DUBAI (WAM)

The Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre (FCSC) hosted an expert technical mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

This mission conducted an advanced workshop dedicated to the application of the latest international practices and technologies in calculating inflation rates and the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The workshop brought together leading experts in inflation statistics and CPI from across the UAE's local statistical centres.

The objective was to integrate the latest statistical tools, innovative data sources, and the use of scanner data to enhance the accuracy, timeliness and comprehensiveness of national statistics.

This initiative underscores the commitment to leveraging sophisticated statistical infrastructure to inform policymaking, strategic planning, and national development.

In the effort to continue adhering to the highest international standards and methodologies for statistical indicators, the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre (FCSC) stressed that fostering international cooperation is paramount, particularly as the UAE gears up to serve as a member of the United Nations Statistical Commission from 2025 to 2028.

The goal is to innovate and standardise national methodologies in partnership with local statistical centres, while enhancing the use of advanced technologies and modern practices in statistical data production.

This strategic focus ensures the UAE's statistical outputs are both robust and globally competitive.

Executive Director of Statistics and Data Science at the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre, Mohammad Hassan, said, “Our successful partnership with the International Monetary Fund underscores our unwavering commitment to establishing a world-class statistical system."

"By leveraging global expertise and applying top standards and practices, we aim to enhance the efficiency and capabilities of the UAE's national statistical system. Additionally, we embrace the latest technologies in data science and artificial intelligence to produce unified Emirati statistics that align with the visionary leadership and strategic goals of the country,” he continued.

Director of Economic Statistics at the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre, Fayeqa Abdulla, highlighted the importance of continuously investing in developing statistical capabilities to keep pace with global advancements in utilising modern techniques in data science for collecting, analysing, and producing official statistics in the UAE, in collaboration with local statistical centres.

This workshop builds on the momentum of a recent national workshop hosted by FCSC on measuring and calculating trade-in-services indicators, conducted in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund and esteemed international organisations such as the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

This initiative reflects the UAE's unwavering dedication to forging robust partnerships and engaging with international and regional organisations.

By actively promoting knowledge and experience exchange, the UAE aims to adopt best practices in digital transformation and ensure the application of global standards in data collection and statistical methodologies.