UNIDO Launches the 2nd Edition of the Quality Infrastructure for Sustainable Development (QI4SD) Index
Vienna, Austria – 15 November 2024: The 2nd Edition of the QI4SD Index was launched during an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) hosted by UNIDO entitled, “Rethinking Quality Infrastructure: Quality Policies for a sustainable future”. The index assesses the readiness of a country or region’s quality infrastructure system in supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically in relation to the “People”, “Planet” and “Prosperity” pillars.
What’s new in the 2nd edition of the QI4SD Index?
The 2nd edition builds on the original index, launched in June 2022, with its enhanced coverage. It maintains the 5 QI dimensions (standards, accreditation, conformity assessment, metrology and policy, expanding to 38 indicators across 155 countries. The data was collected primarily from members of the International Network on Quality Infrastructure (INetQI), with some indicator data from the Global Quality Infrastructure Index (GQII). In some dimensions, new indicators have been included, and others revised based on data availability. There have also been some slight changes to the methodology. Perhaps the most notable change is related to the dimension on Policy. UNIDO together with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) launched the 2nd wave of the Quality Policy survey to 172 ISO members from 31 May to 15 August 2024 to collect indicator data for the Policy dimension. Members were also asked to share a copy of their Quality Policy, where available. These documents, as well as results of the survey are now available on the dedicated Quality Policy section of the QI4SD Index website.
The website, which is available on the UNIDO Knowledge Hub, showcases results from the 2022 and 2024 editions of the Index with interactive maps and data visualizations. Like the 1st edition, countries are grouped according to GDP levels, income levels and regions. Such an approach by peer group provides a clearer picture of QI strengths and areas for growth, and with a few clicks, users of the website can make some comparisons. On the website’s landing page, there is a new feature whereby the reports published for the 2022 and 2024 editions can be downloaded. During the 2nd edition launch, a report on the summary and key trends was launched. A series of reports will be published in March 2025; these include an updated Results Report, Methodology, Country Profiles, an updated brochure and regional reports. It is also possible to download the data for 2022 and 2024 – this includes the QI4SD Index (QI dimensions and indicators) dataset, and the indicators dataset for 2022 and 2024.
For additional information or media inquiries, please contact: n.dei-anang [at] unido.org, a.rivera-rojas [at] unido.org
The 2nd edition of the QI4SD Index is available here: Quality Infrastructure for Sustainable Development Index
