About 70 representatives of the central public authorities, other institutions and organizations involved in the development of official statistics participated on September 20 in the workshop on strengthening the capacities of the National Statistical System (NSS) to use international standards in the field of official statistics. The training was organized by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) with the support provided by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The workshop, held in a hybrid format, was supported by UNECE experts, Steven Vale and Trevor Fletcher, in the context of their mission to strengthen NSS capacities through the use of statistical standards such as GSBPM, GSIM, SDMX, etc., a mission that is carried out in between September 19-21 at the NBS.

During the event, participants were familiarized with the Generic Statistical Process Model (GSBPM) and the Generic Statistical Information Model (GSIM), as well as the Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange (SDMX). In this context, the UNECE experts mentioned the importance of using statistical models applied internationally, including in European countries that can serve as key elements in the modernization of national systems of production and dissemination of statistical data.

The three models: GSBPM, GSIM and SDMX represent key standards for the modernization of official statistics, which aim to provide common strictness, improve communication about the production of statistics, within and between organizations, and facilitate collaboration and exchange of best practices in the field. These models are widely used by EU member states, as well as other states of the world. The implementation in practice by the NBS and NSS specialists will allow the standardization of statistical processes, the harmonization of terminologies applied by various institutions and the alignment with international quality standards in official statistics.

Another topic discussed during the workshop concerned the importance of using alternative data, including administrative data for statistical purposes and the evaluation for this purpose of the quality of these data from the point of view of meeting the criteria of official statistics.

At the same time, the participants were given guidance on the use of international statistical resources and tools, according to the UN Manual on the Management of Statistical Organizations.

Presentations:

• HLG-MOS and GAMSO
• Big Data and other alternative data
• GSBPM, GSIM and SDMX
• SDMX
• Use of Administrative Data
• The UN Handbook for managing Statistical Organisations
• The UNITAR StaTact planning tool