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DATA FOR A BETTER FUTURE
Officials and leaders from the UAE delegation at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development 2024 in New York affirmed the UAE’s strong commitment to enhancing international cooperation to achieve global sustainable development goals. In statements following their participation, they emphasised the importance of continued efforts to accelerate the implementation of these goals.
Rashid Al Mansouri: HLPF Provided a Platform to Highlight ERC’s Experience
H.E. Rashid Mubarak Al Mansouri, Secretary-General of Emirates Red Crescent (ERC), highlighted that the participation in the United Nations HLPF on Sustainable Development 2024 provided a platform to showcase the Authority’s sustainable development initiatives. These initiatives address social, economic, and environmental dimensions, optimise resource use to meet community needs, and aim to combat poverty, hunger, disease, and climate change; challenges that threaten societal stability and development. He emphasised that sustainability is crucial for mitigating these risks.
Al Mansouri stated that the Emirates Red Crescent implements initiatives that aim to create a lasting positive impact on people’s lives. The development projects focus on fragile communities and address key areas such as food sustainability, health, education, and essential services like electricity, water, sanitation, and clean energy. Additionally, the projects include infrastructure development, such as constructing housing units and facilities for refugees and displaced persons, and supporting their stability to enhance their productivity and integration into local communities.
Mohammed Al Suwaidi: UAE’s Historic Achievements in Advancing Development Goals
H.E. Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, stated that under the guidance of its wise leadership, the United Arab Emirates has achieved remarkable milestones in supporting sustainable development goals and fostering global economic cooperation. The UAE’s efforts have established a unique model for assisting developing countries in addressing economic and development challenges.
Al Suwaidi added: “The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development receiving the United Nations Small Island Developing States Partnerships Award 2024 exemplifies the Fund’s and its strategic partners’ forward-looking vision. This recognition underscores their commitment to finding innovative and effective solutions for accelerating the transition to renewable energy, empowering communities, and building capacities as key components of a comprehensive strategy for sustainable development in developing countries".
H.E. Dr. Alanoud Alhaj, Assistant Under-Secretary for Green Development and Climate Change at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, emphasised that the UAE’s climate action is centred on achieving sustainable development goals. These include ensuring access to adequate and affordable food, quality education, health care, and the optimal use of resources.
Dr. Alhaj added: “The UAE is dedicated to enhancing food security and advancing towards SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). Through strategic planning, innovative solutions, and international collaboration, we are making significant progress in eliminating hunger, improving food security, and promoting sustainable agriculture on a global scale".
She further noted that, amid the challenges of climate change, such as global warming and environmental degradation, it is crucial to recognise their impact on economic, social, and health outcomes. To address these challenges, a unified strategy for sustainable development is essential. Specifically, SDG 13 (Climate Action) is closely connected to goals addressing water scarcity, hunger, health, economic growth, and other critical issues.
Dana Al Marzooqi: Achieving Sustainable Development Goals as a Pillar of the UAE’s Vision and Mission
Lieutenant Colonel Dana Humaid Al Marzooqi, Director-General of the International Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Interior, said: “The UAE has long recognised the vital connection between sustainability, security, and climate action. Therefore, we, together with our partners at the United Nations and beyond, are committed to leading global efforts to ensure that everyone can live a life of dignity".
Mohamed Al Ramahi: Committed to Climate Action Through a Just Energy Transition
Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), stated that Masdar is committed to climate action through a fair and equitable energy transition and by supporting countries and communities in achieving their net zero targets. With global partnerships and projects spanning over 40 countries across six continents, Masdar is committed to increasing renewable energy production capacity to 100 gigawatts by 2030. This goal aligns with the UAE’s historic agreement to triple global renewable energy production capacity by the same year.
The UAE Government Knowledge Exchange Office organized as part of the activities of the UAE delegation at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development 2024 in New York. A pivotal session on the central role of the principle of building and expanding bilateral strategic partnerships at the international level in accelerating the achievement of the 17 sustainable development goals adopted by the United Nations for the year 2030 with a global consensus, where the UAE delegation presented the country’s pioneering model in concluding partnerships whose sustainable impact is reflected in developing the work of governments and supporting the growth paths of economies and societies. The session, titled ‘Building and Strengthening Impactful Partnerships to Accelerate the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals’, addressed the UAE’s efforts at the level of international cooperation in exchanging experiences and successful models with the seventeenth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is "Partnerships to achieve the Goals".
The session showcased the UAE government’s knowledge-sharing partnership approach with more than 37 countries and governments around the world.
The session was organized with the aim of documenting the global impact of the government knowledge exchange program and its role in achieving The objectives of Sustainable Development Goal 17, which is concerned with activating global partnerships for sustainable development, including governments, the private sector and civil society, as this documentation of achievements will contribute to enriching academic institutions with the information and data required to measure and monitor the progress of partnership development and their direct and indirect contribution to the achievement of other sustainable development goals.
The session was attended by His Excellency Abdullah Nasser Lootah, Assistant Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Knowledge Exchange and Competitiveness and Chairman of the National Committee for Sustainable Development Goals, His Excellency Mohamed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, Her Excellency Dr. Alanoud Al Hajj, Assistant Undersecretary for Green Development and Climate Change, Lt. Col. Dana Humaid Al Marzouqi, Director General of the International Affairs Office at the Ministry of Interior, Hashem Al Attas, Senior Portfolio Manager for the Middle East and North Africa at Masdar, in addition to experts, academics and makers. Decision, and government officials from Rwanda, Mongolia, Serbia, Malaysia, Malta, Uzbekistan and Fiji.
The session was moderated by Afshin Molavi, Senior Fellow, Institute for Foreign Policy at the College of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.
The session discussed the value of influential partnerships in promoting progress towards achieving sustainable development goals, through government modernization, supporting positive transformations, and consolidating partnership concepts that support countries, governments and societies in achieving sustainable development goals and transforming future challenges into opportunities. The roundtable session then turned into a workshop on the future of partnerships in accelerating the achievement of the five goals focused on the 2024 edition of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development: 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 societies. inclusive of all categories to achieve sustainable development, provide justice for all and build effective and efficient institutions; Goal 17, which focuses on global partnerships to promote the implementation of development goals.
The participants were distributed from Academics, researchers, government officials and experts in groups, each group discussed one of the sustainable development goals under discussion, where they prepared in brainstorming a series of practical recommendations to promote accelerated international partnerships to achieve sustainable development for the future, foremost of which is the call for the exchange of knowledge and expertise, the sharing of best experiences and practices, and inter- and international cooperation at the level of governments, UN organizations, international institutions and development programs to reach the goal of sustainable development and preserve the planet’s resources for future generations.
The first group included H.E. Dr. Alanoud Al Hajj, Assistant Undersecretary for Green Development and Climate Change, H.E. Ambassador Ernest Rwamusio, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Rwanda to the United Nations, H.E. Chinokhai Pat Ardenni, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of Mongolia to the United Nations, and H.E. Mohamed Raslan, First Secretary for Agricultural Affairs at the Malaysian Embassy in Washington.
The group discussed the achievements of the government knowledge exchange program and its impact on the first two development goals of eradicating poverty in all its forms. The second goal is to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.
Participants in the first group addressed the role of technological innovations in efforts to combat poverty, and the importance of investment and policy development to increase the contribution of education and health care to reducing global poverty levels.
The session also touched on global trade policies and market movement and their impact on food access to all countries and their role in reducing hunger and improving global food security.
The second group addressed Goal 13, which supports climate action and calls for urgent action to combat climate change and its repercussions, and included Lieutenant Colonel Dana Humaid Al Marzouqi, Director General of the International Affairs Office at the Ministry of Interior, Her Excellency Marta Arsowska Tomovska, Advisor to the Speaker of Parliament of the Republic of Serbia and Special Envoy for Expo 2027 in Belgrade, Joseph Caruana, from the Ministry of Environment, Energy and the Grand Port Renovation in Malta, and Hashim Al Attas, Senior Portfolio Manager for the Middle East and North Africa at Masdar.
The second group discussed issues of importance Current globality, such as the role of governments in leading the transition to alternative energy sources, the responsibility of advanced economies in this area and the possibility of playing a greater role in reducing carbon emissions, and ways to support societies to withstand the effects of climate change.
The third group discussed Goal 17, which focuses on global partnerships to enhance the implementation of the SDGs, and was attended by His Excellency Abdullah Nasser Lootah, Assistant Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Competitiveness and Knowledge Exchange and Chairman of the National Committee for Sustainable Development Goals, His Excellency Mohamed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, His Excellency Shukrat Vavayev, Executive Director of the Uzbekistan Fund for Reconstruction and Development, and His Excellency Viotti Kisonyo, from the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Fiji to the United Nations.
Participants addressed the role of global partnerships in making rapid progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the role of multilateral financial institutions and the role of concessional loans in supporting sustainable development, and the prospect of partnership between public and private sector institutions in this regard.
The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development is the main platform. Since its establishment 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 was 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".
“President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has issued a Federal Decree No. (6) for the year 2015 establishing the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA) under the UAE Cabinet.
The new Authority, to be based in the emirate of Dubai, effectively replaces the National Bureau of Statistics and the Emirates Competitiveness Council by integrating the functions of both the entities.
As per the decree, the Authority will work to strengthen the UAE’s position across all global competitiveness indicators as well as promote sustainable development, in addition to serving as the apex body that organises and manages the statistics and competitiveness sectors.
The Authority is also mandated to build an integrated national statistical system. The establishment of the FCSA supports the goals of the UAE Vision 2021, a strategic roadmap to make the UAE among the best countries in the world by 2021.
Functions of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority Aiming to support the UAE’s competitiveness indicators, the new Authority will undertake a wide array of functions to achieve its goals.
The functions of the Authority include proposing policies, strategies and plans for statistics and competitiveness in coordination with the government and the related entities, as well as evaluating international best practices in all areas of the statistics and competitiveness sectors.
The FCSA will also work to promote a culture of competitiveness, and provide training and support to all government entities for the advancement of statistics and competitive operations.
It will act as an incubator for promoting best and specialized national skills in the UAE, in addition to preparing and implementing a unified statistical system for various sectors in the country.
The Authority will also represent the nation at various international forums in the field of statistics and competitiveness. Enhancing coordination with local entities FCSA is entrusted with a bigger vision and wider tasks to make significant positive changes in strategies to strengthen the efforts of the UAE to increase its competitiveness, especially through information and data revolution.
As per the decree, the Authority is the first and only official reference for all matters related to competitiveness for global reports and surveys.
It will be also a source of official statistics regarding the nation. The Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority also will serve as the main link between all the federal and local governments, as well as private sector and international organisations in all matters related to the competitiveness and statistics.
The new Federal decree also nullifies the Federal Law No. 9 of 2009 concerning the National Bureau of Statistics, and eliminates all regulations contrary to or inconsistent with its provisions.
The federal decree will be published in the official newspapers, and shall be effective from the day following the date of publishing. The UAE Cabinet also issued a decree appointing Reem Ibrahim Al Hashimi, Minister of State, as Chairperson of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority.
The board will include representatives from the Executive Councils of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Qaiwain, Ras al-Khaimah, and Al Diwan Al Amiri in Fujairah.
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DUBAI, 12th July, 2017 (WAM) –
Senior officials of Smart Dubai Office, SDO, have discussed with a high-level delegation from the Federal Authority for Competitiveness and Statistics ways to enhance mutual cooperation. Discussions also involved how to activate mechanisms and frameworks for joint work by the two entities, and to explore prospects for building future partnerships that serve common aspirations. Held at the Dubai Smart Office HQ, the meeting was chaired by Dr. Aisha bint Butti bin Bishr, Director-General of the Smart Dubai Office, and attended by Younis Al Nasser, CEO of Dubai Data Establishment, Wesam Lootah, CEO of Smart Dubai Government, Abdulla Nasser Lootah, Director-General of the Federal Authority for Competitiveness and Statistics, and Mohamed Ahli, Executive Director of Statistics Sector, in addition to a number of officials from both entities.
Dr. Bin Bishr expressed her delight in exploring new horizons of fruitful partnership with the Federal Authority for Competitiveness and Statistics, and described the meeting as an ideal opportunity to consolidate efforts at all levels.
Smart Dubai has strategic partners that contributed to more than 137 smart initiatives and 1,129 smart services to the people. Holding such meetings at the local and federal levels underlines the importance of the concerted efforts to ensure the success of the Smart City model and export it to the world. It also sheds light on the methodologies and strategies needed to put Dubai at the forefront of smart cities, and highlight its position as a global model in adopting and employing modern technology for a sustainable future."
She stressed the need to work diligently and dedicate smart initiatives in all sectors to contribute to sustainable development and achieve the strategic goals in accordance with the vision of the wise leadership, which in turn contributes to positioning the emirate as a global destination on various levels and, achieve the happiness of the people of the UAE.
The meeting reviewed SDO’s role in spearheading the efforts to transform Dubai into a smart city. The roadmap and timeframe for Dubai Smart 2021 vision were presented at the meeting and a comprehensive presentation was made to the visiting delegation, explaining the initiatives and projects launched by SDO. The two sides also discussed ways to speed up joint institutional work to achieve the strategic objectives of both institutions.
Mr. Lootah said, "The success of our strategy that aims to enhance UAE international competitiveness and modernize the national statistical ecosystem depends on the successful partnership and collaboration of our partners in both federal and local government sector.
Our experience with Smart Dubai has always been valuable, as we learn from their innovative approaches and their commitment to achieve their goals and objectives. I look forward to our future collaboration with Smart Dubai on projects that will service the UAE society and brings them happiness and prosperity."
The delegation reviewed key performance indicators of Dubai Smart vision 2021, highlighting the importance of efficient performance in smart transformation and in achieving sustainability by applying the results of the indicators in policy making and future planning of SDO’s initiatives.
- The study underscores the growing importance of measuring public sentiment on public policy
- Focusing on the topic of tolerance in the nation by the public in and outside UAE
- Analyzing 1.4 million unique posts on social media
Dubai, UAE, Cape Town, South Africa – 11 June 2017
The Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA) and BrandsEye, a world leading opinion mining company, announced today the completion of the first sentiment study conducted in the United Arab Emirates on the topic of tolerance in the UAE.
Working in coordination with the team of HE Sheikha Lubna bint Khaled Al Qassimi, Minister of State for Tolerance, the study focused primarily on the topic of tolerance and social media user’s opinion of the Minister’s announcements, activities and the news shared on the Minister’s official social media profiles.
During the research project, approximately 1.4 million unique posts shared by 172,000 social media users in the UAE were analyzed by opinion mining partner BrandsEye. BrandsEye uses a data analytics approach which combines search algorithms, crowd-sourcing and machine learning to accurately analyze conversations for sentiment and the topics driving that sentiment. The study was conducted over the period of three consecutive months earlier this year, and the findings were presented to Minister and her team during a recent visit to the FCSA headcounters.
The study findings highlighted that of all the posts analyzed, 20.5% expressed positive sentiment, 70% was neutral while only 4.5% of conversations were negative. Of the positive sentiment, 44% of the posts were expressed during the holidays in December were pictures of various religious communities in the UAE were shared practicing their faith in complete freedom. The remainder of the positive posts were praising the UAE policies and inclusion ,cohesion tolerance related activities and covering other topics such as low unemployment rates and attributing it to UAE providing an equal opportunity for everyone living on its land.
"The findings were very interesting and I am very delighted that people were mainly positive and/or neutral when it came to how they felt towards our announcements, programs and activities in and outside the UAE," commented HE Sheikh Lubna. "Policy and data are very interrelated in the decision making process. Knowing how people feel, adds a new layer of knowledge and insight that support drive more effective and impactful policies and initiatives for the people."
"Because of fake news, orchestrated and agenda-driven social engineering, many policy makers around the world are struggling to understand and collect accurate information and sentiment about their constituents. As decision makers, we have a grand responsibility to make sure we rely on accurate and effective scientific methods to have a better understanding of what really matters to the people," added HE Shaikha Lubna.
"We are very excited to be working with Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna’s office and the team in FCSA on this important project. The world of opinion mining is set to change the way governments and business conduct research, providing accurate data that will help drive better decision making at all levels," said JP Kloppers, BrandsEye CEO. "The sheer quantity of online conversations coupled with the instantaneous reactivity of this digital chatter has meant that sentiment-driven opinion data has become a mineable resource that gives one unique insight into how the public actually feel.
Kloppers added that fake news and what is known as ‘news feed bubbles’ are creating significant pockets of public opinion that are not based on truth, undermining the legitimacy (and demand for) their journalism. "Opinion mining offers a way for media to accurately measure and report on public opinion, regardless of its veracity," added Kloppers.
"Organizations around the world now have access to millions of relevant data points in both mature and developing markets. The data, if mined correctly, can provide insights that not only assist in decision-making, but also can shape product innovation and help reduce risk," said Abdulla Lootah, Director General of the FCSA.
"As a UAE federal government official reference on all matters related to statistics, competitiveness and data, it is part of FCSA’s mandate to explore, identify and adopt the latest global trends and technology to serve our stakeholders. Our collaboration with BrandsEye is just the beginning and to a new dimension on how we plan to transform the statistics and data business in the UAE. We look forward to more engagements on various topics across the UAE," concluded Mr. Lootah.
Session taking place on sidelines of World Data Forum will discuss how traditional statistics gathering is making way for digital forms
Dubai, October 24, 2018
The impact of the data revolution on statistics gathering and fieldwork will be an issue under the spotlight at a side session of the forthcoming United Nations World Data Forum, which is being organised by the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA) and takes place October 22-24 at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai.
Titled Bye ‘Bye-Bye Statistics,’ the activity being presented by Saber bin Saeed Al Harbi, Director General of GCC-Stat, will examine how advances in technology are creating breakthroughs in data collection and negating the labour intensive, traditional methods for harvesting and promulgating statistics.
“We are facing a sea-change in the way data is collected, stored, analysed and disseminated, with rapid leaps forward in technology creating a fundamental shift in the way that information is gathered. The ‘Bye-Bye Statistics’ session on the side-lines of the UN World Data Forum aims to show attendees how it is now possible to do away with time-consuming fieldwork and the compiling of static tables. It will reveal the latest developments in virtual statistics and how to best utilise data acquired from sensors, satellite imagery data and GPS integrated data,” Saber bin Saeed Al Harbi
Bye-Bye Statistics will discuss the future demographic of the statistics world, which the session coordinators say will feature fewer compilers and more analytics, with those involved in the field also being younger. It will highlight how statistics will be defined by networks instead of buildings, with the work increasingly involving smart skills and machine learning. It will also examine the process of initiating change and the policies that managers responsible for data collection can adopt to ensure that their teams become enthusiastic early adopters of the new models.
“The Bye-Bye Statistics session will examine the best ways for managers to introduce these changes to bring their teams along with them. We will be examining the various stages involved in creating successful change, such as establishing a sense of urgency, creating a guiding coalition, developing a strategy, generating short-term wins and consolidating gains,” added Saber Al Harbi
Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, the UN World Data Forum 2018 brings together more than 1,500 data experts, high-ranking government officials and prominent policy makers from around the world. Now in its second edition, the globally-recognised event contributes to the establishment of a scientific incubator environment to enhance the role of data and statistics in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 2030; namely food security, health and learning.
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- Fourth globally in the category of electricity delivery.
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