Situation / challenge

Developing countries have invested in Quality Infrastructure (QI)—standards, metrology, accreditation, conformity assessment, market surveillance—but modernization pressures (climate change, migration, trade, rapid technological change) require QI to be evaluated and strengthened specifically for sustainable development outcomes.

 

What was introduced

The Quality Infrastructure for Sustainable Development (QI4SD) Index: a framework of indicators that summarizes how “fit-for-purpose” a country’s QI is for supporting the SDGs, enabling comparisons and tracking progress over time.

 

How it works

• Links QI to the SDG pillars: prosperity (economic), people (social), planet (environmental).
• Assesses QI across six dimensions: standardization, metrology, accreditation, conformity assessment, market surveillance, and policy, then maps indicators to SDG pillars.

 

Practical value (what you can lift into your case study)

The Index enables:

• Rapid assessment of a QI system’s ability to meet sustainable development needs
• Cross-country comparison (with socio-economic context)
• Identification of strengths/weaknesses and guidance on what to improve next
• Tracking impact of interventions over time and benchmarking for continuous improvement

It is positioned as a public good to improve allocation of scarce resources and support policy processes and SDG implementation plans.

 

UNIDO notes it collaborated with the International Network on Quality Infrastructure (INetQI) to discuss/validate indicators and data collection approaches.