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The U.A.E. will participate with a large government delegation in the work of the "High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development", organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs at its headquarters in New York from July 8 to 17. The forum, which is being held this year under the theme "Promoting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Eradicating Poverty in Times of Multiple Crises: Effectively Implementing Sustainable, Resilient and Innovative Solutions", with the participation and attendance of more than 1,000 delegates and delegates from various governments of the world and international organizations, aims to promote sustainable development, follow up global efforts in this regard, anticipate current and emerging challenges and innovate solutions to them, by exchanging knowledge on the best experiences and expertise, coordinating and evaluating policies and supporting global efforts to accelerate the achievement of the goals Sustainable development for the good of societies. The UAE delegation will participate in key working sessions, multiple seminars and a series of bilateral meetings, during which it will present the UAE’s pioneering experiences and its distinguished model in achieving the path of sustainable development, which succeeded in bringing together Development initiatives, financing programs, development assistance and strategic partnerships with countries and governments of the world and international organizations and highlighting their distinguished efforts in supporting the transformation of the 17 basic goals set by the United Nations to reach an effective system for sustainable global development by the end of the current decade. The UAE delegation to the High-Level Political Forum includes a number of government officials, representatives of the National Committee for Sustainable Development Goals, the Government Knowledge Exchange Office, the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Center at the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, Masdar, the Emirates Red Crescent Authority, and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, in coordination with the Permanent Mission of the UAE to the United Nations. The UAE government delegation will hold a series of bilateral meetings with leaders, political officials and experts from international organizations, institutions and global working groups that support societies and countries to achieve the sustainable development goals, and the delegation will also present a range of initiatives, programs and success stories implemented by UAE entities in various fields of sustainable development around the world. U.A.E A key supporter of the development goals Abdullah Nasser Lootah, Assistant Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Knowledge Exchange and Competitiveness, stressed that the UAE, under the directives of its wise leadership, has established its leading position on the world map as a key partner and key international supporter to achieve the 17 sustainable development goals set by the United Nations until 2030, and that its tireless participation in the forum in the forum reflects its keenness to exchange knowledge and share successful experiences and best practices with world governments and international organizations to improve the lives of peoples and societies. Lootah added that the UAE adopts the approach of achieving sustainable development as a humanitarian mission to improve its society and the societies of the world and enhance human life, and invests great efforts in this in cooperation with various countries of the world, international organizations, and institutions concerned with supporting development, and works to launch qualitative initiatives and programs and provide funding contributions and humanitarian assistance in order to reach the sustainable development goals by the end of the current decade, based on the values of cooperation, partnership, exchange of knowledge, sharing best practices and distinguished experiences, providing support and working on Laying the foundations for impactful institutional action, It achieves sustainable and inclusive development, improves education and health care, promotes equal opportunities, conserves natural resources and protects the environment for future generations." Abdullah Lootah said: "The participation of the UAE government delegation in the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainability this year aims to strengthen the UAE’s international partnerships in the field of sustainable development, which is in line with the seventeenth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals, which is to strengthen and activate global partnerships between governments, countries and communities to achieve sustainable development. Continuous regulatory frameworks, policies and legislation, as well as partnerships and the use of technology, especially the use of artificial intelligence, and the activation of data in the service of achieving inclusive global sustainable development that creates opportunities and protects the planet’s resources." United Nations High-level Political Forum The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development is the main platform of the United Nations. On sustainable development issues. Since its inception in 2012, it has played a pivotal role in following up and reviewing what has been implemented at the country level in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This edition of the International Forum is held under the theme "Promoting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Eradicating Poverty in Times of Multiple Crises: Effectively Implementing Sustainable, Resilient and Innovative Solutions". Throughout the 8-17 July 2024 edition, delegates participating in this year’s edition of the Forum will work on in-depth revisions of five of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Goal 1 to eradicate poverty in all its forms everywhere, Goal 2 to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture, Goal 13 to support climate action and call for urgent action to combat climate change and its repercussions, and Goal 16 to promote peaceful and inclusive societies to achieve development. Goal 17, which focuses on global partnerships to promote the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Proactive meeting of the National Committee for Sustainable Development Goals The National Committee for Sustainable Development Goals preceded the participation of the UAE government delegation in the work of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum, with a preparatory meeting for the members of the Committee, before the delegation’s departure to New York, during which it discussed the agenda and agenda of the UAE’s participation in the forum, reviewed the UAE’s performance in the reports of indicators of sustainable development goals, and the data that has been provided and improved, as well as a number of files related to the work of the Committee. The meeting reviewed the report of the Sustainable Development Goals Index issued by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the year 2024, pointing to the performance of the UAE, which ranked 70th globally, 3rd regionally and Arably, and first in the Gulf, reflecting the country’s commitment to achieving the goals and strengthening its position globally. The meeting discussed plans, workshops and initiatives that are being implemented to enhance the quality of data and achieve progress in goals, and challenges in data collection, including the need to review data with international organizations, remove some indicators that do not apply to the UAE, and formulate indicators in line with the laws of the country. Coordination and cooperation between government and private entities to ensure the collection of consistent and analyzable data in a uniform manner. The meeting was attended by Abdul Allah Lootah, Assistant Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Competitiveness and Knowledge Exchange and Chairman of the National Committee for Sustainable Development Goals, Rashid Mohamed Al Hemeiri, Director of the Development and International Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Hussein Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary for the Public Health Sector at the Ministry of Health and Prevention, Hassan Obaid Al Muhairi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Policies and Economic Studies Sector at the Ministry of Education, Nasser Ismail, Assistant Undersecretary for Social Welfare Affairs at the Ministry of Community Development, Maria Hanif Al Qassim. Assistant Undersecretary for Economic Policies and Studies Sector at the Ministry of Economy, Eng. Alia Abdul Rahim Al Harmoodi, Assistant Undersecretary for Sustainable Communities Sector at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, Eng. Nawal Yusuf Al Hinai, Director of the Future Energy Department at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, Hanan Ahli, Director of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Center at the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs, and Mohammed Ahli, Executive Director of the Statistics and Data Science Sector At the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Center.
Dubai, UAE, December 8, 2019
The World Bank Group, with the support of the United Arab Emirates Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA) will host, from December 10 to December 13, 2019 in Dubai, the third Doing Business Technical Deep Dive, a Masterclass and a knowledge sharing platform on the reforms counted by the World Bank Group’s Doing Business report. The event will welcome participants from over 30 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle-East and Oceania.
The Technical Deep Dive gathers reform experts and policy makers to discuss the methodology and indicators of the Doing Business report, share best practice on identifying bottlenecks to private sector development and enacting relevant reforms, participate in targeted capacity building and networking sessions and use those interactions to update their country reform action plans.
His Excellency Abdulla Nasser Lootah, Director General of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA), said: “Holding the third Doing Business Technical Deep Dive here in the UAE is a testament to the country’s success in firmly establishing itself as a destination of choice for business and economic leaders, partners, and organizations. It reflects the great confidence our partners at the World Bank and IFC have come to place in the UAE to host meetings of this high caliber. With prominent delegations of decision-makers and accomplished economics and business experts slated to attend, the much-anticipated event marks yet another milestone on the UAE’s journey to achieve the UAE Vision 2021 and implement the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.”
The 2020 Doing Business report, which was launched on October 24, 2019, shows that reform expertise is growing in the Middle-East and Africa regions. Economies in the Middle East and North Africa implemented a record 57 business-friendly reforms and hosted four of the countries that improved the most world-wide in the ease of doing business – Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Sub-Saharan African countries implemented a total of 73 reforms, with Nigeria and Togo making the list of the global top reforming countries while Mauritius ranked as 13th easiest place to do business in the world.
The UAE ranks 16th globally and is the highest-ranked economy in the Middle-East and North Africa region. The Technical Deep Dive will offer the opportunity to aspiring reformers from across the globe to learn from the UAE’s best practices and share their efforts aimed at narrowing the gap with top reforming economies in the world.
The Doing Business project provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 190 economies and selected cities at the subnational and regional level. Launched in 2002, it looks at domestic small and medium-size companies and measures the regulations applying to them through their life cycle.
The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed: The UAE has Demonstrated its Commitment to Adopting Innovation and Technology to Achieve Sustainable Development.
H.E. Abdullah Nasser Lootah: The UN Provides One of the Best Platforms in the World to Share Knowledge, Experiences, and Best Practices on Data and Statistics.
New York, Dubai, 16 March 2019:
As part of the UAE participation in the meetings of the fiftieth session of the International Statistical Committee at United Nations Headquarters in New York, H.E. Abdullah Nasser Lootah, the Director-General of the Federal Authority for Competitiveness and Statistics (FCSA) and the Head of the UAE Delegation held a meeting with HE Amina Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations to discuss the UN SDGs and the opportunities for enhancing cooperation efforts to achieve them.
During the meeting, the officials tackled many related topics, while focusing on the latest technology trends, strategic partnerships, the centrality of the role of youth and the importance of supporting the implementation of data-based sustainable development initiatives around the world.
H.E. Lootah showcased the UAE’s experience and experiments in this field and shed a spotlight on the State’s efforts at the local and international levels to achieve the SDGs, including hosting the second session of the United Nations Global Data Forum in October 2018. The international event was considered as an additional opportunity to meet with stakeholders and focus on how to harness the power of data to serve humanity.
On this occasion, HE Amina Mohammed said: “I am delighted to meet again with the UAE delegation and members of the FCSA. The UAE has always been a committed member of supporting global efforts to achieve sustainable development goals, and the presence of a large team of officials at the meeting of the Fiftieth Session of the International Statistical Committee highlights the deep faith of UAE leadership in the vital role that data can do to achieve a prosperous future.”
On his side, Lootah pointed out: “The United Nations World Data Forum has established a strong and long-term relationship between statistics and data workers in the United Arab Emirates and the United Nations, specifically the International Statistical Committee. Communication and active participation among experts, private sector bodies, private sector companies, and social organizations around the world are the only way through which we can share experiences and innovations that support countries in their quest to achieve or exceed the goals of sustainable development.”
He added: “Today, we are here in New York to promote the commitment that everyone in this world, regardless where they live, can live a life free of poverty, hunger, and disease.”
It is worth mentioning that the International Committee of Statistics (ICS) comprises leading statistical experts from UN member states, and it is the highest decision-making body on international statistical activities.
General Secretariat of the National Committee on SDGs Launches First Report on Private Sector Sustainability Initiatives in UAE
Dubai, UAE- 18 August 2019
The Secretariat of the National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals launched the first report on private sector initiatives for sustainability in UAE titled "Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in the UAE: Private Sector Contributions." Global Strategy Consulting firm, Oliver Wyman developed the report in partnership with the Private Sector Advisory Council on SDGs (PSAC) founded by the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA).
The report sheds a spotlight on the efforts exerted by the National Committee on SDGs to serve as a platform for coordination and partnerships through PSAC. It also focuses on the role of private companies in achieving SDGs by means of sharing ideas and practices on the key opportunities and challenges that companies face in their efforts to implement the UAE Agenda 2030.
The initiatives cover various sectors, including renewable energy, real estate, retail, aviation and land, and sea transport services. These initiatives have contributed to the UAE’s efforts to promote sustainability within the private sector and make progress towards achieving the 2030 global agenda of sustainability.
H.E. Abdullah Lootah, Director General of FCSA and Vice-Chair of the National Committee on SDGs and Chair of the PSAC on SDGs, stated: "At a time of multiple drastic and relentless economic, social and technological changes experienced by the world, the public and private sectors partnerships and the achievement of sustainable progress and prosperity for the society of UAE become essential. Based on the initiatives and experiences presented by the report, the UAE has turned out to be a global role model in the governance of SDGs and harnessing the innovative partnerships between the public and private sectors to achieve them."
The report also reviews notable initiatives adopted by the National Committee on SDGs in UAE. The committee is the government team in charge of implementing the 17 SDGs in the UAE and was formed in January 2017 and chaired by Her Excellency Reem Bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation. The committee’s members include 17 federal level government authorities who agreed on a road map for the year 2030. The road map focuses on four key stages, including raising awareness, establishing the foundations, developing policies, reporting the progress achieved, and monitoring the performance.
Greg Rung, Partner at Oliver Wyman, stated: "The ongoing cooperation between the UAE government and the private sector is crucial in boosting the country’s efforts to implement the United Nation’s 17 SDGs successfully."
"Oliver Wyman is proud to collaborate with PSAC for producing this report and partner with the entity to support the UAE government in its commitment to successfully achieving a prosperous and sustainable future for all," added Rung.
Members of PSAC have also drafted a consultative framework used as a formal mechanism to engage the private sector in UAE and move forward in achieving UAE Agenda 2030. Additionally, PSAC developed a strategy to engage the youth, to ensure that development is not only for the youth but also for and through them to further promote and increase their positive contributions as agents of change.
H.E. Abdullah Lootah concluded his statement by stating: "Recognizing that the implementation of SDGs could only get ahead by involving all relevant stakeholders from different government and private sectors, we have pooled resources with the Oliver Wyman team to prepare this important report with sights set to shed light on the efforts of the private sector as a strategic partner of the UAE government. I am proud of the commitment of the members of PSAC and their contributions to supporting the sustainability process in UAE, and the dissemination of such UAE experiences to the global community."
The report showcases the most important sustainability initiatives developed by 12 national and international companies operating in UAE, namely: Dubai Holding Company, Careem, Majid Al Futtaim Group, DP World, EMAAR Group, Al Serkal Group, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Emirates Airline, Multinational Companies Business Group, Dubai Free Zones Council and MASDAR Group.
Completion of over 50% of the Household Income and Expenditure Survey-2019 Project
Dubai, 17 July 2019
The Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA) recently announced the completion of over 50% of the Household Income and Expenditure Survey-2019 project.
More than 50% of the Household Income and Expenditure Survey-2019 project have been concluded, Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA) has recently announced.
The project witnessed a participation of a sample of 20,500 households distributed across all the seven emirates of the UAE. It is being conducted in cooperation with the Ministry of Community Development (MoCD) and local statistics centers.
Recent statistics data collected by the management team show that 89% of the sample contacted (9628) participated in the Household Income and Expenditure Survey-2019.
Her Excellency Hessa Bint Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development, highlighted the importance of households’ participation in this integral project. “The implementation of the Household Income and Expenditure Survey Project is aligned with the strategic goals of the MoCD. This project was developed to meet the directives of our wise leadership in sustaining economic development and social growth for all UAE residents.”
Her Excellency added: “The results of the survey are one of the pillars supporting the implementation of the quality of life strategy in the UAE based on accurate and up-to-date data reflecting the current realities of households’ income and expenditure in UAE. Such data is meant to be a knowledge base that makes it possible for decision-makers to develop informed social policies and launch initiatives. This project also promotes collaboration between government entities and private sector institutions to further improve the living standards of individuals and households in several aspects, most importantly education, health, and housing. Such achievements are substantial proofs that the UAE is moving forward on the right track to be the “home of happiness”.
Her Excellency pointed out: “We are proud of the work achieved by the survey team thus far, considering the set plan in terms of time and achievement. I want to thank all the professionals and administrators involved in this project and commend the efforts of the households who cooperated in providing data; helping achieve the survey targets.”
Confirming the efficiency of the survey activities being conducted as per the timeline of the project, H.E. Abdullah Lootah, FCSA Director-General, highlighted that the survey team involved almost 450 researchers, observers, supervisors, experts, technicians, and administrators in partnership with local statistics centers. He also indicated that this is over and above the FCSA administrative teams and local statistics centers that provide the human and technical capabilities to support the project team.
He hailed all the efforts exerted by all teams under hard conditions. “I avail this opportunity to thank all teams for their devotion and dedication, particularly the field teams who sometimes were obliged to work under severe weather conditions,” Lootah said.
On the participation of households, he said: “I look forward to seeing a greater interaction from all households contacted by the field survey teams, and more cooperation in providing accurate data to the teams. Our teams strongly believe the importance of the survey’s success and usefulness to everyone who lives in the UAE. They are working round the clock tirelessly to ensure the completion of the project according to the timeline.
Qualified Teams
In addition to the FCSA administrative teams and the local statistics centers that provide the human and technical capabilities to the work team, a group of observers, supervisors, researchers, is conducting the survey and experts distributed across all the emirates. All field teams have undergone intensive training, to be equipped with latest advanced field tools and methodologies such as geo-spatial positioning systems, mobile applications on handheld devices, and other advanced techniques and modern statistical methods to ensure accuracy and quality of results.
The survey will help extract more than 115 key indicators, such as the basket of goods and services, consumer price indices, cost of living index, and price indices to help assess the standard of living of families.
The survey also provides updated data on the demographics, social, and economic characteristics of individuals and households in the UAE, which help in linking them to income and expenditure indicators. The survey will help update the base years of statistical indicators of inflation rates considering that the periodicity of survey implementation extends to five years, and provides seasonal coverage of households’ income and expenditure rates.
Moreover, the survey aims to provide a wide range of data and information to help decision-makers plan and develop informed initiatives and programs by examining various living standards and measuring the level of well-being and quality of life in the UAE.
This survey helps to identify behavior and patterns of the individuals’ consumption and changes in consumption patterns due to a change in their income. It also aims to provide relevant and most recent data that serves the demographic, social, and economic aspects. Likewise, it also aims to provide data that sheds a spotlight on the most critical indicators of consumption patterns, along with the social and economic conditions of the different segments of the UAE society.
The size and distribution of the sample were designed following the appropriate statistical and scientific methodologies by teams of experts in FCSA and local statistics centers to ensure achieving high levels of accuracy. The sample was distributed across the seven emirates by using the sampling method proportional to the size of the number of the Emirati and Non-Emirati households in each emirate.
The Most Important Survey
The Household Income and Expenditure Survey is one of the most important international surveys in the statistics system. It is the biggest and most comprehensive survey after the National Census Survey in terms of significance and data availability. This survey has been designed to measure a large number of indicators that reflect the social and economic levels of households, Results of this survey will assist decision-makers to draft development and economic policies and plans intended for improving the standards of living and achieving stability and prosperity.
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.
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