Improving the quality of the statistical information on security and justice is key for Latin America and the Caribbean

On August 8 and 9, the Center of Excellence organized the workshop Good Practices in Statistical Quality, with participants from Argentina, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay and Uruguay, who shared information on their security and justice information systems. This practices exchange seeks to promote best practices in the collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of statistical information on these issues. For its part, the Center of Excellence presented the results of the 2019 World Study on Homicide, which is generated from information collected globally through the United Nations Survey on Crime Trends and Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (UN-CTS). The latter was presented through the Organization of American States, which collaborates with UNODC by collecting information on security and justice in the Latin American and Caribbean region.

During the meeting’s sessions, participants discussed the strengths of their information systems, as well as identified areas of opportunity for improvement of the quality of the data and its use, both by government agencies in the development of public policies, and by other sectors such as civil society and academia. Finally, the participating countries agreed to establish a Technical Working Group on Good Practices in Statistical Quality that will meet annually in order to promote good practices in security and justice information management systems.