The Higher
Committee for Coordination of Statistical Work held its first meeting for 2020
with the participation of the National Committee on the Sustainable Development
Goals.
H.E. Reem Bint
Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State for International Cooperation Affairs and
Chairman of the National Committee on the Sustainable Development Goals
expressed her pleasure to meet the members of the Higher Committee for
Coordination Statistical Work.
H.E. Reem Al
Hashemi emphasized the importance of consolidating all the efforts to provide
accurate and up-to-date data that contribute to boosting the UAE’s
competitiveness in sustainable development dossiers.
“The statistical
work system necessitates realizing integration in all aspects of the
statistical work and data collection. It is highly important to have a common
understanding of the work mechanism to be implemented in the next stage, to
achieve the vision of the UAE’s wise leadership in the field of sustainable
development, and to proceed with a steady pace towards achieving the goals of
the UAE Centennial 2071,” Al Hashmi said.
She added: “It
is a must that we exert more efforts in the field of providing data, enhancing
and boosting partnerships between the government and local entities and the
private sector. We have to have a mutual benefit of the immense volume of data,
knowledge, and experience in the manner that serves the best interests of the
important initiatives and projects designed to support statistical work and to
pave the way to realize SDGs in UAE.”
H.E. Reem Al
Hashemi took the opportunity to extend her appreciation to the national
statistics centers for the dedicated efforts they exerted to provide data and
boost up the UAE’s competitiveness in various global competitiveness
reports.
“Today, UAE
becomes a role model for developing strategies to achieve SDGs. We are looking
forward, through this meeting, to unifying the efforts of all statistics
entities to identify solutions to the challenges we have and to turn them into
realistic development opportunities.”
H.E. Reem Al
Hashemi concluded her statement by stressing out that everyone should spare no
effort to contribute to placing UAE among the developed countries and providing
a better future for present and future generations.
Advocating
Initiatives
Arif Al Muhairi,
Executive Director of the Dubai Statistics Center, put an accent on the
importance of holding the meeting. He stated: “It is necessary to realize
integration in all aspects of the statistical work system. We also should
ensure flawless data flow and have a mutual understanding of the work mechanism
through cooperation among all the UAE statistics entities.”
He added that
holding such a meeting with the participation of the members of the National
Committee on the Sustainable Development Goals reflects the interest of the UAE
wise leadership attaches to promoting initiatives and partnerships that serve
the best interests of SDGs. “This meeting sheds a spotlight on the importance
of joint action, harnessing innovative solutions, and taking advantage of data
revolution with sights always set to achieve the SDGs Agenda 2030.”
On his part,
Abdullah Ahmed Al Suwaidi, Acting Director-General of the Statistics Center -
Abu Dhabi affirmed SCAD is committed to implementing SDGs.
He stated: “This
meeting has substantial importance as a weighty opportunity to exchange
experiences and discuss best practices in the field of sustainability. Also, it
is a chance to highlight the vital role of statistical data in supporting the
journey of sustainability, to identify the best means of taking advantage of
statistical data, as well as to improve its quality, facilitate access to such
data, and to direct them to contributes to the progress and prosperity of the
UAE and the world as a whole.”
Al Suwaidi
added: “The United Nations, along with the countries endorsed the Global
Sustainability Agenda 2030, has recognized the importance of providing data and
statistics of development indicators, such as the unified criterion on
identifying efforts exerted to achieve SGDs. Therefore, all countries that
strive to achieve their development goals are committed to provide and ensure
accessibility to the most recent sustainability figures and data.”
Development
Dr. Hajar Al
Hubaishi, Executive Director of the Ajman Statistics and Competitiveness
Center, stated that the meetings of the Higher Committee for Coordination of
Joint Statistical Work are held as part of the general framework of the process
of developing and implementing statistical work mechanisms in UAE.
She went on to
say: “This could be achieved through coordination and integration among all
official statistics entities, government authorities and private sector
institutions bearing in mind ensuring the smooth flow of data effectively and
consistently.”
Coordination
In his turn,
Humaid Rashid Al Shamesi, Secretary-General of Umm Al Quwain Executive Council,
emphasized that the Emirate of Umm Al Quwain is committed to coordinate and
collaborate with the national statistics entities.
He stated: “We
are committed to supporting all statistics entities to ensure the optimal use
of data and the best methods of collecting and analyzing them while focusing on
supporting the statistical work system in UAE. It is also important to
implement the best practices in this vital sector and to take advantage of methodologies
designed to support sustainable development to achieve the directions of the
UAE government.”
Partnerships
Najwa Yaqoob,
Executive Director of the Ras Al Khaimah Center for Statistics and Studies,
indicated that there is a need to establish partnerships in the field of
statistical work to serve the ultimate goal of supporting the implementation of
SDGs.
She said: “This
meeting is one of the effective channels of communication with strategic
partners to contribute to the pursuit of achieving SDGs. Additionally, it is
important to develop the appropriate statistical mechanisms to harness
innovation for achieving sustainable development, which is a catalyst for
achieving growth in many other vital sectors.”
Development
Dr. Ibrahim
Saad, Director of the Fujairah Statistics Center, stated: “This meeting gained
additional importance as it is held to boost up the position of statistics in
the journey of implementing sustainable development.”
He went on to
say that the UAE wise leadership shows an immense interest and care for the
statistical sector due to the significant and active role it plays in designing
policies, decision-making processes, and contributing to the progress of
development projects.
Appreciation
Abdullah Naser
Lootah, Director-General of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics
Authority and Vice-Chairman of the National Commission on Sustainable
Development Goals said: “Our work in the Higher Committee for Coordination of
Statistical Work and the National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals
focuses on highlighting the importance of data and statistics in achieving the
indicators of the UAE National Agenda that contribute to achieving SDGs 2030.
We also strive hard to boost up achievements and adopt innovation as a work
style to realize the goals of the UAE Centennial 2071.”