Other development activities
EU Project "Technical Assistance to Support the National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova" (ParStat)
In 2019, Statistics Poland joined an EU initiative supporting the statistical system of the Republic of Moldova. An international consortium was formed, led by the Italian Geographical Society (Societa Geografica Italiana, SGI) with Statistics Poland, Statistics Denmark and The Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT). The project was implemented for 3 years from 8th of July 2019. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a complex geopolitical situation in the region, the project has been organised predominantly in a remote mode.
Statistics Poland’s experts were engaged in three following areas: communication, international cooperation and human resources. In the field of communication the National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova (NBS) together with Polish experts for the first time successfully conducted a users’ online satisfaction survey for data users from statistical products and services. It was the first one from the series of surveys that NBS plans to regularly carry out in the future. In the scope of international cooperation Statistics Poland’s experts supported creating an effective, specialised unit. The last area concentrated on providing support in drafting up the NBS’ new human resources policy and recommendations regarding the management of human resources in the office.
New regulations were also drafted to increase the amount of administrative data supplying entities. At the same time, some statistical questionnaires (e.g. structural business survey, use of information technologies in enterprises and the labour force survey) have been adjusted to the EU standards and a new master sample for household surveys was developed. Moreover, work on the non-observed economy estimation was carried out. The experts also made recommendations on measurement of consumer price inflation with the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP).
Within the project, computer applications for the use of computer assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) methods and geographic information system (GIS) computer applications were also developed to collect data on buildings, households, and addresses. These products will be used to prepare the next census of population and housing. An important achievement was the NBS’ new website, which offers new functionalities, tools for disseminating data and an ability to communicate with users.
The project results in the improved cooperation between NBS Moldova and EU institutions in the production and dissemination of statistics, progress in harmonisation of Moldovan statistics with EU standards and improving the competences of NBS experts.
The results of the ParStat project were summarised at the project's closing conference in Chi?inău on 5th July 2022. In addition to representatives of the consortium member countries – Italy and Poland and the NBS of Moldova, it was attended by representatives of the European Commission, country's central authorities, development partners, academia and other data users.
Pan-African Statistics Programme II (PAS II); Developing social statistics in African national statistical offices
Statistic Poland’s determination to seek new directions for cooperation was confirmed through its support to African countries. In 2021, under the European Neighbourhood Policy-South (ENP-South), the formal framework of the project’s actions was set by the EU's Pan-African Statistics Programme II (PAS II) under SOCSTAF (Developing social statistics in African national statistical offices). An international consortium consisting of Denmark (coordinator), Finland, France, Spain and Poland was established for 2022-2025. Activities include strengthening the African Statistical System, ensuring the use of high-quality statistical data in decision-making process and monitoring social progress in Africa.
The objective of Statistics Poland’s activities is to share knowledge and experience in carrying out censuses. The aim is to raise awareness of the importance of censuses and the potential for widespread use of these data. Under the project Polish experts conduct series of workshops cover the main steps of conducting this survey:
- Preparing the census – what action to take in the preparatory phase (conducted in 2022 for Angola, Eswatini, Gambia, Lesotho and Morocco);
- Conducting the census – how to effectively conduct the census with the highest possible rate (conducted in 2023 for Angola, Eswatini, Morocco, Namibia and Tunisia);
Post-census actions - how to present the census results.
