Quality assurance in official statistics High Level Seminar for EECCA countries entitled Quality in Statistics: Metadata, GEORGİA, 2012 Quality assurance in official statistics of the Republic of Azerbaijan: conceptual approach Rauf Salimov, Deputy Chairman, State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan

NATIONAL QUALITY ASSURANCE FRAMEWORK Managing the statistical system Managing the institutional environment Managing statistical processes Managing statistical outputs

Managing the statistical system 1.1 Coordination Centralized system and independent organization Law on Official Statistics The role in coordinating is legislated Preparing the annual Statistical Work Programmes Adopted four long-term State Programmes The application of statistical work in the country is compulsory Acts the Statistical Council Entering into agreements with other government organizations on data exchange

1.2 Relationships with data users and data providers Managing the statistical system 1.2 Relationships with data users and data providers Periodic discussions with stakeholders and identifying their requirements The State Statistical Committee represents in working groups Intensive cooperation with media Evaluation the main range of users’ interests (Top items) Strategic documents submitted for public discussion before adoption Data users and data providers are informing about the changes

Managing the statistical system 1.3 Statistical standards Applying the all international classifications Applying the 2008 SNA SSC takes active participation as member of expert groups of international organizations in the preparing of statistical standards (7 experts) Discussing the standards and making appropriate decisions Ensuring of standards applying

2.1 Professional independence 2.Managing the institutional environment 2.1 Professional independence Inadmissibility of interference specified in Law SSC chairman status equated to the status of minister SSC takes independent decisions regarding the statistical outputs publishing Regularly publishing the Statistical Work Programme Conducted procedures for preventing misuse of statistical data

2.2 Impartiality and objectivity 2.Managing the institutional environment 2.2 Impartiality and objectivity The SSC has Code of Practice and follow up A release calendar which announces data and press releases publishing made known in advance to users, respected their publication in the specified time Detected errors are corrected timely Administrative regulations on process of data access are in place Presented information on data and metadata sources

2.3 Transparency 2.Managing the institutional environment Information about statistical activity available to the public Information about the processes and metadata available on website Standards on data dissemination policy are in place Information on statistics’ budget is publicly available Statements in the media are regularly held

2.4 Confidentiality 2. Managing the institutional environment Data confidentiality is fixed and guaranteed by law The staff signs legal confidentiality agreements Liability for breaching confidentiality The technical and organizational measures to protect data are in place The rules for the use of microdata for research are in place

2.5 Quality commitment 2. Managing the institutional environment Quality policy and objectives are determined The Coordinating Council was set up The quality representative is appointed Created division responsible for quality The collection of documents on quality is prepared Approved and implemented the action plan for the period 2012-2013 There is a section on quality in the forthcoming five-year State Programme Regularly held trainings Global Assessment by Eurostat, UNECE, EFTA and monitoring by IMF on price statistics have been carried out

2.6 Adequacy of resources 2. Managing the institutional environment The sufficiency of financial resources allocated for the implementation of statistical activities High availability of information technology Acquisition of new software products, created information systems, applied on-line system for data collection

3. Managing statistical processes 3.1 Assuring methodological soundness The applied methodologies are based on international practice Changes in methodology are accompanied by documented procedures Documents prior to their adoption, discussed by the Scientific and Methodological Council Designing the organizational plan of statistical observations The methodological documents for data editing, evaluating and descriptive statistics are in place

3. Managing statistical processes 3.2 Assuring cost-effectiveness The costs of survey are regularly monitored Regularly reduce the respondent burden Expanding the scope of applying ICT Observation are gradually replaced by the survey Indicators that are available on the basis of administrative data evaluated without the observation

3. Managing statistical processes 3.3 Assuring soundness of implementation Applied electronic document management system Designing the methodological work plans Quarterly work plans developed by each division The processes are continuously automated and documented Effective control of decision implementation Conduct record and protocol of data base management and archiving

3. Managing statistical processes 3.4 Managing the respondent burden Applied electronic reporting The State Programme has a project called “Clever questionnaire" Used administrative data sources For small businesses applied a simplified mode Respondents are informed about the changes in forms Presented the proposals to the government on reducing the respondent burden

4. Managing statistical outputs 4.1 Assuring relevance Organized regularly meetings with users Conduct the monitor of users’ feedback and offers, organized surveys Preparing metadata on reports and indicators Created the working groups Dissemination policy is in place The projects submitted for public discussion The State Programme is available on the website Participation in regional and international events, study of new requirements Study of the users satisfaction level

4. Managing statistical outputs 4.2 Assuring accuracy and reliability The rules for the review data exist Measuring sampling errors Submitted the explanatory information during the correction process Prepared the regularly reports on report discipline and data quality Conducting the data monitoring and errors discovering

4.3 Assuring timeliness and punctuality 4. Managing statistical outputs 4.3 Assuring timeliness and punctuality Release calendar meet the international requirements The action plans designing timely Assuring the access to previous period data Timetable for data collecting, processing and publishing exist

4.4 Assuring accessibility 4. Managing statistical outputs 4.4 Assuring accessibility Format of output data meet the international requirements Using ICT resources for dissemination The catalogue of publication submitted in advance Operates "hot line" The rules on access to microdata for research purposes exist Metadata disseminated

4. Managing statistical outputs 4.5 Assuring coherence and comparability Retrospective time series are compiled Data of previous years recalculated in the new structure in case of changes in methodology on indicator forming or introduction of a new classification National classifications designing in accordance with international Assuring coherence of using terminologies and methodologies Administrative sources, basically, give a chance to assuring comparability

4. Managing statistical outputs 4.6 Managing metadata Action plan on managing metadata for the period 2012-2013 exist Prepared the concept of metadata system Prepared the glossary of statistical concepts Documented procedure on quality management system exist

Thank you!