QSA consultative panel holds 1st meeting

The Consultative Statistical Committee held its first meeting chaired by Qatar Statistics Authority's (QSA) President HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jabor bin Jassim Al Thani and attended by members representing a number of stakeholders in the State of Qatar. At the meeting, Qatar Central Bank Deputy Governor HE Sheikh Fahad bin Faisal Al Thani was elected assistant of the committee chairman and QSA Joint Services Director Mohammed Almarzouqi was elected secretary of the committee, according to the QSA. The CSC comprises 16 members, including representatives from seven ministries and official institutions in Qatar. The committee is chaired by the President of QSA and the rank of members is not lower than undersecretary in order to enable speedy implementation of various statistical operations in the State of Qatar. The decision to set up a CSC in Qatar conforms to similar committees operating in advanced countries where statistical data from ministries, institutions and various sectors processed to numerically quantify economic and social growth and development. The CSC's major functions, as defined by Law No. 2 of 2011 of Official Statistics, are to provide its opinion and advice on all statistical operations in addition to proposing priorities to meet the needs of statistical data users. Its functions also include proposing necessary statistical plans and programmes and providing the required support to advance statistical work. The committee includes representatives of the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Business and Trade, Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Environment, General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, Supreme Council of Communications and Information Technology, General Secretariat of Development Planning, Qatar Central Bank, Qatar Petroleum, Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development and Qatar Olympic Committee.