IMF welcomes launch of Statistical Centre in GCC countries
View(s):The statistical community in the Middle East received an important boost last week with the launch of a statistical centre for the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
GCC-Stat was established on April 8 by the GCC to serve as the official provider of national statistics and other data for its six member states (United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait). It is an independent supranational institution dedicated to the collection, analysis, and dissemination of official data on member states for the benefit of decision makers, researchers, and other users, according to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) media release.
IMF’s Deputy Managing Director Min Zhu welcomed the initiative, saying that “the IMF looks forward to collaborating closely with the regional center across the range of our activities. The creation of GCC-Stat will undoubtedly contribute to strengthening data collection and dissemination in the GCC countries and enhance cooperation among regional and international institutions in the area of statistics.”
Louis Marc Ducharme, Director of the IMF’s Statistics Department said, “I would like to congratulate the GCC for establishing this regional statistical centre. GCC-Stat will make a significant contribution for improving the quality of statistics across its membership, in particular through the harmonized implementation of international standards.”
Sabir Bin Al Harbi, Director General of GCC-Stat, said that “the vision for GCC-Stat is to be a reliable resource and dynamic driver of the GCC Statistical System. GCC-Stat aims to provide statistical leadership regionally and internationally, working hand-in-hand with its membership and international organizations, in particular, the International Monetary Fund.”
The establishment of GCC-Stat is opportune in the context of increased emphasis on data transparency, comparability, and dissemination. GCC-Stat will assist its member countries in progressing to higher standards, including those supported by the IMF under its Data Standards Initiatives established in the late-1990s, the release said.