Introduction The fourth Conference on Data Quality for International Organisations will be held on 6 and 7 May 2010 in Helsinki, Finland, immediately after the Q2010 European Conference on Quality in Official Statistics (which will also take place in Helsinki, but from 4 to 6 May 2010). It will be held under the auspices of the Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities (CCSA). Previous conferences on data quality for international organisations were held in: 2008 in Rome, Italy (7 and 8 July); 2006 in Newport, United Kingdom (27 and 28 April); and 2004 in Wiesbaden, Germany (27 and 28 May). The purpose of these conferences which are dedicated to data quality is to provide statistical experts from international or supra-national organisations with a forum to discuss specific data quality issues related to their work and to exchange experiences regarding the various quality mechanisms developed for improving the collection and dissemination of data. The main focus of the 2010 conference will be on how international support for the development of National Quality Assurance Frameworks can be provided. The discussions at this year's meeting, therefore, will reflect upon the proposals made by Statistics Canada in its programme review on National Quality Assurance Frameworks for the UN Statistical Commission (see document E/CN.3/2010/2 from the forty-first session of the Statistical Commission, http://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/sc2010.htm ; see also http://unstats.un.org/unsd/dnss/nqaf.aspx ). It is anticipated that international organisations staff who are expected to play an active role in quality management in their organisations, and/or who will be the ones to provide support to countries on this issue will be among the participants. Upon invitation, national statistical experts are welcome to participate and contribute by sharing their needs and expectations vis-à-vis support from international organisations on the development of national quality assurance frameworks and by describing how good practices of quality management gained at the national level can be extended to the international area of work. 1
Programme Committee Mr. Charles Lufumpa, African Development Bank (AfDB) Mr. Gora Mboup, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Mr. Stefan Schweinfest, United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) Mr. Pieter Everaers, Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat) Papers All of the conference papers will be posted at http://unstats.un.org/unsd/accsubpublic/data-quality.htm as soon as they become available. 2
Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities Conference on Data Quality for International Organisations Helsinki, Finland, 6 7 May 2010 Meeting venue: Statistics Finland (10 th floor) PROGRAMME (28 April 2010) Thursday, 6 May Session 15:00 18:00 15:00 15:15 Welcome and introduction (Heli Jeskanen-Sundström, Pieter Everaers, Henri Laurencin) 15:15 17:00 Session 1: Introduction: Background and current state of the art of quality assurance frameworks in international organizations and at the national level (principles, codes of practices, ongoing initiatives, existing handbooks, guidelines and other tools) Eurostat (Martina Hahn) IMF (Mohammed El Qorchi) UNSD (Mary Jane Holupka) UN-Habitat (Gora Mboup) COFFEE (30 17:15 18:00 (60 minutes) Friday 7 May 09:00 17:30 09:00 10:30 ( COFFEE 11:00 13:00 (120 minutes) Session 2: Quality assurance for statistics based on administrative sources/microdata ECB (Francis Gross) UNESCO (Hendrik van der Pol) Session Session 3: Selected country experiences with quality assurance work, with a special focus on formulating their needs and expectations vis-à-vis support from international organisations Austria (Thomas Burg) South Africa (Seble Worku) Mauritius (Set Fong Cheung) Canada (Claude Julien) Country consultant (Michael Colledge) Session 4: The role of international organisations in supporting national statistical institutes' quality initiatives (all participants will be divided up into one of the following 3 groups to discuss and then report back to the plenary on:) How can international organisations better divide the work related to improving data quality at the national level, including the provision of support for the institutional setups for national statistical institutes? How are or could international organisations help national initiatives on quality? (Role of peer reviews, quality coaching, quality tool kits, etc.) How can national quality reports be aligned with the various international initiatives? Organiser/Chair Statistics Finland Eurostat, UNCTAD UNSD IMF Organiser/Chair FAO AfDB, UNSD, Eurostat LUNCH Friday 7 May Session Organiser/Chair 14:15 16:00 (105 minutes) UN-Habitat Session 5: How are international organisations measuring/ensuring public satisfaction? Eurostat (Stephen Clarke) OECD (David Brackfield) COFFEE 16:30 17:30(6 Summary of the conference, conclusions and the next CCSA quality event Eurostat, UNCTAD, UNSD 3
Contacts For general questions regarding the CCSA conference, please contact: Ms. Mary Jane Holupka of the UN Statistics Division (UNSD), New York E-mail: holupka@un.org phone: 212-963-4578; fax: 212-963-4569 For specific questions on local arrangements at the Helsinki conference venue, please contact: Ms. Raija Löfgren of Statistics Finland E-mail: raija.lofgren@stat.fi phone: +358 9 1734 2265 ; fax: +358 9 1734 2291 Statistics Finland telephone: +358 9 17341 (switchboard) Conference Location: Statistics Finland (10th floor) Työpajankatu 13, 00580 Helsinki, Kalasatama, Finland Statistics Finland Finlandia Hall 4
Tourism and Hotel Information Tourist information is available on the Helsinki tourist information website http://www.visithelsinki.fi/in_english/visitor.iw3 ; and hotel reservation services can be accessed at http://www.visithelsinki.fi/in_english/visitor/helsinki/accommodation/reservation_services.iw3 Transportation From Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport to the city centre Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport is located some 20 kilometres north of Helsinki. Bus and taxi stands are situated directly outside the Arrivals Hall. 1. By bus a. Finnair Citybus, a frequent bus service, operates between the airport and Finnair City Terminal next to the central railway station. The fare (payable to the driver) is 5.90 euros ( ); the drive takes approximately 35 minutes (see http://www.finnair.com/finnaircom/wps/wcm/resources/file/eb145e076435a30/fincb_0308_aika TAULU.pdf for schedules). b. Local bus connection No 615 which operates between the airport and the Railway Station Square in the city centre. The fare is 4 (see http://www.hsl.fi/en/pages/default.aspx for schedules). 2. By Taxi A regular private taxi ride to the city costs 35-45. Taxi drivers accept major credit cards and do not expect tips. From the city centre to Statistics Finland Statistics Finland is situated about 4 kilometres to the north-east from the Central Helsinki railway station. 1. By Metro train The easiest way to get to Statistics Finland is to take a metro line to Vuosaari/Mellunmäki (to East) from the metro stations Railway Station, Kaisaniemi or Kamppi, all located in the city centre. Statistics Finland is situated next door to the station Kalasatama - Fiskhamnen the first terrestrial metro station. The metro journey takes about 8 minutes from the City Centre to Statistics Finland. A single ticket costs EURO 2,00 bought from the ticket machines which are available in every metro station next to the escalator down to the platform. 2. By Taxi The cost of a taxi from the city centre to Statistics Finland is 15-25. 3. Buses: Bus no. 56 (Kannelmäki-Kalasatama); Bus no. 59 (Pajamäki-Herttoniemi) via Pasila railway station; Bus no. 68 depart from the square outside Helsinki railway station; Bus no. 505 from Espoo via Pasila railway station. From Finlandia Hall (venue of the Q2010 conference) to Statistics Finland (venue of the CCSA conference) It takes around 20 to 30 minutes to get from Finlandia Hall to Statistics Finland. A tram from Finlandia Hall takes a few minutes to get to the metro station called "Railway Station". (It is possible also to walk there; it will take about 10 minutes). The metro train from "Railway Station" the takes about 8 minutes to Statistics Finland, located right near the "Kalasatama" station. 5
General information about Helsinki and Finland For information about Helsinki visit the official tourism website of the city at http://www.visithelsinki.fi/in_english/visitor/helsinki/welcome_to_helsinki!.iw3 Passports, visas Information about passport and visa requirements for entry into Finland can be found at the Website of the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs (http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?culture=en-us&contentlan=2) -> Services -> Foreign nationals arriving in Finland -> Visa requirement in the Schengen area and travel documents accepted by Finland. Languages Official languages in Finland are Finnish and Swedish; however, you may expect that most people (particularly young people) have good knowledge of English. You should have no problems communicating in English. Currency The currency in Finland is the euro ( ), which is divided into 100 cents. Credit cards are widely accepted in Finland. The usual banking hours are 10.00-16.30 from Monday to Friday. There are many cash machines (OTTO in Finnish) where you can withdraw money with your credit card. Climate In early May the temperature in Helsinki ranges from the midday average of 15 C to the night-time average 10 C. Occasional showers can be expected and wind from the sea can also make it pretty chilly. We suggest that you bring along some warm clothing and an umbrella or a raincoat. Please see the Finnish Meteorological Institute at http://www.fmi.fi/en/. Electricity The electrical current in Finland is 220V (50Hz). Plugs and sockets are of the two-pin type commonly used in continental Europe (CEE 7/16). If your equipment requires a different voltage, you will need an electrical adapter. Insurance Water In Finland tap water is safe to drink. Tipping Tipping is not customary in Finland. Service charges are included in prices. Time The summer time in Finland is 3 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Strict smoking policy Smoking is not allowed indoors in public places, e.g. banks, department stores, public transport, restaurants, etc. 6