GASTAT's President, Dr. Fahad Aldossari, received today at GASTAT headquarters in Riyadh an official delegation from the UAE’s FCSC, headed by Ms. Hanan AHLI, Director of the Center.
At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Aldossari welcomed the visiting delegation, stressing the depth of the brotherly relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and the importance of bilateral cooperation between the two statistical agencies in the two brotherly countries to support the march of statistical work and develop national capabilities to achieve the goals of sustainable development and the ambitious vision of the two countries.
An expanded meeting was also held between the two sides, during which some topics of common interest in the fields of statistical work were discussed, most notably: exchanging experiences in developing modern statistical methodologies, enhancing integration in collecting and analyzing statistical data, developing mechanisms for producing strategic indicators to support decision-making, reviewing best practices in making open data available and ensuring its quality, and discussing future cooperation opportunities in statistical innovation and modern analytical techniques such as artificial intelligence and big data analysis. The two sides also reviewed the most prominent national achievements made by the Kingdom and the UAE in the field of official data development and the efforts made to improve data quality and expand the use of statistics to support development plans and national visions.
At the end of the meeting, GASTAT's President expressed his appreciation for the visit of the UAE delegation, pointing out the importance of enhancing statistical cooperation between the two countries through practical initiatives that contribute to the exchange of knowledge and expertise, enhance GCC statistical integration, and support building an advanced knowledge economy based on accurate and reliable data. The two sides also affirmed their commitment to continue joint work to explore new areas of statistical cooperation to enhance the position of the two countries in the regional and international arena.

GASTAT signed four agreements on the concluding day of the Saudi Statistics Forum. The event was held under the patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Economy and Planning, Chairman of GASTAT’s Board of Directors. It brought together several ministers, heads and representatives of international organizations and statistical offices, local and international experts and decision-makers in the statistical sector.

The cooperation agreements were signed with the Riyadh Chamber, Jeddah University, the Social Development Bank, and ROSHN Group. The agreements aim to strengthen collaboration, enhance coordination, and integrate efforts across the parties' areas of expertise. They also establish an institutional framework for joint activities and tasks, while supporting the development of institutional capacities in areas of mutual interest.

The areas of cooperation focused on several strategic tracks, most notably the exchange of technical support and expertise according to each party’s specialization, strengthening partnerships in the development of statistical products and indicators, improving the quality of statistical data, and promoting statistical awareness across various sectors.

GASTAT's president, Dr. Fahad Aldossari, emphasized that strengthening cooperation with government and private sectors is a key pillar in achieving national and sustainable development goals. He emphasized that the exchange of statistical data and expertise contributes to enhancing institutional performance efficiency, meeting the needs of various stakeholders, and anticipating future trends for the development of statistical products and services, thereby strengthening the national economy and raising public awareness that supports comprehensive development.

It is worth noting that GASTAT is the only official statistical reference for statistical data and information in Saudi Arabia. It plays a key role in collecting, analyzing, and studying statistical data and information to support decision-makers and policy-makers.

The Saudi Statistics Forum concluded its work on its last day with three-panel sessions that addressed some key topics and themes in the statistical sector, with the participation of some representatives of international organizations, local and international experts, and decision-makers.
On the second and final day, a panel discussion entitled “Modern Methods of Innovation and Statistical Development” was held in which participants talked about the role of innovative technologies in changing and modernizing the way data is produced, collected, and analyzed across various fields; employing remote sensing techniques and satellite images in geographical and agricultural statistics; using statistical methods to analyze future trends and forecasts; raising awareness of the automation of statistical processes; and the role of statistical innovation in increasing the level of confidence in official statistics.
The fourth-panel discussion was devoted to the topic: “The Role of The Private Sector in Producing Statistical Data” in which some specialists in the statistical sector discussed the role of the private sector in supporting and producing statistical data and integration between statistical institutions and data users, in addition to the importance of the contribution of private sector components from private companies and institutions in providing data and producing statistics related to the private sector or the national development scope in general, and the challenges it faces in producing and providing high-quality data, the importance of big data and statistical analysis innovations in improving the quality of economic estimates and indicators and opportunities to enhance partnership with the private sector.
The last session reviewed “Enhancing the Relationship between Statistical Agencies and Data Beneficiaries” and discussed ways to enhance the relationship between statistical offices and users by facilitating access to data and indicators of statistical products and providing them in multiple formats and various services and emphasizing the continuous work to develop the level of relationship and communication by offering platforms capable of presenting data in a safe manner and various digital formats supported by graphs, tables, and explanatory designs according to the best local and international practices, standards, and technologies.

On its first day, the Saudi Statistics Forum — held under the patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Economy and Planning and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Statistics — witnessed the attendance of a number of Their Highnesses and Excellencies, ministers, heads and representatives of international organizations and statistical offices, local and international experts, and decision-makers in the statistical sector, along with more than 300 individuals interested in statistical work.

The first panel discussion at the forum, titled “The Role of Statistics in Policy Development and Decision-making,” featured the participation of His Excellency the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Mr. Bandar bin Ibrahim AlKhorayef, and His Excellency the President of the General Authority for Statistics, Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah Al-Dossari.

The session discussed the impact of collaboration and integration between national statistical offices and governmental and private entities in decision-making and enhancing developmental outcomes. It also addressed the importance of statistical indicators in measuring the success of policies and aligning them with national targets, in addition to highlighting the critical role of statistical data as a fundamental pillar in shaping public policies, making decisions, and setting national priorities.

The second panel discussion was dedicated to the topic of "International Statistical Methodologies and Practices". It featured the participation of the President of the General Authority for Statistics, along with several heads of statistical offices, representatives of international organizations, and several local and international experts. The participants discussed the importance of globally recognized statistical standards and classifications, the unification of methodologies to ensure comparability between countries, and the role of modern technologies in advancing statistical methodologies. They also addressed the challenges facing statistical practices and emphasized the importance of ensuring reliability and transparency in official statistics.

It is worth noting that the Saudi Statistics Forum will continue its specialized sessions focusing on the statistical sector, covering a range of topics such as innovation and development in statistical methods, the role of the private sector in supporting and producing statistical data, and the integration between statistical institutions and data users. These efforts are part of the forum’s broader goal to develop a comprehensive national statistical system that supports decision-making and contributes to achieving sustainable development goals.