As the Chairman of the Saudi Delegation in the ESCWA Ministrial Session Dr. Altekhaifi: the transition towards a knowledge-based society promotes sustainable development in the Kingdom H.E. Dr. Fahad Sulaiman Altekhaifi, GaStat President, assured that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has completed remarkable steps towards achieving the millennium goals of sustainable development and has developed a strategy for total development under the framework of its 2030 Vision. This came during the 29th ministerial session of ESCWA entitled "Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals of 2030 in Arab countries", held in Doha,Qatar. HE GaStat President chaired the Saudi delegation participating in this session. He clarified that the Kingdom has made deliberate steps towards achieving the goals of sustainable development, where all conditions are prepared to achieve its goals of growth rates, average income increasing, promote the transition towards a knowledge-based society. This can be made through multiple strategies such as those based on economic diversification, sovereign investment funds, support the private investment initiatives, invest in quality education, research and development, health facilities, public services, and international and regional agreements. He added that the entire government systems in the Kingdom works on increasing the development of national and regional institutions, and enhance coordination efforts, enhance the flexibility of public institutions in developing governance strategies. On Tuesday, The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA) held its 29th session for senior officials, in the presence of representatives from member states and non-member states in international and regional organizations and committees. ESCWA is one of the five United Nations' regional commissions, and is a part of its general secretariat. It works under the supervision of economic and social council in order to support the economic and social cooperation between the region countries and promotes the development process in order to achieve regional integration. Its membership compromises of 17 member states which are: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Sudan, Syria, UAE, Tunisia and Yemen.  The ESCWA ministerial session is held every two years with the participation of the commission member states representatives on the mistrial level and representatives from United Nations' organizations and programs in addition to United Nation member states who are not member of ESCWA.

Participating with 40 countries in the International Association for Official Statistics  (IAOS) conference Dr. Altekhaifi: GaStat works on enhancing the national and international collaborations to raise the data quality and support decision and policy makers GaStat participates in IAOS conference 2016 (round 15) Under the Patronage of H.H. Sheikh  Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice chairman of Abu Dhabi executive council. The conference is organized by Statistics Center in Abu Dhabi. The main theme of the IAOS 2016 conference is "The Spirit of Official Statistics: Partnership and Continuous Innovation". The conference activities will conclude on December- 8-2016.  Dr. fahad bin Sulaiman Altekhaifi, GaStat president, said that the authority keeps enhancing its experience and raising the data quality through an integrated program for all local, regional, and international collaborations, in addition to following the best international practices in order to provide comprehensive and high-quality statistical data that support policy and decision maker. He revealed that the strategic collaboration program is an essential part of the statistical sector' strategic transformation program in Saudi Arabia. GaStat worked on preparing a transformation map in the statistical work. This map included a number of projects and initiatives that cope with the 2020 national transformation program and 2030 Saudi vision. The statistical transformation project depended on three main dimensions; quality of statistical products, concentrating on clients, and activating the statistical sector. Using these three dimensions, GaStat went through six main tracks represented in reformulating the authority tendencies in a way that achieves the goals and  reflects the clients tendency, reevaluating the products and services provided by the authority, determining the required operating activities to provide products and services according to clients needs, enhancing the technical part in the authority, modifying culture and developing statistical awareness, in addition to assuring the existence of the organizational structure and the governance to make a transformation. Each track has a group of projects and initiatives that are integrated with each other, so that they can contribute in implementing the strategic transformation program. These projects and initiatives aim at activating the statistical part, evaluating the products and services, and developing methodologies, standards, and classifications. This can be achieved after preparing the authority administratively, financially,  technically, and systematically  to pursue in the transformation process. In addition to raising the statistical awareness and culture among all users of data, information, and statistics.  On the other hand, Dr. Fahad asserted that IAOS conference was held in a time, during which all GCC statistical entities work together to achieve the vision of the custodian of the two holly mosques that enhances integration between GCC countries, improves GCC statistical performance, and meets the leaders expectations. All GCC statistical entities work on supporting the integrated work especially the collaboration between them, so that they can deal with all GCC essential issues.   GaStat participation in this conference represents its belief in collaboration and how it develops the statistical work and raises awareness among all producers and users of data. Moreover, it identifies the importance of official statistics and how they support the developmental resolutions in the region.  Altekhaifi clarified that GaStat along with all GCC statistical entities are trying to enhance and develop the concept of official statistics so that they reach an excellent level of efficiency. Furthermore, they enhance the value of official statistics in the information community. They also enhance collaborations, innovation, and national statistical system update.  H.E. expressed his gratitude for the great hospitality of Abu Dhabi in this conference. It is the first country in the region that organizes an IAOS conference, as this conference is held every two years by one of the IAOS members. So, this assured the GCC statistical entities role in the region.  It is worth mentioning that the 15th round of the conference depends on four main aspects, about which all sessions are conducted. The aspects are: enhancing the value of official statistics in the information community, making collaborations to achieve results, innovation and updating national statistical systems, and following the main principals in the statistical work practice.