SESRIC, in its capacity as the Secretariat of the OIC Statistical Commission (OIC-StatCom), organized the 13^th Session of the OIC-StatCom in a hybrid format at its Headquarters in Ankara, Republic of Türkiye, on 15-16 October 2024. The session was held in collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group. It was attended by a total of 68 participants from the National Statistical Offices (NSOs) of 38 OIC member countries, along with the representatives from 9 international and regional organisations, namely the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-Stat), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Istanbul Centre, PARIS21, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), United Nations Economic Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), United Nations Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries, and the World Bank.

The 13^th Session of OIC-StatCom commenced with opening remarks by H.E. Mr. Joseph TEDOU, Director General of the National Institute of Statistics of Cameroon and the Chairman of the 12^th Session of the OIC-StatCom; H.E. Dr. Ahmad Kawesa SENGENDO, Assistant Secretary General for Economic Affairs of the OIC General Secretariat; Dr. Areef SULEMAN, Group Chief Economist of the IsDB; and H.E. Mrs. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK, Director General of SESRIC.

In his address, H.E. Mr. Joseph TEDOU expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the OIC Statistical Commission and SESRIC for the opportunity granted to Cameroon to chair the 12th Session. He highlighted Cameroon’s strong commitment to supporting OIC activities, particularly through diplomatic efforts aimed at fostering technical cooperation among member countries. Reflecting on the past year, Mr. TEDOU emphasized the remarkable progress achieved, especially in strengthening statistical capacity building through SESRIC’s flagship Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme. He also extended his thanks to the IsDB for its continued support and commended the collective efforts of OIC countries in advancing their statistical systems, reinforcing the spirit of south-south and triangular cooperation.

H.E. Dr. Ahmad Kawesa SENGENDO, Assistant Secretary General for Economic Affairs of the OIC, delivered the message of H.E. Mr. Hissein Brahim TAHA, Secretary General of the OIC. In his message, the Secretary General emphasized the challenges NSOs of OIC countries face, particularly in monitoring and evaluating the progress of the OIC-2025 Programme of Action and the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda. He reaffirmed the OIC General Secretariat’s commitment to supporting the work of the OIC-StatCom and highlighted the importance of intra-OIC cooperation in the development, production, dissemination, and communication of statistics. The Secretary General also stressed the necessity of building sustainable statistical capacity, particularly in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), to enhance data-driven decision-making for development planning.

In his remarks, Dr. Areef SULEMAN, Group Chief Economist of the IsDB, emphasized the critical role of accurate, timely, and inclusive data in shaping policies, allocating resources, and addressing global challenges. He highlighted that social protection systems must be supported by data that truly reflects the needs of all segments of society, particularly the most vulnerable. Dr. SULEMAN also stressed the importance of ethical considerations in the use of new data sources and technologies, such as big data and artificial intelligence, to ensure the protection of individual rights. He called for collaboration among OIC countries to build more inclusive, ethical, and sustainable futures through improved statistical capacities and innovative approaches to data collection and analysis.

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK, Director General of SESRIC, welcomed the participants to the 13^th Session of the OIC-StatCom and highlighted the Commission’s vital role as a unique platform for fostering high-level statistical cooperation among OIC member countries. She reflected on the Commission’s achievements since its establishment in 2011, underscoring the spirit of solidarity that has been the cornerstone of its success. She also emphasized the importance of data in evidence-based decision-making, particularly in times of crises, such as pandemics and humanitarian emergencies. She noted that NSOs play a pivotal role in providing timely, accurate data, which is crucial for effective policy formulation and resource allocation. In the current digital era, the demand for SMART data has grown exponentially. H.E. SELÇUK called upon NSOs to embrace innovative methods, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, to meet the challenges of today’s rapidly evolving world, ensuring that official statistics remain relevant and responsive to emerging needs.

Following the welcoming remarks, the composition of the Bureau Members of the 13^th Session of OIC-StatCom was announced. In accordance with the rotational system among the OIC’s official groups, Oman (OIC-Arab) assumed the Chairmanship, while Azerbaijan (OIC-Asia), Senegal (OIC-Africa), and Palestine (Permanent Vice-Chair) were appointed as Vice-Chairs. SESRIC, in its capacity as the Secretariat of the Commission, continues to serve as the Rapporteur. H.E. SELÇUK expressed her gratitude to Cameroon, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and Palestine for their exemplary leadership during the 12^th Session.

After the announcement of the composition of the Bureau, H.E. Dr. Yousuf Mohamed ALRIYAMI, Director General of National Statistics of Oman, delivered his opening remarks, in which he emphasized the importance of providing accessible, user-friendly data to policymakers. Dr. ALRIYAMI stressed that in the digital era, NSOs are expected to employ advanced methodologies that enable efficient data access, making it possible to track trends and improve evidence-based policymaking. He urged the participants to consider how new technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence can enhance the accuracy and efficiency of official statistics, while simultaneously addressing the challenges of governance and infrastructure in their implementation.

The working sessions of the 13th Session of OIC-StatCom focused on several key areas of importance for the statistical development of OIC countries. SESRIC, as the Secretariat of the Commission, delivered two presentations on: (1) the implementation of the Resolutions of the 12^th Session of OIC-StatCom, and (2) the implementation of the OIC-StatCom Programme of Action for 2021-2025. These sessions were followed by discussions on various technical agenda items, including:

• Inclusive Data Collection in Social Protection
• Ethics for New Data Sources and Technologies
• Sustainable Development Goals: Monitoring and Reporting SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) Indicators
• Embracing Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in Official Statistics
• 2020 Round of the World Population and Housing Census Programme: Lessons Learnt and The Way Forward

In the closing session, the Commission adopted the resolutions concerning its future work, under each agenda item, to guide the activities of OIC-StatCom in the coming year. H.E. SELÇUK expressed her deep appreciation to all participants for their active engagement throughout the session and to the IsDB for their continuous collaboration in organizing the OIC-StatCom sessions. 

All the documents, reports, and other related materials of the 13^th Session of OIC-StatCom are available at this link.

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