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DATA FOR A BETTER FUTURE
Dubai, 16 May 2019
The brainstorming session was attended by 80 government officials along with directors and executives from national and international private companies from various sectors, including IT, banking, retail, transport, aviation, services, and other industries. The General Secretariat of National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals organized a specialized workshop with a view to promoting dialogue between the public and the private sectors on how to develop ideas, tools, and working mechanisms to achieve the 17 SDGs with a thematic focus on Goal 5 on Gender Equality.
H.E. Reem Bint Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Chairman of the National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, organizing addressed the workshop. "H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has already issued his directives to do the needful to move up the UAE’s position on the Gender Equality Index," she said
"To put these directives in place, we have implemented several innovative initiatives in collaboration with our partners, who are already contributing to the UAE’s journey to achieve gender balance. As a matter of fact, today’s event is meant to initiate a dialogue with the private sector and activate its role as a partner in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on the gender balance in particular," H.E. Al Hashemi said.
Participants tackled several issues related to gender balance in the working environment of the public and private sectors. They also exchanged views and suggestions on the most critical topics, reports, and expectations of the government entities concerning laws and procedures. They also addressed the role of companies and private sector institutions in terms of implementing the policies and procedures that support creating a gender-balanced environment that guarantees achieving high level of work efficiency and productivity without any discrimination or by neglecting any aspects of prosperity and quality of life.
The workshop commenced by showcasing the UAE’s most significant initiatives and steps taken to empower women in achieving balance in participation in the development processes, while not losing sight of their role in social development.
The workshop was attended by representatives of the UAE Gender Balance Council, members of the Private Sector Advisory Committee (PSAC) reporting to the National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, executives from national and international private sector companies, in addition to several FCSA’s experts and consultants.
Participants were split into six main brainstorming groups and tasked to debate various topics, including equal pay, women in leadership positions, quality and harmonization of facilities in the work environment together with other related issues. Each group presented the outputs of their brainstorming session with their suggestions and recommendations in the presence of representatives of the UAE Gender Balance Council, the National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, and PSAC members.
H.E. Abdullah Lootah, FCSA Director-General, Deputy Chairman of the National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals and PSAC Chairman, said: "We are so pleased to organize these joint brainstorming sessions with such outstanding participation that we observed today. I want to thank the members of the UAE Gender Balance Council and all the private sector companies for their intellectual contributions during the workshop, which stems from the depth of their experiences in the UAE. The results of the brainstorming sessions will have an impact on improving many regulations and laws dedicated to achieving greater heights in achieving gender balance."
H.E. Shamsa Saleh, Secretary-General of the UAE Gender Balance Council, said: "Today’s workshop contributes to promoting dialogue with representatives of the private sector to work together to achieve a balance between men and women economically and socially. This includes cooperation in drafting laws, regulations, and practices, and to be the model country in the region in terms of gender balance."
Gender balance is a critical pillar in achieving progress and development across all areas and contributes to laying the foundations for the well-being and prosperity of future generations; laws and regulations play a crucial role in achieving this. For example, women’s participation in the Federal National Council (FNC) stands at 22.5%. However, with the development of laws and the enactment of new legislation, this percentage will potentially reach 50%. Achieving this percentage will give a push to the UAE’s ranking in the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) jumping from 84th place to the top five countries globally.
Ahmed Al- Falasi, Executive Director of Group Operations at Emaar and member of PSAC emphasized Emaar’s commitment to Goal 5 of SDGs. He pointed out: "We, at Emaar, are committed to empowering women and improving their representation in the workplace at all levels. One example of this is the "She" strategy launched by Emaar Hospitality Group to increase the number of women in management and executive positions in the company. We are also committed to promoting gender equality as an essential foundation for tremendous new economic opportunities, which will enrich the happiness of our country and society."
Many private sector companies accepted the invitation of the National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals to participate in this workshop including AT Kearney, Standard Chartered, TECOM Group, DP World, ADNOC, Unilever, Jumeirah Group, Transguard Group, Green Touches, Dubai Holdings, Emirates Global Aluminum, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Al Serkal Cultural Foundation, Emaar Properties, Societe Generale, HSBC, Fitch & Co, Emirates Group / Dnata, Procter & Gamble, Dubai Airport Free Zone, Masdar, Imperial Health Care Institute, Karim, Tristar, Dubai International Airport, Strategos, S & P, Middlesex University, Dentons, Nama Women Advancement, Dubai Multi Commodities Center (DMCC) Free Zone and CTG.
Cooperation with FCSA and Statistics Centers in Abu Dhabi and Dubai
Dubai, 5 May 2019
Having completed the requirements of the UAE Accredited Field Researcher License (AFRL) training program, 92 students from the Sociology Department enrolled in the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty of the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) got their licenses in a special ceremony held at FCSA premises. The training course was conducted in cooperation between FCSA, Statistics Center- Abu Dhabi (SCAD) and the Dubai Statistics Center (DSC) last April 2019.
The students were honored in a special recognition ceremony attended by H.E. Dr. Ateeq Al Mansouri, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs at the UAEU, H.E. Mohamed Hassan, Executive Director of the Statistics Sector at FCSA, along with a number of faculty members, trainers, program coordinators, and students.
H.E. Abdullah Lootah, Director General of the FCSA, highlighted the significance of data by saying: “Data is the key pillar for the process of decision-making, and the heart of strategies and future innovations, including artificial intelligence, robotics, and space exploration. Data is our national wealth, and we have to work hard to put data to optimal use to build our future and the future of the generations to come.”
He added: “We will find no onebetter than our sons and daughters to be entrusted with this strategic national wealth. Indeed, with the support we receive from the UAEU and the statistics centers in the UAE, and with cooperation with our society members, the UAE students will be fully able to play their role in supporting the national development process and achieving the vision and directives of our wise leadership and be one of the best countries in the world.”
H.E. Rashid Lahej Nasser Saeed Al Mansouri, Chairman of SCAD, said: “This initiative is a quantum leap to further enrich the national statistical and competitiveness work in the UAE. Statistics field requires creative human resources enjoying qualities of skillfulness, accuracy, intelligence, loyalty, and objectivity. Today, the UAEU students are joining the field teams who are committed to keep their promises they made, to meet the responsibilities they bore and to fulfill the obligations they have been entrusted upon by our wise leadership.”
H.E. Arif Obaid Al Muhairi, Executive Director of DSC, pointed out that the discipline of statistics is continually evolving with innovativestatistical products thatare rapidly accelerating in pace and diversity in application.
Al Muhairi emphasized on the importance of training programs in statistics by saying: “As a result of the variety of issues and phenomenas that are subjected to research, measurement, and evaluation, it is a must to have well-trained Emiratis who are able to keep pace with such rapid developments. Through offering training programs to our competent human resources and qualifying them to get certified in AFRL, these competent filed researchers will have the chance to join field teams who are monumental in conducting the most important stage of statistical surveys by collecting accurate and safe data.”
H.E. Dr. Ateeq Al Mansouri highlighted the significance of such initiatives in preparing students to be distinguished in their respective disciplines, productive in their communities and capable of improving their professional skills.
Dr. Al Mansouri highly appreciated the efforts exerted by the FCSA, SCAD, and DSC for providing support to the UAEU’s students. He also stressed the importance of this kind of training which links the outputs of education with the requirements of the society by equipping these students with the knowledge and skills they need.
Head of the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of UAEU, Dr. Aqil Kazim, highly hailed the ongoing cooperation with the Department of Sociology which allowed the students to acquire applied skills in collecting data and conducting interviews while conducting social researches and be qualified to get their AFRL certificates.
He went on to say: “Training is one of the most important factors taken into consideration while preparing preparing students to join the labor market., Our department works closely with leading institutions in the UAE to provide various practical training programs, linking academic and theoretical studies with practical training experience.
92 female students from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences were trained at the UAE University after attending a series of theoretical lectures and workshops followed by various tests.
During the one-week qualifying program, participants were introduced to various aspects of the statistical fieldwork in the UAE, data collection methodologies, types of questionnaires and surveys, techniques used for collecting responses, types of forms, data privacy protection in addition to several other topics relevant to statistics fieldwork.
The team in charge of this initiative pointed highlighted the long-term vision aiming at expanding the program through a series of practical steps, actions, and incentives to encourage competent Emirati students to join and experience this the journey of field statistics in the UAE.
Paris– Dubai, 1 May, 2019
The Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA) participated in the meetings of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in the Middle East and Africa held in the French capital, Paris. The critical issues tackled by the participants were centered around statistics conducted in the member states.
FCSA received an invitation extended by OECD to attend the meetings and submit a working paper related to statistics. FCSA accepted the invitation and an official delegation headed by H.E. Abdullah Lootah, Director- General of FCSA, accompanied by a number of statistics and data experts and specialists attended.
In his presentation on the UAE model of the statistics sector management, H.E. Lootah shed a spotlight on how statistical work serves the process of managing the national competitiveness strategy and distinct initiatives to achieve the SDGs 2030.
“Participation in the meetings of the OECD in Paris was an important opportunity to bring before the member states the UAE’s experience in linking statistics and data with competitiveness and the SDGs,” said Lootah.
“These high-level meetings shape the economic tendencies in the future, for they are an essential element in presenting the experiences of member states and taking advantage of the successful ones. The participating delegates highly appreciated the experience of the UAE as a role model for the developed countries. The UAE methodology is based on harnessing advanced technologies and data collection and data analysis to support the efforts of the UAE for improving its level on the global competitiveness indicators, on the one hand, and for supporting national initiatives gearing towards achieving the UAE sustainable development agenda,” Lootah added.
These remarks were made during the speech of the Director-General delivered at the fourth session held under the theme of “Statistics and Global Competitiveness.”
In his speech, the Director-General talked the Global Value Chains (GVC) and using the advanced statistical tools for overcoming the various challenges and for drawing upon the available expertise and skills.
Furthermore, participants discussed the importance and advantages of trade in services, which is now growing in importance due to the extensive use of the internet and digital payment platforms around the world. This makes the trade in services an open market to the global competition where survival will be only for innovative services and products of high specialty if they meet local needs.
During his keynote speech at the 2019 Global Summit, José Angel Gurria, Secretary-General of the OECD, highly acclaimed the UAE’s economic growth. He also hailed the big projects implemented for making the UAE society happy, particularly the infrastructure and housing projects, and projects related to environment, human development and community development which all aim at providing services and ensuring all means of comfort, stability, and decent life for all the segments and nationalities living in the UAE society.
Chairing the First Meeting of the FCSA Board of Directors in 2019
Dubai, 9 April 2019
Chairing the first meeting of the Board of Directors of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA) in 2019, H.E. Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future and Chairman of the FCSA Board of Directors, acknowledged the support provided by all members of the FCSA Board of Directors to boost efforts exerted by the FCSA to further improve the UAE’s ranking in global indices and to achieve the goals of the National Agenda 2021.
He pointed out that FCSA has become a regional and global knowledge hub. “FCSA showcases the UAE model in competitive strategies, and how data, initiatives, and innovative methods in providing and disseminating data can support the design and shaping the future.”
“FCSA has become a key resource for decision-makers, officials, and experts from the UAE and abroad who desire to use statistics tools to shape the future with sights set to serve their countries and people. Data is national wealth, so we have to work hard to make use of them to build the future of our coming generations, to realize the vision and guidance of our wise leadership and rise to be among the best countries in the world.”
The FCSA team presented their proposed work plan for the current year, which includes setting up a series of specialized files focusing on a number of areas such as the impact of data on the national agenda indicators and global competitiveness reports, legislation and its role in promoting the UAE’s global competitiveness, SDGs and their relationship with the UAE Vision 2021 and the initiatives includinge race to thefuture and others.
Several projects and initiatives based on advanced technology, such as artificial intelligence were also presented. An innovative analytical tool based on geospatial information systems (GIS) was also introduced. Additionally, some innovative services such as the compilation, analysis, and classification of satellite images using machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques were also introduced.
Members of the FCSA Board of Directors praised the efforts of FCSA’steam and the relevant initiatives. They recommended focusing on national and international indicators, especially those related to the National Agenda 2021. They also stressed the importance of cooperating and collaborating with the competent task forces of the federal government entities concerned with the national agenda by providing statistical data and competitive indicators in respect of each body and its terms of reference.
The meeting ended with an open discussion between members of the Board of Directors and the FCSA task team, where several ideas and proposals related to the FCSA 2019 operational plan were tackled. They underlined the importance of working together with all partners and cooperating with federal and local government agencies, private sector companies, international institutions, and society to achieve the vision of the UAE 2021.
The FCSA Board of Directors is chaired by the Minister of the Cabinet Affairs and the Future of the United Arab Emirates, and includes 18 members; namely H.E. Minister of Economy, H.E. Minister of Health and Community Protection, H.E. Minister of State for Financial Affairs, H.E. Minister of Health and Industry, H.E. Minister of Education, H.E. Minister of Human Resources and Emiratization, H.E. Minister of Community Development, H.E. Minister of State for Happiness and Quality of Life, H.E. Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, H.E. Secretary General of the Office of H.H. Minister of Interior, H.E. Acting Director General of Identity in the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, H.E. Deputy Secretary General of the Supreme Council for National Security, H.E. Chairman of the Board of Directors of Statistics Center – Abu Dhabi, H.E. Secretary General of Dubai Executive Council, H.E. Director General of Sharjah Department of Statistics and Community Development, H.E. Secretary General of the Ajman Executive Council, HE Secretary General of Umm Al Quwwain Executive Council, H.E. Director of Fujairah Emiri Diwan and H.E. Secretary General of the Ras Al Khaimah Executive Council.
- Among the top three countries in the world to be included on the UN Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform.
- UAE achieves the full electronic connectivity with the UN Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform.
- The first Arab country and the second country in the world to achieve full and real-time connectivity to the UN Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform located in New York
- Showcasing five national initiatives of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in the field of integrated waste management, air quality, wildlife, marine environment, and environmental protection development policies
- Electronic linkage and real-time update of the UAE’s international assistance data on the UN website
Al Zeyoudi: Full connectivity with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals better informs the international community of UAE’s efforts to achieve sustainability.
Al Hashemi: Sharing the UAE model of sustainability in the economic, social and environmental fields with the international community meets the directives of our wise leadership
Dubai, 30 March 2019
The Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA), in coordination with the General Secretariat of the National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, has made a remarkable step towards enhancing the UAE’s efforts to achieve SDGs. The e-integration between several government institutions in the UAE and the UN platform of data and facts related to the UAE’s initiatives and efforts catersto the goals of SDGs 2030.
The UN-led global platform, in coordination with ESRI which is a specialized company in geographic information systems and services, aims to achieve greater access to information on all activities and initiatives documented by governments to achieve the sustainable development goals. The UAE is one of the first countries to be included in this platform, which consists of five countries: The United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Ireland, the Philippines, and Mexico.
FCSA presented to Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, the results of the e-linking of the Ministry’s initiatives with the UN platform, upon which a section had been dedicated to the efforts, achievements, and initiatives of the UAE to achieve the Sustainability Agenda 2030.
H.E. Al Zeyoudi acclaimed this achievement and appreciated the efforts of task forces that oversaw the completion of this linkage. He said, “Achieving full connectivity with the UN SDGs strengthens the UAE’s position and global competitiveness, better informs the international community of its efforts to achieve sustainability and contributes to the achievement of the goals of the UAE Vision 2071 to be the world’s leading country in all sectors.”
He attributed the ability of the task forces to complete this achievement under the guidance of the wise leadership regarding the importance and necessity of cooperation and coordination and the joint work among all institutions of the government sector.
The UAE webpage on the UN Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform currently features 26 articles, including summaries of key sustainability initiatives, data, and studies, most notably the section of National Sustainability Initiative Presentation and Documentation. UAE is recognized as the first country in the world to add a documentation component , which constitutes a knowledge center and provides all users with the most critical aspects of the achievements and successes of institutions in the UAE.
Current initiatives include case studies in six areas: international assistance and cooperation, integrated waste management processes, air quality, wildlife, the marine environment, and the development of environmental protection policies.
Such connectivity enables the sharing of sustainability information directly from the sites of federal and local government institutions to the UN platform without the need to re-publish information or copy data, so that data updates to ensure synchronization for immediate accessibility on the UN Sustainability Information Platform.
H.E. Reem Bint Ibrahim Al-Hashimi, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Chairman of National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, said “The objective of the UAE’s inclusion in this global platform is to meet the wise leadership’s directives to share the UAE’s model of sustainability in the economic, social and environmental fields with the international community. This helps spread knowledge, share experiences and build capacity around the world, in addition to recognizing the importance and necessity of publicizing the great efforts exerted by the federal and local government institutions as well as the private sector inside and outside the country in the field of sustainability. Our participation opens up broader horizons for dialogue with those concerned with and interested in the concept of sustainability. This ensures the continuous development of our working mechanism and the way we manage this critical global dossier.
H.E. Abdullah Nasser Lootah, Vice President of National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals and FCSA Director-General, said: “This initiative supports the efforts exerted to keep pace with the UN 17 SDGs by providing clear data tools, which would contribute to the facilitation of planning, monitoring and measuring progress in achieving the goals of sustainable development, and to report to the United Nations Statistics Division.”
He concluded: “FCSA’s collaboration with ESRI in completing electronic connectivity with the UN platform would further support the FCSA’s capacity and enhance its planning potential in the future towards supporting sustainability at the national and global levels and achieve the 2030 Agenda goals.”
The Information Center of UAE Sustainable Development Goals can be found at http://www.sdg.org
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
SDGs are a set of goals defined by the United Nations, also known as Global Agenda 2030. They constitute an international call to end all forms of poverty. These goals are unique in that they call for joint actions by all poor, rich and middle-income countries to promote prosperity for their peoples while protecting the planet and preserving resources for future generations. This convention is unique because it had never happened that 193 countries affiliated to UN to agree on a long-term vision for the future of the globe. The 17 SDGs are based on the success of the Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015). SDGs include four key aspects: environmental, social and economic aspects in addition to partnerships. The 2030 Agenda includes a total of 169 targets and 233 indicators.
SDGs are linked to each other and success in achieving one goal will often resolve other issues that contribute to the achievement of other SDGs. Achievement of SDGs requires collaboration and working with all partners and stakeholders in a practical way so as to make the right decisions and to improve life in a sustainable way for future generations. SDGs also provide a set of clear objectives and indicators for all countries, which can be incorporated into their national plans, with highlighting the environmental challenges facing the world. These goals are a comprehensive roadmap that provides the basic methodologies and tools for achieving the 17 SDGs by unifying nations to bring positive change to the world and to sustain the planet’s resources for future generations.
The UAE Ambassador in Washington Acknowledges FCSA’s efforts Locally and Regionally
FCSA Highly Values the Role of the UAE Diplomatic Mission in Washington in Supporting the State’s Competitiveness Efforts in Global Reports and Indicators.
New York, Dubai, 24 March 2019:
H.E. Youssef Al Otaiba, the UAE Ambassador in Washington, received H.E. Hanan Ahli, the Executive Director of the Competitiveness Sector in the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA), and the head of the UAE delegation visiting Washington D.C. to meet several representatives of the international institutions and organizations.
The UAE Ambassador welcomed the visiting delegation and highly commended FCSA’s efforts channeled to improve the performance of the UAE in the reports and indicators of global competitiveness and to support statistics and data sector.
H.E. the Ambassador discussed with the delegation different methods to boost and support the efforts of the UAE at the global level in all areas under the responsibility of the Authority. Al Otaiba praised the spirit of joint cooperation and action between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the UAE’s diplomatic missions with the federal and local government authorities.
HE acknowledge the ongoing cooperation to serve the best interests of the UAEand enhancing international standing by achieving the vision of the wise leadership to realize the national agenda and the UAE Vision2071.
During the meeting, the delegation highlighted the achievements of FCSA and its partners of federal and local government institutions, in particular, the members of the executive teams concerned with the competitiveness reports, such as the Ease of Doing Business Report issued by World Bank.
A number of records were also tackled, such as hosting the world’s most important activities and events related to the statistics and data sector by the State. This included hosting the second session of the United Nations World Data Forum in October 2018 by the UAE, as an additional opportunity to meet with stakeholders and focus on how to harness data power to serve humanity.
UAE Participation in the 50th Annual Meeting of the International Statistical Commission
- Nusseibeh: Data plays a vital role in enhancing the reputation of the UAE
- Lootah: The Permanent Mission is making every effort in support of the visiting delegations
Dubai, March 9, 2019
The UAE official delegation participating in the 50th Annual Meeting of the International Statistical Commission headed by H.E. Abdulla Nasser Lootah, Director-General of the Federal Authority for Competitiveness and Statistics (FCSA), paid a courtesy visit to the UAE Permanent Mission to UN in New York.
The delegation was received by HE Ms. Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, the UAE Permanent Representative to the UN. During the meeting, they discussed the role of national statistical centers in providing, making available and disseminating data, in addition to other several topics and issues of mutual interest.
H.E. Lana Nusseibeh underlined the importance of the role of data in achieving sustainable development. She stated: “Indeed, the participation of the UAE delegation in the meetings of the UN International Statistical Committee and exhibiting UAE’s efforts in this field will contribute in elevating the reputation of our dearest homeland as one of the most committed countries in consolidating the international partnership and cooperation and supporting the global sustainable development goals through innovation, global partnerships, modern technologies, artificial intelligence and other sectors that shape the future of UAE and the role of UAE future generations will play.”
H.E. Lana Nusseibeh hailed the diligent and dedicated efforts of the delegation for their contributions to the progress of UAE rank in one of the most critical global competitiveness reports and indicators.
The UAE delegation participating in the International Statistical Commission includes a number of the senior officials of the statistics and data centers in the UAE.
In his turn, H.E. Abdullah Naser Lootah, Director-General of FCSA expressed his gratitude for the outstanding role played by the Permanent Mission of UAE to UN, especially in supporting the State delegations in their official missions.
He said: “The Permanent Mission of the State at the United Nations has always been a pioneer in facilitating the tasks of official missions from the UAE with all efforts to overcome any obstacles which may be faced by any of the members of the delegation.”
The UAE delegation is participating intensely in this year’s annual meetings of the United Nations Statistical Committee, following the hosting of the United Nations World Data Forum by the State at its second session held in Dubai in October last year. The State’s hosting of this forum has a tangible impact on data experts, statistics and national competencies in the country as a result of the exchange of information, experiences and the best success stories of data and statistics.
H.E. Abdullah Nasser Lootah highlighted , during his meetings with all directors of statistics centers in the world participating in the meetings of the Statistical Committee, the importance of putting the “Dubai Declaration” into effect so that the countries of the world can continue their march towards achieving SDGs agenda in 2030.”
At the end of the meeting, H.E. Lana Nusseibeh thanked the delegation of the FCSA for visiting the headquarters of the Permanent Mission in New York and wished them success in their meetings at the fiftieth session of the International Statistical Commission in New York.
New York, Dubai- 9th March 2020:
In a step to affirm the UAE’s strenuous efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the international and local levels, H.E. Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, held a meeting with H.E. Abdullah Nasser Lootah, Director-General of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA) and Deputy Chairman of the UAE’s National Committee on SDGs, leading a delegation representing the UAE to discuss the SDGs and opportunities to enhance cooperation efforts to achieve them.
The attendees tackled several relevant topics on SDGs while focusing on the state-of-the-art technical trends, strategic partnerships, the youth’s pivotal role, and the importance of supporting the implementation of data-based sustainable development initiatives around the world.
In this connection, H.E. Reem Bint Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State for International Cooperation Affairs and Chairperson of the National Committee on the Sustainable Development Goals hailed the UAE Government efforts at the international and local levels to achieve the SDGs 2030.
“The UAE’s commitment to supporting global efforts to achieve SDGs is entirely consistent with the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul in peace, to build a sustainable future for future generations. This legacy is based on the optimal management of our resources to serve the best interest of the UAE’s development and prosperity and the world at large,” H.E. Reem stated.
H.E. Al Hashemi added: “Supporting the SDGs has been a fundamental pillar of the UAE journey that started generations ago. This has established its position as a role model in development and prosperity and creating a better future for generations to come. Today, the UAE is taking the lead in combining development policies and strategies with these global goals.”
H.E. Amina Mohammed stated, "It gives me an eminent pleasure to meet again with the UAE delegation. The UAE has always been a UN member committed to supporting global efforts to achieve SDGs. It is such a meeting to help highlight the extent of UAE leadership’s belief in the active role of coordination and consultation at the international level to achieve a prosperous future for the generations to come.
H.E. Amina said: “We are pleased with the United Nations to exchange expertise, experiences, and data with the UAE delegation. Indeed, the UAE is leading the efforts dedicated to adopting innovation and technology to achieve the SDGs.”
On his part, Lootah stated: “We are visiting New York to emphasize our commitment that every person in this world, no matter where he or she lives, could live a life free from poverty, hunger, and disease.”
H.E. Lootah highlighted the role of public and private sectors and organizations in this process by saying: “Effective communication and participation between experts in international organizations and public and private sectors all over the world, are the way that would enable us to share experiences and innovations designed to support countries in their journey to achieving the SDGs.”
“These meetings are a genuine opportunity to discuss visions and ideas that would contribute to promoting dialogue and partnerships at the international level to proceed with the journey to achieve the SDGs,” H.E. Lootah added.
During the meeting, H.E. Lootah reviewed with the Deputy Secretary-General the efforts made by UAE globally to raise awareness on SDGs. They also discussed other topics including the UAE SDG Photography Award organized by the UAE National Committee on SDGs, in partnership with the Hamdan bin Mohammad Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA), in addition to the mobile exhibitions organized for the winning photos in the most critical events sites that attract a broad audience. They agreed that such activities would boost up the UAE’s reputation as a global contributor committed to implementing and raising awareness on the global goals of sustainable development. The delegation presented a copy of the Photography Award Book to H.E. the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, who praised the efforts made by the UAE to raise awareness on SDGs.
With Sights Set to Take Effective Steps in Support of SDGs
UAE- 25th January 2020
With the participation of the National Committee on the Sustainable Development Goals, the Higher Committee for Coordinating Statistical Work held its first meeting in 2020.
Her Excellency Reem Bint Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State for International Cooperation Affairs and Chairperson of the National Committee on the Sustainable Development Goals expressed her pleasure to meet the members of the Higher Committee for Coordinating Statistical Work.
H.E. Al Hashemi emphasized the necessity of concerted efforts to provide accurate and up-to-date data, which contributes to advancing the UAE’s competitiveness in sustainable development dossiers.
“The statistical work system requires integration in all aspects of the statistical work and data collection. We should have a mutual understanding of the working mechanism in the next stage with sights highly set to achieve the vision of the UAE wise leadership in areas of sustainable development, and to move steadily forward to realizing goals of the UAE Centennial 2071,” she stated.
H.E. Al Hashemi underlined that more efforts must be exerted to make data accessible to all, and strive hard to promote and further boost up partnerships between government and local entities along with the private sector. She also touched upon areas of improvement in the statistical work by saying: “We have to invest in the mutual advantages generated by the enormous volumes of data, knowledge, and experiences to serve best the important initiatives and projects dedicated to supporting the statistical work, and enhance the achievement of the SDGs in UAE.”
H.E. Reem Bint Ibrahim Al Hashemi availed the opportunity to extend her sincerest appreciation to all the national statistics centers for their dedicated efforts to provide data and further enhance the UAE’s competitiveness in various global competitiveness reports. She stressed: “The UAE today is a role model in areas of developing strategies for achieving the SDGs. We look forward, through our meeting, to unifying the efforts of statistics centers to identify solutions to challenges and turn them into genuine opportunities.”
H.E., the State Minister, concluded her statement by giving weight to the fact that UAE deserves that everyone pushes himself to the limit to bring our homeland to the level of developed country worldwide, and create a better future for present and future generations.
H.E. Abdullah Nasser Lootah, Director-General of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA) and Deputy Chairperson of the National Commission on SDGs, thanked H.E. Reem Bint Ibrahim Al Hashemi for attending the meeting and the directives and remarks she presented.
H.E. Lootah added: “Our work in the Higher Committee for Coordinating Statistical Work and the National Committee on SDGs focuses on the significance of data and statistics in achieving the indicators of the UAE National Agenda 2030, constant quest to further boost up the achievements, and adopting innovation as a systematic work approach to achieve the goals of the UAE Centennial 2071.”
While highlighting the significance of this meeting, H.E. Lootah pointed out that joint meetings constitute a real opportunity to discuss visions and ideas that would add value to the dialogue on supporting partnerships between statistics entities to move forward of achieving the SDGs.
He also stated: “This would enhance our work in parallel with global efforts exerted to achieve sustainability. It would also help identify priorities, discuss challenges, and review a range of innovative and effective solutions that contribute to accelerating the pace of achieving the SDGs in the UAE.”
Commenting on the significance of the meeting, Abdullah Ahmed Al Suwaidi, Acting Director-General of the Statistics Center- Abu Dhabi (SCAD), assured SCAD’s commitment to achieving the SDGs. He said: “This meeting was of outstanding importance and meant to exchange experiences, reviewing the best practices in the field of sustainability, and highlighting the vital role of statistical data in supporting the sustainability process. It also dedicated to identify the best methods to take advantage of the statistical data, improve its quality and make them accessible to the public, and channel them in the manner that contributes to the UAE’s progress and prosperity and the world at large.”
Al Suwaidi added: “The United Nations and the member states that endorsed the Global Sustainability Agenda 2030 acknowledged the importance of providing data and statistics of development indicators as unified criteria for identifying efforts to achieve the SDGs. in view of that, all countries committed to achieving their SDGs strive hard to provide the latest figures and data on sustainability and make them accessible.”
Promoting Initiatives
Arif Al Muhairi, the Executive Director of the Dubai Statistics Center (DSC), highlighted the significance of this meeting by saying: “The statistical work system requires integrating all relevant aspects of the statistical work, data flow and developing a mutual understanding of the working mechanism through cooperation between statistics entities in the UAE.
Hailing efforts to hold this meeting, he commented: “This meeting was held with the participation of the members of the National Committee on SDGs as a genuine realization of the interest that the UAE’s wise leadership attaches to promoting initiatives and partnerships that best serve to achieve the SDGs. It is held to emphasize the importance of joint work, harnessing innovative solutions, and benefiting from the data revolution to achieve the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030.”
For her part, Dr. Hajar Al Hubaishi, Executive Director of the Ajman Statistics and Competitiveness Center, emphasized: “The meetings of the Higher Committee for Coordinating Statistical Work are held according to a general framework dedicated for the process of developing and implementing statistical work in the UAE. This could be realized by achieving coordination and integration among official statistical entities, government authorities, and the private sector institutions to ensure that the flawless flow of data effectively and systematically.”
Dr. Hajar went on to say: “The joint meeting earned special importance as it is held with the participation of the members of the National Committee on SDGs. This definitely, contributes to developing a data environment that supports the efforts exerted to achieve the SDGs in the UAE through devising tools and means to ensure the provision of accurate and up-to-date data. They all are meant to contribute to the efforts exerted to achieving sustainability in the UAE by implementing various strategic initiatives and projects.”
On his turn, H.E. Humaid Rashid Humaid Al Shamsi, Secretary-General of the Executive Council of Umm Al Quwain, shed light on the commitment of Umm Al Quwain Emirate to coordinate and combine efforts of the national statistics entities and provide support to them to make optimal use of data and the best methods of collecting and analyzing them.
He pointed out: “This is done to support the national statistical work systems, to implement the best practices in this vital sector and to take advantage of the methodologies designed to support sustainable development dedicated to realizing the directions of the UAE Government and its federal and local authorities to achieve the SDGs. Such efforts will finally lead to promote methods to achieve our national agenda and the UAE Centennial 2071.”
On the other hand, H.E. Najwa Yaacoub, Executive Director of RAK Center for Statistics & Studies, singled out the need to conclude partnerships in the field of statistical work to support the SDGs.
She stated: “This meeting is one of the active channels of communication with the strategic partners to contribute to pursuing the achievement of the SDGs. Moreover, it is an opportunity to develop the appropriate statistical work mechanisms to harness innovation to achieve sustainable development, one of the catalysts for realizing growth in many other vital sectors.
H.E. Najwa Yaacoub mentioned that the meeting agenda focused on expanding the methods to support and measure the UAE National Agenda designed to contribute to achieving the SDGs 2030. Also, the agenda focused on the importance of data and statistics to support decision-making processes and achieving the anticipated achievements at the level of the UAE and the world at large.”
Dr. Ibrahim Saad, Director of the Fujairah Statistics Center, underlined that the meeting received additional importance as it is being held to enhance the position of statistics in sustainable development.
He pointed out: “The statistics sector receives immense care and attention of the UAE’s wise leadership based on the importance of its active role in policy and decision-making, as well as contributing to establishing development projects.”
Dr. Ibrahim indicated that providing accurate statistical information contributes to drawing strategic plans for sustainable development in the UAE, and enhances the flow of data and indicators between the government departments and private sector institutions.
Dr. Ibrahim concluded by stating that “This would have positive implications in realizing developments in economic and social growth. It would absolutely enhance methods adopted to achieve the SDGs 2030 and boosts the UAE’s competitiveness in global reports and indicators.”
UAE maintains its ranking in the top ten for the fourth year in a row
June 16th, 2020 – Dubai, United Arab Emirates:
For the fourth year in row, the United Arab Emirates is leading the MENA region in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2020, issued by the WCC (World Competitiveness Center) of the World Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland, which puts the UAE at 9th place in the world among the most competitive countries in the world.
The UAE maintained its position among the top ten competitive countries in the world in 2020, ahead of countries such as the United States, Ireland, Finland, Luxembourg, Germany, and the United Kingdom, to be the only Arab country that succeeded in asserting itself in the Big Ten Club in the World Competitiveness Yearbook for 4 years in a row, since joining the top ten in 2017, despite the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic that influenced the 2020 edition.
According to the results of the report, the United Arab Emirates ranked first globally in 23 indicators and sub-factors, while it ranked among the top five globally in 59 indicators and in top ten globally in 106 indicators, out of 338 indicators covered by the report this year.
The IMD World competitiveness yearbook 2020relies on questionnaires collected (33.33%) and on statistics and data provided by countries (66.67%). The report focuses in its classification of the countries on four factors (Economic Performance, Government Efficiency, Business Efficiency and Infrastructure) with 20 sub-factors each that cover 338 competitive indicators in various economic, financial, legislative, management and social fields, along with some new indicators added in this year’s edition of the yearbook. Some of the new additions reflect the importance of achieving sustainable development objectives, and provide a vision of the economy’s position with respect to the various sustainable objectives that must be met within ten years, such as education, environment, empowerment, ageing and health.
UAE takes the lead in 7 factors (The UAE achieves great leaps in 7 factors)
At the sub-factors level, the UAE achieved an improvement in 7 factors, ranking at 1st place globally in the Labor Market factor, and the 5th globally in the Employment Factor, the 6th place in the Pricing Factor. The UAE is also advancing in other sub-factors, such as the social framework, education, and technology, health and the environment infrastructures, while maintaining its rank unchanged in two sub-factors, the factor of Attributes and Values (second in the world) and the factor of Tax Policy (third in the world).
Commenting on the UAE’s performance in this year’s IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, His Excellency Abdullah Nasser Lootah, Director General of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority said:
“Within the UAE2021 vision and in preparation for the Golden Jubilee, the UAE is moving forward with an ambitious strategy that anticipate the future, nurture a culture of excellence to be in the lead of world competitiveness at various levels. Thanks to the vision and guidance of the UAE’s leadership, the country managed since 2017 to join the top 10 competitive countries in this report, and to consolidate its well-deserved position among the top ten globally in the overall ranking and regional leadership. ”
Rapid changes
Hanan Mansoor Ahli, Executive Director, Competitiveness Sector, said: “The annual change in the ranking of the top ten countries in the yearbook reflects the intensity of the competition between the leading countries in recent years. And thanks to the guidance and support of UAE’s leadership and continuous efforts by the government to enhance the country’s world competitiveness, the UAE has succeeded in solidifying its position among the top ten most competitive economies in the world.”
Fourth in the world in Economic Performance despite the global pandemic
Despite the emergency circumstances that the whole world is going through because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UAE has achieved a balanced performance in the factors of the report, as it moved forward three places in the Economic Performance factor, with the Netherlands topping the global ranking, followed by The United States and Singapore, while the UAE ranked 4th in the world, moving forward three places comparing to last year’s report, ahead of countries such as Germany, China, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Canada, Japan and others.
UAE is leading the world in 23 indicators
The UAE ranked first globally in 23 indicators included in the report within its factors and sub-indicators. In addition, the UAE ranked first globally in the indicators: Bureaucracy Absence, Immigration Laws, Redundancy Costs, low Central Government Foreign Debt, Tax Evasion, Collected Personal Income Tax (%), Collected Indirect Tax Revenues (%), Real Personal Taxes, and the percentage of Females in Parliament, all of which are indicators included in the factor of the Government Efficiency and its sub-factors.
Furthermore, the country ranked first globally in many other indicators such as Labor Force out of the total population, Working Hours, Competent Senior Managers, Industrial Disputes and Foreign Labor Force, all of which are included in Business Efficiency factor. The UAE once again topped the ranks globally in indicators such as Dependency Ratio, Public-Private Partnership and Environmental Laws within the factor of infrastructure and its sub-factors.
High-Level Meetings Brought Together Ministers and FCSA-UN Strategic Partners
Dubai, UAE- 19th February 2020
On the sidelines of the FCSA’s participation in the activities of the Global Women’s Forum Dubai (GWFD) 2020, a meeting attended by H.E. Jamila Bint Salem Al Muhairi, Minister of State for General Education, H.E. Sarah Bint Yousif Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences, and H.E. Abdullah Nasser Lootah, Director-General of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA), was held with Mr. Pedro Conceição, Director of Strategic Policy at UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support.
The attendees of the meeting tackled the up-to-the-minute advances in the process of improvements and developments in place in the UAE adopted to empower the Emirati women and activate their role in the field of social and economic growth in the UAE.
FCSA, in cooperation with its strategic partners, participated in several plenary sessions of the GWFD 2020 agenda, in addition to holding high-level bilateral meetings with senior officials and experts from all over the world. FCSA highlighted the central role played by the UAE in empowering women while emphasizing its role in the development processes and striving hard to achieve gender balance.
H.E. Jamila Bint Salem Al Muhairi, Minister of State for General Education Affairs, touched upon the active role played by the Emirati women in the education sector.
H.E. Al Muhairi stated: “The Emirati women have turned their future aspirations into brilliant and ground-breaking success in education and educational activities. They were able to achieve such successes due to their perseverance and sound preparations to lay a necessary foundation in the growth, development, and prosperity of the UAE. The Emirati women demonstrate in every single day tremendous capacities to assume critical tasks and positions.
While shedding light on UAE achievements in women empowerment, H.E. Al Muhairi stated: “The UAE tops all Arab countries in the UN reports on gender balance and ranks high on the global level in gender equality, particularly in terms of low illiteracy rates and their participation in the secondary and higher education. Indeed, Emirati women represent 55% of the bachelor’s degree graduates, 41% of the master’s degree graduates, and 48% of Ph.D. degree graduates.”
On the other hand, H.E. Sarah Bint Youssef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences, noted that “Young Emirati women’s competencies and energies participate intensely and sensibly in the UAE space program. This is consistent with the UAE’s directions to empower the Emirati women in all sectors, particularly the UAE project to explore Mars and space sciences, gender balance approach, and activating the role of the Emirati women as a partner in the development, progress, and prosperity currently unfolding in the UAE.”
H.E. Al Amiri underlined the importance of women working in space and advanced sciences and their role in leading their projects. She stated: “34% Emirati women participate in such projects, and by this they achieve the highest percentage of women participating in tasks and projects of advanced sciences and the space sector.”
Regarding the achievements of Emirati women regarding their remarkable progress in global competitiveness reports, H.E. Abdullah Nasser Lootah, FCSA Director-General, emphasized the fact that the UAE has made significant strides in indicators related to women in global competitiveness reports. “They have achieved top spots globally in many indicators. Emirati women topped several indicators on women empowerment at the level of Arab countries.”
H.E. Lootah underscored the significance of the GWFD 2020 as a global dialogue platform dedicated to exchanging global experiences, and showcase the UAE’s successes in the area of women’s empowerment and gender balance.
On his part, Mr. Pedro Conceição, Director of Strategic Policy at UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, hailed the UAE’s dedicated efforts in the field of women’s empowerment.
He stated: “I have noted the UAE government’s commitment to empowering women and its constant endeavor to develop women’s participation further and give them more opportunities, considering that they are an important element in social and economic development.”
He concluded by underscoring that the UAE has already achieved myriad progress as a result of the undergoing improvements realized at various levels.
Dubai, the United Arab Emirates- 16th February 2020
The Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA) participates in the Global Women’s Forum Dubai 2020 (GWFD 2020) scheduled to be held today under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, during 16-17 February 2020 under the theme “The Power of Influence”.
As per the forum agenda, FCSA is participating in several main sessions, in addition to introducing an innovative digital interactive screen designed to display the most recent facts and figures on the UAE journey in empowering women, and its achievements in the most important global competitiveness reports and indicators on women empowerment and gender balance.
FCSA would also introduce a special report on the role of women in development in partnership with the Dubai Women Establishment, National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, and the Arab Youth Center.
On its participation in GWFD 2020, H.E. Abdullah Nasser Lootah, FCSA Director-General stated: “FCSA is proud to actively participate in GWFD 2020 by contributing to the main agenda and providing the essential support to this important global event. GWFD 2020 is a platform to document the UAE sustained achievements in realizing gender balance and women empowerment in all areas.”
“FCSA would make sure to shed light on the UAE notable achievements in areas of laws, procedural improvements and the results achieved due to accurate and updated data, and their repercussions on the most important global competitiveness reports and indicators,” H.E. Lootah added.
Plenary Sessions
H.E. Hanan Ahli, Executive Director of the Competitiveness and SDGs Sector at FCSA, said: “FCSA would showcase its experience in several dossiers on women’s empowerment and their relationship to achieving SDGs 2030 through supporting decision-makers. Such support is realized by providing and making the accurate and up-to-date data accessible to them, and introducing legislative and procedural improvements to laws on women and their role in society, as well as the economic and knowledge development processes.”
H.E. Ahli stated: “FCSA aims through its participation in GWFD 2020 to showcase the adopted best practices in UAE which in total designed to achieve sustainable development. We would also present UAE’s success stories in harnessing the competitiveness strategy to achieve humanitarian goals, in addition to the most important lessons learned in producing and making data on women’s empowerment accessible to the public.”
An Interactive and Figure-Based Screen Highlighting Emirati Women Leadership
As part of the its input to the forum, FCSA plans to reveal an interactive display screen to all visitors and guests to view the recent data, statistics, and indicators of global competitiveness achieved by UAE in addition to all that related to supporting and enhancing women’s leadership, pioneering and social role in UAE. This data is displayed in a unique interactive visual style which facilitate displaying and explaining the data and indicators smoothly and simply.”
Noteworthy, the second edition of GWFD2020 would tackle several thematic subjects that present diverse insights and international experiences from around the world. Part of the prominent dossiers that would be addressed is the role of women in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and their contribution to achieving SDGs and the innovation industry. GWFD 2020 agenda would also address other several topics, namely peace and prosperity, the role of governments in developing strategies to ensure gender balance, and harnessing modern technology to achieve this balance and the most effective empowerment in all areas.
SDGs Talk with HE Maitha Al Shamsi, Minister of State
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