Saudi Arabia, represented by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), participated in the 57th Session of the United Nations Statistical Commission, held at the UN headquarters in New York from March 3 to 6. The session brought together heads of national statistical offices from around the world.
Saudi Arabia’s participation reflects its commitment to strengthening its contribution to the development of international statistical work and supporting efforts to modernize the global statistical system.
The Saudi delegation was headed by GASTAT Vice President Mohammed Al-Rshaid.
During the meetings, the delegation highlighted Riyadh’s preparations to host the Sixth United Nations World Data Forum (UNWDF) in November, reaffirming Saudi Arabia’s commitment to early coordination with international partners to ensure alignment with the global statistical agenda and strengthen integration between national and international data initiatives.
Al-Rshaid emphasized GASTAT's leading role in advancing the statistical sector, outlining three strategic pillars that underpin its development efforts.
These include digital transformation and artificial intelligence through the integration of AI and Geo-AI technologies into statistical operations under an ambitious roadmap extending to 2030; knowledge leadership through spearheading the Arabic translation of the System of National Accounts 2025 to support the harmonization and advancement of statistical practices across the Arab region in line with international standards; and innovation in monitoring development through the launch of an integrated interactive system for managing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) data, ensuring efficient monitoring of indicators and meeting international requirements through an advanced methodological approach.
On the sidelines of the session, GASTAT participated in a specialized side event on “Data Governance” in its capacity as co-chair of the data governance working group established by the commission.
During the event, the vice president reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to supporting the development of comprehensive data governance frameworks in official statistics and to strengthening the role of national statistical offices within national and global data ecosystems, thereby enhancing the quality, reliability, and sustainability of data.
