DOHA: Qatar Statistics Authority (QSA) has announced a five-year national strategy for the further enhance its capabilities in statistics development, covering a period from 2013 to 2018.
Some of the important challenges that would be addressed in this process include strengthening of coordination of the statistical system to increase data quality and improve ways of making statistics available to users, making use of new technology and social networks.
The new strategy also envisages maintaining standards to ensure that all statistics are compiled in line with international standards and recommendations.
The QSA has already identified seven strategic goals for the period 2008 to 2013 and working on it. This includes institutionalizing standards for statistical methodology and quality; and strengthening statistical agencies organizationally. QSA is also involved in building capacity to promote statistical literacy through advocacy and education, in addition to working on designing and implementing supporting sub-strategies in key areas.
In 2008, QSA prepared and published a National Strategy for Development of statistics in Qatar (NSD). This document sets out a vision and a mission for the national statistical system in Qatar and identifies even strategic goals to be achieved in the five year period from 2008-13. In order to achieve this vision, QSA has set itself a mission to satisfy user needs for quality statistical information to support evidence-based policy formulation and to monitor development progress while adhering to best international practices.
The plans also include furnishing the official reference figures on social, demographic, economic and environmental conditions in Qatar and harmonising standards and coordinating the statistical activities of data producers in country to generate a coherent, integrated set of statistics for national, regional and international use.
The strategy also aims to engage in advocacy to raise statistical literacy and promote the correct and effective use of statistics in Qatar.
According to an interim evaluation of the NSD, the QSA found that progress was achieved towards all the seven strategic goals, with the overall level of achievement across all level goals was assessed at two thirds completed.
The Peninsula
