Manama: Duaa Sultan Mohammed, Deputy Chief Executive for Statistics and Population Registry at Bahrain's Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA), recently took part in a high-level virtual meeting of heads of national statistical offices from member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The meeting, organized by the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), focused on the theme of Women's Leadership in Statistical Decision-Making.
According to Bahrain News Agency, the Deputy Chief Executive highlighted the significant progress and active roles achieved by Bahraini women in various development sectors, attributed to the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister. She emphasized the importance of building on the achievements of Bahraini women and enhancing their contributions as active partners in the comprehensive development process.
The Deputy Chief Executive praised the efforts of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), led by Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, in advancing Bahraini women's roles across different sectors. She noted that the council's Silver Jubilee celebration this year marks 25 years of national progress, resulting in an increased presence of women in various fields and their influential role in development and decision-making.
She further explained that Bahraini women's progress in the statistical field is evident, with women playing significant roles in all stages of statistical work, including data production, analysis, project management, and holding executive positions. The statistics reveal that women constitute 52.5% of the workforce in iGA's statistical departments, hold 72.7% of executive positions, and make up 48.8% of those working on statistical projects.
The Deputy Chief Executive stressed that the strong presence of female professionals enriches statistical work and broadens the expertise, supporting the development of comprehensive national statistics. This advancement enhances the use of reliable data in policymaking and decision-making processes.
She underscored the importance of investing in the development of national professionals' capabilities in the statistical field, promoting knowledge and expertise exchange among statistical offices in member states. This initiative aims to enhance readiness to keep pace with rapid developments and benefit from modern technologies in developing tools and outputs.
The Deputy Chief Executive reaffirmed Bahrain's commitment to regional and international statistical cooperation, focusing on exchanging expertise and successful practices to support the development of statistical systems and enhance the role of statistics and data in supporting development priorities and decision-making.