Second Doha Data Forum Highlights Innovation, Sustainable Development

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Joel Johnson | The Peninsula

Doha: The inauguration of the second edition of the Doha Data Forum for Innovation in Sustainable Development took place yesterday convening representatives from ministries, government agencies, universities, research, UN entities, and Arab and Islamic organisations.

The two-day forum, which is held under the patronage of the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, is organised by National Planning Council (NPC) at The Ned Doha.

The inauguration ceremony witnessed the participation of the Minister of Communications and Information Technology H E Mohammed bin Ali bin Mohammed Al Mannai; Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs H E Ibrahim bin Ali bin Issa Al Hassan Al Mohannadi; Secretary General of NPC Abdulaziz bin Nasser bin Mubarak Al Khalifa; and the President of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority Eng. Khalid bin Ahmad Al Obaidli.

During his opening remarks, Abdulaziz bin Nasser bin Mubarak Al Khalifa noted that the sessions during the forum will address numerous topics on innovation and sustainable development.

Additionally, data and AI, as well as their role in improving official statistical systems and the use of geospatial data in disaster management will be explored.

“There is a focus on empowering individuals to make informed decisions using data, and addressing the latest trends in analytics and data for 2024. Innovation in official statistics, the future of sustainable development in the Gulf countries, and the importance of improving data collection to support development strategies will also be discussed,” he said.

The NPC General Secretary continued“We are currently working at the National Planning Council on preparing the National Strategy for Data and Statistics, which is scheduled to be launched during the last quarter of this year. The National Strategy for Data and Statistics comes to meet the urgent needs in the era of the digital revolution, given the pivotal and important role of data and statistics in making informed and sustainable decisions”.

He emphasised that strategy is based on developing an integrated system for data management.

“This strategy is not only an organizational tool, but rather represents a comprehensive vision for leading the national data and statistics agenda,” he said.

Al Khalifa further added,“It is a new milestone towards achieving integration between various sectors and providing accurate information and data needed to support planning and development processes, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.”

With this strategy, Qatar aims to develop advanced infrastructure providing access to high-quality and secure data while enhancing data governance mechanisms and ensuring privacy and security.

This initiative serves as an“open call” for innovation while enabling national companies to offer smart solutions and make the most of modern technologies including AI and advanced analytics.

The forum is anticipated to witness the participants of numerous experts in official statistics, data, environment science, and geographic information technology from Qatar, and from specialised UN entities such as the Statistics Division, UNICEF, UNESCO, ILO, UNDP, WHO, UNFPA, UN Women, ESCWA, UK Office for National Statistics, Statistics Finland and GCC Statistical Center.

Industry leaders from Microsoft, Gartner, and PWC will address the sessions in addition to featuring academics from Qatar University, Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Northwestern University in Qatar, and Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.

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