Ramallah - 24/01/2022 – Dr. Awad expressed her appreciation for the Palestinian Cabinet's decision to adopt the Palestinian Statistical Data Strategy 2022-2026 during the Cabinet's session on Monday January 10th 2022.

Dr. Awad indicated that the new strategy aims to provide added value to data within the national statistical system by focusing on quality, geographical coverage and inclusion. This will be accompanied by a shift in the professional environment of the national statistical system to measure better the progress made in implementing the 2030 agenda and to keep pace with the rapid changes significantly with the developments of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has increased the challenge for statistical offices to keep pace with changes and development in methods, mechanisms and methodologies of data production and dissemination since the pandemic affected all sectors including social, economic and environmental development requiring a rapid response to provide data to policymakers to ensure appropriate interventions.
The strategy also provides a vision for developing statistics in Palestine for the next few years. It merges what has been achieved so far while exploring new tracks to modernize and transform the statistical system through innovation in methods tools of statistical work. The strategy also helps enhance and employ statistical data to monitor changes, especially progress made in achieving sustainable development goals, measuring trends, and responding to gender issue needs.
Dr. Awad indicated that the implementation of the strategy, in cooperation with partners of the national statistical system, will achieve progress in the following areas: developing official statistics in Palestine, enhancing the use of statistics in planning, decision-making and the optimal use of data in developing policies, monitoring response to sustainable development goals, increasing awareness of the importance of statistics, as well as developing and strengthening the national statistical monitoring system to provide indicators of statistical monitoring, including indicators of the 2030 agenda.
The implementation of the strategy will also enhance partnerships to facilitate the exchange of statistical data, cooperation, coordination and partnership between the national statistical system on the regional and international levels, and help us to keep up with modern technologies in the process of the production and dissemination of statistical data, improving quality of data through the national statistical system with the development and adoption of standardized quality procedures to be applied by partners, as well as developing administrative records and using records for statistical purposes including monitoring sustainable development goals, and diversifying and developing data dissemination methods by providing easy access to data for all, to strengthen the mechanisms and policies for dissemination and promotion of statistical data for various segments of the society.

Dr. Awad added that the strategy includes three strategic levels and twelve sub-components. The general objective of the strategy is to "give more value and attention to data within the national statistical system by increasing the focus on quality and coverage". While the first strategic level focused on transforming the statistical system's ecosystem, the second strategic level focused on guiding factors and interventions, and the third level focused on supporting factors and interventions.