities

SDG Indicators

Scope

> 230 indicators

Granularity

Data disaggregation

Quality

Timeliness reliability

Data Eco-system

Digital transformation

Data sources

Big Data

Data community

Data providers & producers

Modernisation

Integration & Standardisation

Interoperability

Methodology

Mix-mode

Institutional environment

Resources &

Capability

Infrastructure

IT & applications

Know-how

HR development

Leadership

Coordination

Partnership

Challenges Opportunities Capacity Building

Institutional Environment Secured through

UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics (UN-FPs)

(Sub-)regional Statistics Code of Practice

Quality Assurance Frameworks for Official Statistics

National Statistical Law/Act and related regulations

Governance and coordination mechanisms and tools

UN General Assembly Resolution on SDG Indicator Framework

Cape Town Global Action Plan

Other International initiatives, guidelines and recommendations

To apply across the National Statistical System (NSS)

Main Principles: UN-FPs and Code of Practice

Professional independence*

Statistical confidentiality and exclusive use for statistical purposes*

Impartiality and objectivity*

Accuracy and reliability

Coherence and comparability

Clarity and transparency

Relevance*

To be translated into a national statistical law/act

Professional independence

Producers of Official Statistics shall decide, independently and free

from any pressures or interference from political or other external

sources on:

The development, production and dissemination of statistics

The selection of data sources (mandate for data collection)

Concepts, definitions, methods and classifications to be used

Timing and content of all forms of dissemination

Statistical confidentiality and exclusive use for statistical purposes

Individual data in the possession of producers of official statistics are

confidential at all stages of the production process:

• Collection

• Processing

• Dissemination

• Storage

Data collected by producers of official statistics are used exclusively

for statistical purposes

Impartiality and objectivity

Official statistics must be developed, produced and disseminated:

in a neutral, reliable and unbiased manner

according to professional standards

free from any political statements or considerations

All users have equal and simultaneous access to official statistics

Relevance (fit-for-purpose)

Official statistics meet current and emerging user needs

Official statistics honour citizens’ right to public information

Delineation of the NSS

All producers of statistics that comply with the statistical law and

related principles:

• National Statistical Office (main producer)

• Other producers of official statistics

Other holders or providers of data sources (e.g. administrative data)

are not considered as producers of official statistics

But some provisions of the statistical law may also apply to users,

producers of administrative data, respondents…

National Statistical Office (NSO)

NSO to be a professionally independent body ideally attached to a

line ministry or the president office

NSO to be the main producer of Official Statistics

NSO not to be assigned responsibilities conflicting with principles of

official statistics

NSO to coordinate activities for the development, production and

dissemination within the NSS

Chief Statistician

Chief Statistician, as the chief executive of the NSO, to report directly to a

line minister or the president

Chief Statistician to embody and foster the professional independence of

producers of official statistics

Chief Statistician to decide ultimately on the content of the draft multi-year

and annual programmes

Chief Statistician to issue, when appropriate, standards and guidelines for

the entire NSS on the development, production and dissemination of official

statistics

Chief Statistician to promote the use of official statistics standards and

classifications beyond the NSS

Other Producers of Official Statistics (OPOS)

OPOS to be professionally independent entities within their

respective organizations

OPOS to be exclusively or primary engaged in activities related to

official statistics

OPOS to operate in compliance with statistical legislation and

adopted standards

OPOS to be responsible for their assigned activities in the statistical

programmes

Coordination instruments of the NSS /1

National statistical programmes are the main coordination

instruments of the NSS

National statistical programmes to be used for the budget

appropriation

The programmes cover the entire NSS, including development,

production and dissemination of SDG indicators

The programmes to be submitted by the Chief Statistician to the

relevant government body for approval

Coordination instruments of the NSS /2

Multiannual statistical programme (Master plan, NSDS):

• strategic development of NSS

• Vision and priorities

Annual statistical programme:

• Programme of work

• Annual operational translation of multiannual programme

• List of producers of official statistics and their respective deliveries

• List of major surveys, and other data sources (administrative), registers

Statistical Council

Main user advisory body (no controlling functions)

Advises NSS and government - opinions and reports are public

Allows users to provide input regarding their needs and on

implementation of the statistical work programme

Broadly represents user communities (not producers) within and

outside the government

Provides opinion on:

• Draft (multi-)annual statistical programmes from a user perspective

• Reports on implementation of the statistical programs

• Quality reports

Other coordination mechanisms and tools

NSS Coordination Committee

• Advisory committee to the Chief Statistician (producers)

• Preparation of the statistical programmes before submission to the

Statistical Council

• Discuss data collection and sharing, methodology, guidelines,

development of common tools, training programmes…

• Preparation of international high-level statistical meetings and reports

Meeting with producers of administrative data and registers

Meetings with the data community, academia, researchers and other

advanced users

Meeting with the media

…

What do we mean by quality?

Fit-for-purpose

Quality Assurance Framework (QAF)

Institutional environment and organizational set-up

Statistical Input

Statistical business architecture and production processes

Statistical output

• Relevance

• Accuracy and Reliability

• Timeliness and Punctuality

• Coherence and Comparability

• Accessibility and Clarity

QAF – Institutional environment Reminder

Objective: Enhance public trust and promote the use of official

statistics

UN Fundamental principle – Code of practice – Statistical law/act

Clear delineation of the NSS

NSO professional independent body, main producer of official

statistics

Chief Statistician represents and leads the NSS in the country and

abroad

OPOS to operate in compliance with statistical legislation and

adopted standards

QAF – Organisational set-up

A quality policy is made publicly available with clear principles and

objectives

An organizational structure is in place to deal with quality

management (system vs. statistical domains)

Procedures are in place and implemented to asses, plan, monitor

and report on quality of input, processes and outputs

A quality report is submitted to the Statistical Council and made

publicly available

QAF - Input

Clear mandate for data collection for NSS (Law and programmes)

Balance costs, response burden and quality

Access to/transfer of administrative data with identifier

Obligation for respondents to participate

Sharing data among partners of the NSS

NSO consulted when collection of administrative data changes

(scope, quality, periodicity, granularity, timeliness…)

Interactions with holders of other data sources (NGOs, Big Data,

geospatial information) to explore jointly the potential of this data for

the production of official statistics

Quality is embedded in processes

QAF – Business architecture and processes

Sound methodology is used throughout the production process

Adequate tools, procedures and expertise are deployed to support

the production of statistics (business architecture)

Production processes are mapped (GSBPM) and documented

Production processes are efficient and effective

Before launching a statistical survey an assessment of existing data

sources is conducted (quality vs. costs)

QAF - Output

Users are regularly consulted (content, format, timing of releases)

Users have equal and simultaneous access to official statistics

Official Statistics are disseminated in a user-friendly way

Statistics are disseminated with metadata

Advance release calendar with clear updating procedures are

publicly available

No political statement in statistical publications

Errors are corrected and users informed accordingly

In statistical publications, non statistically processed data are

labelled as such

Right for NSS to comments on misinterpretation of statistics

Know your starting point

Assess costs and benefits of institutional improvement

Prioritize - Identify sustainable “quick wins”

Seek support

Target resources accordingly

Improving the Institutional Environment

institutional environment for official statistics - un … environment for official statistics...

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