"Statistics" worked on six tracks in 90 days Four Days and the Statistical Sector will Start a New Era Media Center The Saudi statistical data and information sector is starting a new era after declaring the changing of the central department of statistics to be an authority named" the general authority for statistics". This transforming will start officially on Wednesday 1st of jamad first. Director of media and statistical awareness department and the spokesman of the authority, Taiseer Almufarij states that working under the umbrella of the general authority for statistics is considered an implementation of the supreme decree number ( 64283) in 26/12/1436 H which declares transforming the central department of statistics to be a general authority called the general authority for statistics. This authority is financially and administratively independent. The supreme decree gave ninety days for the transforming process. The countdown is about to finish now and this Wednesday will be the first official day to work under the new name. Almufarij confirmed that this transforming is not only about changing the name or identity, but changing content, techniques, and mechanisms as the statistical sector must cope with all the rapid changes around it otherwise it cannot go farther.  With the increase of commercial transactions, international investments, social and economic changes, mass data revolution , and the development of digital media and portable technologies, it has been a need for the statistical work to go through a vital transforming process in order to satisfy the clients and fulfill their needs which require the authority to establish a mutual partnerships, estimate their current and future needs, unify the information sources, facilitate access to this sources, and provide more advanced statistical products. Almufarij said that the general authority for statistics is undergoing a transforming plan that has six major tracks: concentration on the client strategy, developing products and services, enhancing methodologies and procedures, upgrading information technologies and infrastructure, statistical literacy and building competences, and structuring all the authority's different tasks and departments in order to keep developing the authority and making it a distinct institution. It is worth mentioning that the Saudi statistical work has started in a very early era of the Saudi development history. It has started in 1349H /1930 AD and continued for thirty years till the issuance of the general statistics system in royal decree number (23) which made the statistical work a sector that refers technically and administratively back to an official system that cooperated in organizing the statistical sector by setting the rules of relation between the central department as it is the only central department for statistics and the other sectors. This system aimed to activate the statistical work and make it more comprehensive, and raise statistical awareness. During the last fifty eight years, the department worked on many surveys, censuses, and indicators in many different fields in Saudi Arabia.

New (Statistical, Creative, and Awareness) Departments to Cope with the Requirements of the New Saudi Vision and National Transformation GaStat Starts Working with the New Structure The General Authority for Statistics starts working with the new organizational structure. A general administration for natural resources and knowledge statistics has been created. It works beside the general administration of economic statistics, the general administration of social statistics, field statistics departments, methodologies departments, creativity departments, and awareness departments. GaStat president, Dr. Fahad bin Sulaiman Al-Tukhaifi said that working with this new organizational structure is a response to the 2030 Saudi vision and 2020 national transformation program. The next phase needs integrated efforts from the statistical sector, so the sector must work in a distinct way as it is the only official sector that is responsible for the production of data, information, and statistics, which reflect the developments in Saudi Arabia. Dr. Fahad clarified that the new structure, which has been authorized since the first day of this Muhharam, is a way that guarantees achieving the authority's strategic goals that are represented in enhancing the efficiency and quality of statistical services and products. Moreover, it makes these services more comprehensive and beneficial. It also helps to raise the satisfaction level of all clients and beneficiaries, gives the authority a positive reputation in the society, promotes the statistical sector level, and builds a strong authority. Al-Tukhaifi added that this new structure is based on the statistical development' national strategy aspects, covering five aspects that guarantee the efficiency of the statistical sector in Saudi Arabia. The first aspect is using the statistical data and information, which aims at improving the use of statistical data and information in Saudi Arabia. This would fulfill all the users' needs by providing easy and on time statistical data and information.  There is also the aspect of statistical data and information production, which aims at enhancing the field operations such as censuses, surveys, and researches. Furthermore, it enhances using the most recent standards and classifications in collecting, analyzing, and publishing data. The third aspect is the recent technologies. It aims at using the most recent technologies in all the phases of the statistical and administrative work. It provides a high quality IT infrastructure. The fourth aspect is the communication and awareness, which aims at enhancing the statistical knowledge in society through education and awareness. It introduces those who work in the statistical sector with the concept of communication. The fifth aspect is about governance. Through this aspect, the authority is trying to set the principals that govern the statistical sector. This enhance the idea of "results based management" . It continuously develops the human resources and tries to recruit people with high capabilities. As for the main components of the authority new structure, Dr.Fahad stated that the organizational structure has been made by a teamwork from the authority and some experts outside the authority. This structure was made to develop and improve the statistical work. It also positively collaborate in activating the strategic transformation through which the Saudi statistical work is going. It enhances the role of the entity that supervises and organizes the statistical work by transforming it into an independent authority that has a featured personality and administrative and financial independence. The teamwork worked on determining the tasks, duties, and regulations according to certified instructions that guarantee founding an effective and comprehensive statistical organization. This new organization focused more on the clients and raising the products quality, considering them the main dimensions of work.  The new statistical organization has been built in a way that prevent duality in work and responsibilities. It also intends to make the organizational structure compatible with the authority’s strategy by collecting the harmonized activities in one sectors and administrative units to implement unified tasks. In this structure, Many administrations and departments have been founded to achieve the strategic goals. Regarding the main components of the new organizational structure, the authority president revealed that the statistical and administrative work has been distributed among three main sectors headed by the vice presidents. These sectors include the statistical works sector, which contains general administrations of economic statistics, social statistics, and natural resources and knowledge statistics (new one). In addition to the independency of the statistical field works with a general administration of operations. There is also an administration specialized in methodologies. As for the second sector, the statistical creativity and customer service sector, it is a totally new sector. However, the third sector represents IT and supporting services, as they are the main infrastructure of the authority’s statistical and administrative work. Moreover, the new structure includes a general administration of media and statistical awareness, which manages all the internal and external activities aiming at raising statistical awareness. It also includes a general administration of projects and strategic planning which implements and prepares the authority’s strategies and plans. Furthermore, there is a general administration of support and institutional excellence that manage, prepare, and update all the policies, operations, and procedures. The later also supervises the programs of total quality department and knowledge department.