H.E. Askar Mamin, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, at the invitation of the Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, participated in the World Leaders’ Summit of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Glasgow from 1 -2 November.

Coming together at COP26, we recognise that climate change is the key threat to global security and prosperity in the 21st century.

We are committed to tackling climate change through ambitious domestic action, as well as close cooperation at the bilateral and multilateral levels. The UK’s Net Zero Strategy will accelerate its green energy transition, decarbonising power generation by 2035 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Kazakhstan has committed to reach net zero by 2060 in its upcoming carbon neutrality strategy which will involve major reforms in every sector of the economy, with special focus on energy, manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, transport, utilities, and waste management. The Government of Kazakhstan is also setting key midterm targets within its updated Nationally Determined Contribution: increasing the share of renewables to 15% by 2030 with further potential to grow and reducing greenhouse gas emissions unconditionally by 15% by 2030 (compared to the base year) with a conditional target of 25% (subject to international support and assistance). Kazakhstan, the ninth largest country in the world and a guardian of the steppe ecosystem, also fully supports the COP Presidency statement on forests and sustainable land use, committing to plant 2 billion trees by 2025.

As we develop and enhance our national plans, we recognise that the Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC is the key multilateral vehicle to deliver the ambition and action we so urgently need. We intend to take increasingly bold action to meet and where possible exceed the targets set in our Paris Agreement Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Long-Term Strategies. We will also drive forward implementation of the policy changes needed to meet our respective pledges to reach carbon neutrality.

In this context, we also welcome the recent Central Asia/US C5+1 statement which underlined the imperative to submit ambitious NDCs for the COP26 Glasgow Climate Summit. It pledged that the NDCs of the countries of Central Asia would include specific targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and concrete actions to reach those targets; and that those targets and actions would be in line with the goal of keeping a 1.5 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels temperature limit within reach. UK and Kazakhstan will continue working together to realise this important commitment and to help raise climate ambition across Central Asia and the wider region.

In addition, we will look to strengthen our cooperation on environmental matters, as well as exploring the opportunities that exist in the transformation to a green economy that may benefit both our countries. We will ensure that our existing Ministerial intergovernmental structures – the Strategic Dialogue and the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Investment – prioritise cooperation in these areas. Investment in a sustainable and clean recovery from the Covid 19 pandemic will create employment in the industries of the future, while ensuring that we address the linked challenges of public health, climate change and biodiversity. Such cooperation will prioritise energy efficiency, economic diversification away from fossil fuels, and in particular the imperative to transition from the use of coal for power generation, as well as developing Kazakhstan’s considerable renewable potential. It will also look to develop our countries’ green finance offers in support of this transition.

We will also endeavour to enhance cooperation across other key aspects of climate change mitigation, adaptation and environmental protection including the exchange of best practice in the field of de-carbonisation of the wider economy, waste management, sustainable forest and land use, improvement of air quality, biodiversity, sustainable and green finance, environmental research and public awareness building.

We highlight our commitment to achieving an ambitious and balanced negotiated outcome at COP26. We also agree to continue working closely beyond COP26, including policy discussions on wider climate change issues and the exchange of information on emissions reduction targets in all appropriate future high level dialogues.

In the thirty years since Kazakhstan’s independence and the establishment of our diplomatic relations, the UK-Kazakhstan relationship has become a strong partnership based on mutual trust, shared values, and effective cooperation – as reflected in the upcoming UK-Kazakhstan Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. As we celebrate this significant anniversary, we are determined to further build and deepen our cooperation on the issues that matter most to both our countries.

Skills training for the unemployed and investment in businesses developing low carbon technology are among around 500 projects set to benefit from a £200 million boost for local economies, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove announced today (3 November 2021).

The government is backing 477 locally-led, innovative projects that will help breathe new life into towns, villages and coastal communities across the UK as the government delivers on its mission to level up the nation and commitment to net zero.

It is the latest significant tranche of funding for Levelling Up following last week’s Budget which saw £1.7 billion from the first round of the UK-wide Levelling Up Fund backing 105 projects, and the first 21 projects benefitting from the £150 million Community Ownership Fund.

Many of today’s successful projects are also supporting the UK’s path to net zero carbon emissions. For example, a £434,000 contribution has been awarded to support the seafood industry in Grimsby to modernise, with funding helping the sector reduce its carbon footprint by improving the energy efficiency of its cold storage and transport fleet.

Secretary of State for Levelling Up Michael Gove said:

We are levelling up in every corner of the United Kingdom, backing locally-led projects that will make a real difference to communities and help to deliver our net zero commitments.

There is incredible talent spread right across our great country and this investment will unlock the opportunities to match.

Projects being funded through the Community Renewal Fund include:

• £1 million to train people in retrofit and modern construction skills in Devon, helping people secure jobs and ensuring local businesses have the skills they need.
• £400,000 will create a ‘Seaweed Academy’ in Argyll and Bute, providing training and education in seaweed farming. This money will help supercharge regional growth in an industry which has a crucial role to play in the UK’s net zero ambitions.
• £200,000 to support unemployed and disadvantaged people in Carmarthenshire to start their own business by investing in digital and entrepreneurial skills. The programme will also fund a bootcamp for female entrepreneurs, creating a networking group for women in business.
• £73,000 to support people with conditions such as Tourette’s, OCD, ADHD and Dyslexia in Antrim and Newtownabbey into employment and prepare for the world of work.
• £187,000 to support the development of electric vehicle charging across whole of the Scottish Borders to benefit residents, the public sector and businesses and ensure maximisation of commercial opportunities and reduction in carbon footprint.
• £480,000 to support local businesses in Blackburn and Darwen to adopt low carbon production technologies, bring low carbon products to market, source low carbon components, reduce energy consumption and become low carbon technology installers. The funding will develop a low carbon skills academy to identify the skills necessary for low carbon sector and design low carbon training programmes.
• £218,000 will fund an employment and wellbeing programme for people living in housing associations in the Scottish Borders. The programme will deliver digital skills, financial literacy, and promote good mental health.
• £808,000 will help create 40 online training centres for people who don’t have access to the internet in the North East to improve digital skills and open up digital employment opportunities.
• £120,000 to support young people not in education, employment, or training, adults struggling with their mental health and people who have left the Armed Forces in York to build confidence and transferable skills through archaeological excavations.
• £426,000 will help small businesses in Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon innovate and reduce their carbon footprint.  

Today’s UK Community Renewal Fund will pilot imaginative new programmes to boost productivity and grow local economies.

The Levelling Up Fund will invest in infrastructure to support economic recovery, while the Community Ownership Fund empowers communities to take ownership of treasured assets such as local pubs, post offices and football stadiums at risk of closure.

Together, the 3 funds will level up left-behind areas and unleash the potential of people and places right across the country.

The £200 million funding through the UK Community Renewal Fund will also help local areas prepare for the launch of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2022, the scheme that will see UK-wide funding at least match EU money, reaching around £1.5 billion a year.

See the full list of successful bids.

See information on all 3 funds – the Community Renewal Fund, the Community Ownership Fund and the Levelling Up Fund – including the full lists of successful bids.

View the published methodology used to identify places in need of funding.

Investment from EU Structural Funds will continue to be spent by local areas until 2023 and the government has committed to at least matching EU receipts through the new UK Shared Prosperity Fund, on average reaching around £1.5 billion a year. This new Fund, to be launched in 2022, will operate throughout the UK and play a part in uniting and levelling up the whole country.

UK troops deployed to Mali as part of the UN’s peacekeeping mission have detained three suspected Daesh terrorists and seized weapons during operations to deter and disrupt non-compliant armed groups threatening local communities.

During a 17-day operation in September, soldiers from the UK’s Long Range Reconnaissance Group (LRRG) disrupted suspected violent extremists from groups believed to include the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), seizing weapons and securing villages in line with the UN’s mandate to protect civilians.

During one encounter, soldiers from the Queen’s Dragoon Guards came across three suspected ISGS militants who ditched items as they fled the scene. One of the three men was detained after driving his motorbike into a body of water in a bid to escape. During a search of the area, the soldiers seized two motorcycles, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher with rockets, radios and combat clothing.

Days later, soldiers from the same regiment happened across two armed males, detaining them after they attempted to flee when they were approached. The soldiers seized two AK47 rifles, ammunition, radios and other military equipment.

All three detentions happened in an area where ISGS fighters are known to operate, although part of the peacekeepers’ role in Mali involves approaching members of legal militias who have signed up to the Algiers Peace Agreement to make sure they are complying with its terms.

Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey said:

These operations are yet another example of how UK peacekeepers are making a real difference to the UN mission to protect civilians in Mali.

Disrupting armed groups and taking valuable weapons and ammunition out of the hands of terrorists makes communities safer, while our presence in the region helps the UN mission to understand and counter threats to the local population.

Both encounters happened under Operation Makara 2, a UN operation to stabilise population areas around Ansongo and deter or disrupt terrorist groups in order to protect and reassure the local population. The operation was ordered after dozens of villagers were massacred by suspected extremists in the area in August in attacks which the LRRG helped a UN Human Rights team to investigate.

Earlier this year, UK Armed Forces conducting a ‘cordon and search’ operation seized AK47s, ammunition, fuel and radios.

Lt Col Will Meddings, Commanding Officer of the UK Task Group, said:

The LRRG are not only a force that finds, but a force that acts. These detentions, along with the seizure of these suspected ISGS weapons and equipment, show that a robust approach to peacekeeping helps protect the Malian people.

Key to successes like this are putting out patrols for long periods that persist in place. By returning to the sites of August’s cowardly attacks we built up a picture of how jihadist groups operate that has allowed us to take action like this against them.

The UK Task Group provides the UN with a specialised long-range reconnaissance capability, conducting patrols in remote areas. British soldiers gather intelligence and engage with the local population to help the UN mission understand and respond to threats and fulfil its mandate to protect civilians.

During Operation MAKARA 2, the Task Group also provided assistance to the UN’s civil pillar, enabling them to visit projects and identify future opportunities for engagement.

The Sahel is one of Africa’s poorest and most fragile regions, with more than 15 million people requiring humanitarian assistance and increasing insecurity, including terrorist violence and conflict.

The UK is providing targeted assistance through defence, diplomatic and development expertise, including supporting the UN with critical capabilities like the reconnaissance force.

It is vital that organisations use data effectively. To do this, people using the data must understand how it can and cannot be used. Communicating the quality of data to your users is an essential step in helping them to decide whether it is fit for their intended purpose. This will allow them to come to more accurate conclusions and therefore make better business decisions. Communicating data quality should be an ongoing commitment – not just something that is done at the end of your data’s journey.

In this article we share why communicating data quality is important and what you need to communicate to your users.

Why you need to communicate data quality to your users

Data may be used by several different users, and each for different purposes. It is therefore necessary to take a ‘case by case’ approach to assess when it is appropriate to use it and for what purpose. Communicating your data quality allows you to demonstrate the strengths and limitations of your data so that each user can decide if it meets their needs.

Communicating the quality of data to users gives them a fuller picture of your data and its journey. It also mitigates against people using the data for the wrong purposes. This will minimise the risk of any associated costs this may have, such as financial or reputational damage. Providing information on data quality up front will give users confidence in the data and their use of it. Regularly communicating your data quality will also promote and maintain the confidence in, and integrity of, your organisation.

Do not shy away from poor quality data

Before you can communicate the quality of your data, you must first understand it yourself. Unknown data quality can pose a bigger risk to data users than known, poor quality data. Therefore, even if your data quality is poor, it’s important to let your users know as this will prevent the data from being misused. You may find that the data is still suitable for their needs, but without communicating the quality to them, they won’t be able to reach that decision.

What your users need to know

What you communicate to your users will depend on their individual needs. It will also depend on whether you have any agreements in place with your users. Conveying the original purpose of your data and how it was collected will help your users to make an informed decision as to whether the data is suitable for their work or not. Generally, users will also need to see your assessment of quality against data quality dimensions, as well as changes to the data and caveats.

Data quality dimensions

The data quality dimensions can help you communicate the quality of your data. It’s important to do this in a way that’s meaningful to your users as this will allow them to compare the data against their requirements. Knowing your users and their needs allows you to communicate any data quality concerns that may be critical to them. This includes communicating the characteristics of the data to help them to determine any trade-offs. For example, if timeliness is your users’ most critical dimension, then the data may have been collected quickly to meet this. However, this could be at the expense of the completeness of the data. By communicating these characteristics of the data to your user, they can make an informed decision about the trade-off and determine whether the data is suitable for their purposes.

Remember to also tell your users about any uncertainty you have over the assessment of quality against the dimensions. This will help to reduce the risk of the data being misused and prevent poor decisions being made.

Changes to your data

Users need to know about any changes that have been made to your data. You should always provide the context behind these changes. For example, if figures in your data are altered as a result of a change to processing, then it’s crucial that users know this. This will prevent them from making assumptions and misusing the data. Any change made to data processes that could impact on quality should be communicated before the change happens. Changes shouldn’t come as a surprise to your users, so frequent communication is important.

Even if the figures in your data seem unaffected by a change in processing, it’s still important to communicate the change to your users. For example, your data may have previously been collected by an interviewer but is now collected by an online survey. Users should be told about this change so that they are able to make their own decisions as to whether it still meets their needs.

Caveats

You will need to communicate any caveats in your data. For example, letting users know that your data only includes those employed full-time in England, Scotland and Wales, rather than the whole of the UK. Without this caveat they may make incorrect assumptions about the data and come to inaccurate conclusions.

When and how to communicate data quality

Quality assessment and assurance should happen throughout the data lifecycle. You should document and communicate the data quality at each of these stages. Each stage introduces different potential data quality problems that need to be communicated to your users.

Communicating your data quality regularly keeps your users up to date with any potential changes. Whenever there is a change to your data, this should be communicated to your users. This allows them to reassess whether the data is still suitable. Remember to communicate your data quality alongside any data products that are delivered to your customer, such as data sets or reports.

It’s also important to think about how you communicate with your users. For example, non-technical users might prefer dataset guides or dashboards, whereas technical users may want to understand the metrics behind the quality. Knowing your users will help you to decide what channels of communication will be most effective.

Want to know more?

Communicating data quality is an important part of assessing and improving the quality of data. Our upcoming course ‘Data Quality Action Plans’ looks at communication as part of effective data quality assessments. This course will help you to demonstrate whether your data is fit for purpose, understand where to put resource to improve its quality and set out goals to consistently improve your data. The Government Data Quality Framework provides more detail about data quality.

The Government Data Quality Hub (DQHub) is developing tools, guidance, and training to help you with your data quality initiatives. You can find the Government Data Quality Framework, tools and case studies on the DQHub site.

We also offer tailored advice and support across government. Please contact us by emailing DQHub@ons.gov.uk.