General Authority for Statistics participated in the fifty-fifth session of the United Nations Statistical Commission which took place from 27 February to 1 March 2024 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Representatives of member states' statistical offices and representatives of United Nations statistical organizations involved in statistical work took part in the session. The session discussed topics related to international statistical activities, reviewed practices related to sustainable development indicators for the year 2023 and the progress made, as well as discussed indicators related to economic, social, spatial, and resource statistics. It also addressed developments in the methodologies of calculating statistical indicators and indices and their applications in participating countries, as well as new and improved data collection methods. Such sessions are important as they work on reviewing and setting statistical standards, developing concepts and methods used by official statistical offices worldwide and discussing new international statistical methodologies, standards, and classifications. They also shed light on reviewing key international statistics related to economic and social matters and discussing international efforts to develop the capabilities of statisticians. It is worth mentioning that the United Nations Statistics Division organizes the Statistical Commission session annually in the first quarter of each year. This session is one of the highest levels of international statistical sessions and serves as a reference for those interested in statistical field.

The city of Jeddah will host the 48th meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Arab Institute for Training and Statistical Research. This session will take place on October 4 -5, 2023, and will discuss common statistical issues with the aim of providing accurate data to support comprehensive economic and social development plans at the regional Arab level. This will be achieved by supporting the official statistical systems in Arab countries to fulfill their developmental duties at both national and regional levels in providing accurate data and indicators that contribute to enhancing opportunities for better developmental policy-making. The official heads of Arab statistical centers will participate in these meetings, with Saudi Arabia hosting this 48th session as a confirmation of its leading role in the Arab world and its commitment to enhancing Arab communication and joint work in all fields, especially in the field of Arab statistical work. This aims to exchange experiences among member countries and provide statistical data to support development plans. The agenda includes various activities aimed at enhancing the production and dissemination of accurate statistical data in accordance with international methodologies and standards. Additionally, there will be efforts to develop a strategic vision to improve the level of Arab statistical work, improve the technical and scientific capabilities of human resources in the official statistical agencies of Arab countries, exchange statistical knowledge and experiences to strengthen Arab solidarity and cooperation, and develop high-quality statistics production to drive development forward.

Saudi Arabia will host the 12th session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Statistical Commission (OIC-StatCom). The meetings of this session will be held in the city of Jeddah and will last for two consecutive days October 3-4, 2023. The meeting will be attended by the heads of official statistical centers in the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. This is the first time that the meetings of this commission are held outside the headquarters country (Turkey). Saudi Arabia's hosting of this session reflects its international status and its Arab and Islamic position, affirming its keenness to enhance communication and joint work among Islamic countries to provide statistical data for the support of development plans and exchange experiences among member countries. The 12th session of OIC-StatCom aims to develop the technical and scientific capabilities of statistical personnel in the official statistical agencies of member countries and exchange statistical knowledge and experiences to support the member countries in producing high-quality statistics, guided by specific objectives and principles in order to enhance solidarity and cooperation among Islamic countries. The agenda comprises of a number of activities meant to improve the production and dissemination of precise and updated statistical data in compliance with international standards and procedures. Additionally, efforts will be made to develop a strategic vision to improve the level of statistical systems, implement and monitor short, medium, and long-term plans to achieve this vision, and enhance the technical capabilities of national statistical agencies in Islamic countries.

Based on its role in developing the statistical sector, the General Authority for Statistics adopted the chain-linked methodology in the national accounts to calculate the real GDP. The publication of Q4, 2023 and the annual publication of the same year will be published using the new methodology instead of the previous methodology that was based on utilizing the fixed base year. Saudi Arabia is the first country in the Gulf and Arab regions and among the first G20 countries that implement the chain-linked methodology. This dynamic methodology is thought to be a useful tool for estimating the real growth rates of national accounts and for measuring economic growth rates using weights and prices from the prior year as a benchmark to provide measurements within adjacent time periods. It accurately reflects the current economic conditions of any country that employs it. Expert statisticians in the field of national accounts have pointed out that the chain-linked methodology takes into account the impact of price changes, flexibility in dealing with economic activities along with their continuous updating and accurately reflects economic changes. It also considers production structure and consumption patterns, allowing for clearer international comparisons. International statistical organizations and bodies concerned with national accounts systems urge countries worldwide to adopt the chain-linked methodology instead of the previous methodology that used a fixed base year for weights and prices, in order to accurately reflect real growth at the national level and monitor developments and achievements effectively. It is worth mentioning that the Gross Domestic Product publication is one of the releases issued by the General Authority for Statistics on a quarterly and annual basis to provide estimates of the GDP for the relevant period, expenditure components, measure the contribution of economic activities and various regulatory sectors, as well as provide modern annual economic indicators such as GDP growth rates, relative contributions of economic activities, and regulatory sectors to the GDP according to the latest international systems. It also includes many analytical tables highlighting the tracks of the national economy. National accounts publications also contribute to meeting the requirements of the Kingdom Vision 2030, regional requirements to understand the national economy, including the statistical center of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Arab Monetary Fund, the League of Arab States, in addition to international requirements such as those of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and others. The General Authority for Statistics website provides more details about its statistical products.