In line with the directives of His Royal Highness PrinceSalman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, regarding thecontinual improvement in government data management, the National Taskforce forInformation and Population convened a national workshop in collaboration with theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF). The workshop focused on the IMF DataStandards Framework, emphasising the requirements for the Kingdom of Bahrainadvancement into higher tiers within this framework, which signifies theKingdom’s commitment to data transparency and international best practices.

Hosted at the Ministry of Finance and National Economyheadquarters, the workshop was attended by approximately 80 representativesfrom various government entities involved in the compilation and disseminationof macroeconomic and financial data. The workshop focused on the criteria forsubscribing to the Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) and adopting thelatest data exchange technologies, like the Statistical Data and MetadataExchange (SDMX) system.

This timely workshop coincided with an official IMF missionto Bahrain, marking the launch of the Kingdom's National Summary Data Page(NSDP). The NSDP serves as a "data portal", providing users access todata, metadata, and links to online datasets for all available categories. Italso facilitates the automated exchange and sharing of statistical data andmetadata through the SDMX; a standard for machine-to-machine transmission.

Hamad bin Faisal Al Malki, the Minister of Cabinet Affairsand Chairman of the National Taskforce for Information and Population, affirmedthat the ongoing directives from His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad AlKhalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to constantly improve governmentdata collection and presentation methods, are aimed at aligning with the bestinternational standards and practices in data transparency, collection anddissemination. The minister highlighted that these efforts not only strengthennational capacities in accurate and timely data calculation and publication,but also create an attractive investment climate, further enhancing Bahrain'sglobal standing.

Noor bint Ali Alkhulaif, the Minister of SustainableDevelopment, Chief Executive of the Economic Development Board and Deputy Chairof the National Taskforce for Information and Population, reaffirmed thesignificance of the NSDP launch, as it ensures access to real-time,comprehensive statistics, crucial for measuring progress towards thesustainable development goals and enabling data-driven decision-making.Additionally, it is expected to further stimulate foreign direct investments,by increasing data accessibility to financial markets, contributing tosustainable development and economic growth.

During the workshop, the IMF experts led in-depth discussionson the IMF Data Standards Framework, detailing the steps needed for countriesto subscribe SDDS. The SDDS promotes the publication of comprehensive andtransparent economic and financial data, fostering greater confidence in theireconomies and attracting foreign investment.

The workshop also explored the applications and uses of theSDMX system, emphasising its role in facilitating and streamlining statisticaldata exchange through advanced modeling and the use of artificial intelligencein statistical programs. Participants gained hands-on experience in convertingdata to the SDMX format, showcasing the system’s potential to significantlyimprove data collection, analysis, and dissemination for decision-makers,researchers, and various data users.

This workshop underscores the commitment of the NationalTaskforce for Information and Population to adopting the best internationalstandards and practices in data publication and dissemination. It aims toensure that the Kingdom’s economic and social progress is accurately reflectedin global reports and databases, further elevating its regional and globalstanding.