His Excellency Mr Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), emphasised that enhancing and developing mechanisms for the provision of data and statistics will significantly contribute to highlighting joint Gulf efforts and utilising them to support and inform decision-making.
This statement was made during His Excellency's patronage and attendance of a workshop organised by the GCC Statistical Centre.
The workshop, held on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at the GCC General Secretariat headquarters in Riyadh, focused on discussing the vision and work paths for 2025 to support Gulf decision-making and develop plans and programmes to achieve these goals.
The event was attended by the esteemed assistant secretaries and senior officials from the General Secretariat.
In his opening remarks, His Excellency the Secretary General stated that this workshop aims to unify efforts, coordinate, and foster collaboration among the General Secretariat's departments, internal and external offices, and the Statistical Centre.
"The goal is to develop new mechanisms for improving statistics and data to inform appropriate recommendations and decisions for joint Gulf work," His Excellency stressed.
His Excellency also highlighted the importance of statistics in shaping public policies, supporting Gulf decision-making, and developing comprehensive development plans and programmes for the GCC member states. He noted that the GCC countries have given significant attention to this vital area, ensuring it keeps pace with global advancements.
"The GCC member states have implemented strategies, plans, programmes, and legislation to enhance Gulf integration in the field of statistical information, execute statistical research programmes and joint projects, unify statistical classifications and manuals, and increase coordination with regional and international organisations in planning, development, and statistics," he explained.
In closing, His Excellency expressed his gratitude to the Director General of the GCC Statistical Centre, Ms. Intisar Al Wahaiba, and her team for their efforts in organising the workshop. He expressed hope that the workshop would yield valuable recommendations to enhance and develop data and statistics standards, serving the joint Gulf work.