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Session 23

Quality Initiatives in the ENP-South Countries and Their Implementation

4 June 2026
14:15 – 15:45
ŠIBENIK IV SHOW ON MAP

Session chair
Avis Beneš
Head of Unit 03: Quality; ESAC and ESGAB Secretariat; Eurostat; Co-Chair of the Programme Committee

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Ms Avis Beneš has a longstanding career in international and EU institutions (European Commission, EEAS, EU Delegations, Office of the High Representative in BiH, international crime court, EU electoral monitoring missions), in particular in political, economic, statistical and communication domains, including significant experience in EU enlargement and accession process. In the period 2018-2023 she was heading the Eurostat unit dealing with statistical cooperation, in particular with enlargement and neighbourhood countries as well as cooperation with Africa. In all areas of cooperation quality in statistics had continuously a prominent place. From 2024 she is Head of Unit of Eurostat unit managing quality (former task force peer review), strategy and programming, European Statistical System (ESS) governance as well as ESGAB and ESAC Secretariat. She holds MA degrees in economics and international relations & European studies.

Presentation title
PCBS’s Holistic Integration of Quality Management Systems, Data Quality Tools, and Quality Assurance Frameworks into Palestinian official Statistics
PRESENTATION PAPER

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) has made significant strides in implementing and institutionalizing international quality frameworks and tools to enhance the production of official statistics.

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This paper highlights Palestine’s journey in adopting and adapting various quality management systems and tools including ISO 9001 certification and the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model. The Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM), the European Statistics Code of Practice (CoP), the European Self-Assessment Checklist (DESAP), and the National Quality Assurance Framework (NQAF).

PCBS has systematically integrated these tools into its statistical operations, ensuring alignment with both European and United Nations quality standards. The use of GSBPM has enabled standardized process documentation, improved transparency, and facilitated continuous quality assessment across all statistical activities production stages. Furthermore, the adoption of CoP and DESAP has strengthened institutional independence, accuracy, and user trust, while ISO 9001, EFQM and NQAF have provided a structured approach to quality governance and risk management.

In the era of rapid technological advancement, PCBS is also exploring the integration of digitalization and artificial intelligence within its quality frameworks. These innovations aim to automate processes, enhance data validation, and improve responsiveness to user needs—all while upholding the core quality dimensions of relevance, accuracy, timeliness, clarity, comparability, coherence, and accessibility.

This paper features how a concerted, multi-tool approach to quality management —alongside technological adaptation—can empower national statistical institutes to produce independent, reliable, and high-quality official statistics, even in complex and evolving national contexts. Palestine’s experience offers valuable insights for statistical agencies in the Arab Region seeking to modernize their systems while maintaining rigorous adherence to international quality standards.

Main author / Presenter
Nayef Abed
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS)

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I am Nayef Abed, the Director General of the Standards, Methodologies and Quality Directorate at the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), a position I have held since 2014. I have been with PCBS since 2001, building extensive expertise in producing official statistics, quality assurance, survey sampling, and data analysis. I hold a Master’s degree in Applied Statistics and have led the implementation of quality management systems, resulting in international certifications such as ISO 9001 and EFQM (C2E). I have also lectured on survey methods and data quality at the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics (AITRS) and local institutions. Internationally, I participated in European conferences on official statistics (Austria 2014, Portugal 2024) and have served as a short-term expert for UN agencies, including the ILO, UNICEF, and WHO.

Presentation title
Statistical Quality Assurance and User Trust: Insights from CAPMAS and Egypt’s Social Programs
PRESENTATION PAPER

The quality of official statistics is a cornerstone for building and maintaining public trust in evidence-based decision-making and effective policy implementation.

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In Egypt, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics has played a very fundamental role in ensuring that data underpinning national development programs is reliable, accurate, and timely. This paper explores how CAPMAS's statistical quality assurance frameworks make a positive contribution toward user confidence in and policy effectiveness of two major flagship social programs: Hayat Karima and Takaful wa Karama.

CAPMAS employs a comprehensive QA approach encompassing data collection protocols, validation procedures, metadata documentation, and coordination across governmental agencies. These not only ensure data credibility but also facilitate traceability, which is crucial for instilling confidence in policymakers, project implementers, and citizens at large. For instance, in Hayat Karima, statistical indicators guide the allocation of resources to underserved communities, while in Takaful wa Karama, data quality informs eligibility criteria, impact assessment, and performance monitoring.

This paper illustrates the direct relationship between statistical quality and user trust. Challenges identified include data timeliness, digital integration, and communicating complex statistical information to non-technical audiences. Recommendations focus on strengthening data governance, promoting transparency, and enhancing user engagement to maximize the credibility and utility of official statistics.

The findings underscore the critical importance of robust quality assurance in official statistics for enabling evidence-based policymaking and sustaining public trust. Lessons learned from the Egyptian context provide insights for other countries aiming to link statistical quality with the effectiveness of national development initiatives.

Main author / Presenter
Mostafa Abdelsattar Otefy
Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), Egypt

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The author is a quality-oriented professional with a strong background in problem-solving, strategic analysis, and data integrity. His work focuses on applying statistical data to improve operational efficiency, support evidence-based decision-making, and enhance quality standards in public and developmental initiatives. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from ESLSCA Business School – Egypt and is currently pursuing the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate, reflecting a strong commitment to continuous learning and applied data analysis. His academic interest centers on the role of official statistics in public programs and national initiatives, particularly in strengthening transparency, effectiveness, and public trust in statistical data.

Presentation title
Quality Under Pressure: Maintaining Quality of Official Statistics in Lebanon During Economic Crisis and War
PRESENTATION PAPER

Official statistics play a critical role in supporting evidence-based decision making, particularly during severe crises characterized by high uncertainty and intensified user needs.

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In recent years, Lebanon has faced multiple overlapping shocks, notably a prolonged economic and financial crisis and the war during 2023–2024. These exceptional conditions posed major challenges to the continuity, credibility, and quality of official statistical production.

This paper presents the experience of the Central Administration of Statistics of Lebanon in maintaining quality standards across two key statistical domains: the compilation of National Accounts under extreme economic instability and the implementation of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) under severe security constraints. The analysis is framed by the Code of Practice principles most relevant in crisis contexts relevance, accuracy, reliability, coherence, comparability, and transparency and examines how these principles were upheld despite disrupted data sources and operational limitations.

Under the combined effects of economic crisis and war-related disruptions, National Accounts compilation was challenged by high inflation, sharp currency depreciation, and the coexistence of multiple official and market exchange rates. Addressing these issues required consistent application of valuation methods, careful treatment of price and exchange rate effects, and explicit handling of depreciation. Delays and gaps in administrative data availability necessitated the use of well-documented estimation techniques and coherent assumptions. These were accompanied by transparent communication on methodologies, exchange rate choices, and data revisions to preserve user confidence in an environment of extreme uncertainty.

For the MICS survey, security constraints prevented the completion of fieldwork in three governorates. To ensure quality and transparency, results were published separately for each completed governorate, and national-level estimates were not produced to avoid bias from incomplete coverage. Sampling weights were recalculated for the completed strata, and all methodological limitations were clearly documented to maintain analytical validity and trust.

Overall, the paper highlights key challenges, solutions, and lessons learned, demonstrating that adherence to quality principles, transparency, and institutional resilience is essential for sustaining trust in official statistics during severe crises.

Main author / Presenter
Mayssaa Daher
Central Administration of Statistics (CAS), Lebanon

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Author and Presenter: Mayssaa Daher – Mathematical Statistician – National Coordinator for Quality – Responsible for Social Statistics, Central Administration of Statistics, Lebanon The presenting author holds a master's degree in applied mathematics and statistics, with a specialization in Data Sciences, and has over 20 years of experience designing and implementing activities in data collection, management, and analysis, with a strong focus on ensuring the quality, consistency, and timeliness of official social statistics. Expertise includes working with statistical databases, managing data and metadata exchange—mainly from household surveys—and preparing agricultural and household expenditure data for use in national accounts, applying rigorous quality controls. The author also has extensive knowledge of social indicators, including SDG and MDG reporting, and has co-authored publications supporting the use of high-quality social statistics and indicators.

Presentation title
Digitalization of the Population Census in Tunisia: Quality, Trust, and Institutional Framework
PRESENTATION PAPER

In the context of the growing use of new methods and digital technologies in official statistics, Tunisia undertook a fully digital Population and Housing Census in 2024.

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This initiative aimed to support the transition of the statistical process through strengthened quality management, while improving data accuracy, operational efficiency and public trust. The approach aligns with international quality frameworks and responds to increasing demands for timely, reliable, transparent and well-protected statistical data.

The digital transformation covered the entire census lifecycle, from planning and data collection to processing, validation and dissemination. Data were collected using electronic questionnaires on mobile devices, enabling immediate capture, automated controls and real-time transmission. A centralised information system supported continuous monitoring of field operations and ensured seamless integration between data collection, processing and validation, reinforcing process standardisation and traceability.

New technologies, particularly the integration of a Geographic Information System (GIS), played a key role in enhancing quality management. GIS supported the production of digital census maps, accurate georeferencing of enumeration areas and households, and spatial monitoring of fieldwork. This enabled better workload allocation, improved coverage control and strengthened the spatial coherence of the data, contributing to reduced non-sampling errors.

Quality assurance mechanisms were embedded throughout the process, including automated consistency and plausibility checks, real-time dashboards and GIS-based supervision tools. These methods allowed early detection of errors, gaps or overlaps during data collection, facilitating timely corrective actions and improving overall data reliability.

To support trust and sustainability of the transition, robust data protection and security measures were implemented, alongside a communication strategy aimed at informing the public about digital tools, data confidentiality and census objectives. This helped reinforce transparency and acceptance of new statistical methods.

Tunisia’s experience illustrates how new sources, methods and technologies, when embedded within a comprehensive quality management framework, can effectively support the transition of statistical processes. The 2024 digital census offers practical lessons for national statistical systems seeking to modernise their operations while safeguarding quality, trust and institutional credibility.

Main author / Presenter
Moncef Jarboui
National Institute of Statistics (INS), Tunisia

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Moncef Jarboui, Senior Information Technology Engineer and Director of Information Systems at the National Institute of Statistics (Tunisia), with more than twenty years of experience in the design, implementation, and governance of complex information systems serving official statistics. Principal Coordinator — Information Technology and Information Systems for the MedStat5 project. Technical lead of the 2024 Population and Housing Census (RGPH 2024). Recipient of the Special Achievement in GIS Award (Esri, 2019). Expert in systems, networks, cloud, security, and information systems governance.