Quality assurance and quality control

The QA/QC programme 

The programme describes:

• quality objectives of the inventory;
• the organisation and elements of the QA/QC system;
• an annual QA/QC improvement plan, updated based on the experiences of the previous year(s), which includes a time schedule, tasks and responsibilities.

The QA/QC programme should support an inventory that can be readily assessed in terms of quality and completeness and contributes towards improving transparency, consistency, comparability, completeness and confidence of the inventory. The overall objective of this programme is therefore that the annual inventories and National Arrangements are of sufficient quality for their intended uses and for meeting the requirements under the UNFCCC and EU.

The current version of the QA/QC programma can be accessed through the following download:

Quality

High quality requires a proper understanding of the intended use of the inventories. The inventory system should not only produce good and reliable figures, it should also demonstrate to the intended users (notably the UNFCCC) that these are of high quality, suitable as a basis for accounting and reported as required in accordance with the applicable guidelines. This QA/QC programme focuses on the ability to meet these requirements and to enable continuous improvement. Through an annual evaluation and improvement cycle, it is assessed whether the quality objectives and requirements are met and where improvements may be realised.

Reviews and audits

As part of the QA/QC programme various peer review and audit activities are implemented. These include:

• Annual basic peer reviews of the NIR/CRF.
• To the extent practically possible, further verification and source-specific QA.
• Regular audits are primarily done by staff not directly involved in the inventory process, coordinated or implemented by us.

The UNFCCC reviews the official National Reports to determine if Parties meet their requirements.

The QA/QC programme itself is also continuously reviewed and updated as necessary. It will incorporate any additional aspects as may become required by EU regulation and/or the UNFCCC reporting guidelines.