The Prime Minister,
After review of Decree Law No. (7) of 1977 in the matter of statistics and census,
And Decree Law No. (9) of 1984 in the matter of the Central Population Registry, as amended by Law No. (45) of 2006,
And Decree No. (5) of 1983 to rename the Directorate of Statistics,
And Decree No. (38) of 2002 to rename and organize the Central Statistics Organization,
And Decree No. (13) of 2015 to rename and organize the Central Informatics and Communication Organization,
And upon the submission of the Minister of Follow-up Affairs,
and upon the Council of Ministers' agreement,
Decided the following:
Article (1)
A committee called "National Information Committee" shall be established and referred to in this resolution as "Committee", and it shall be formed under the chairmanship of the Minister of Follow-up Affairs and the membership of representatives from the following bodies:
• HRH Prime Minister’s Court
• First Deputy Prime Minister (FDPM) Office
• Cabinet’s General Secretariat
• Ministry of Finance
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Ministry of Interior
• Ministry of Education
• Ministry of Industry and Commerce
• Ministry of Health
• Ministry of Labor
• Ministry of Works, Municipalities and Urban Planning Affairs
• Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments
• Ministry of Social Development
• Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications
• National Oil and Gas Authority
• Electricity and Water Authority
• Economic Development Board
• Central Bank of Bahrain
• Central Informatics Organization
• Supreme Council of Women
• Supreme Council for Environment
• Civil Service Bureau
A decision shall be issued by the Minister of Follow-up Affairs to nominate the members of the committee, based on the nomination of each party, provided that the level of representation is not less than the grade of an Assistant Undersecretary, and a Deputy Chairman of the committee from among its members shall replace the Chairman in his absence.
The committee shall have its own rapporteur, who will prepare for its meetings, edit its minutes and follow up on the implementation of its decisions.
Article (2)
The membership term of the committee is two years renewable. In the event that any of its members’ seats become empty for any reason, a representative of the same body replaces it based on nomination. The new member shall complete the term of his predecessor.
Article (3)
The committee undertakes the task of following the post-2015 development agenda and linking it to the government's work program, and the committee shall carry out the following tasks to fulfill its mission:
A) Overseeing the establishment of a comprehensive national database at the Central Informatics Organization aimed at providing and presenting correct, updated, and high-quality official information and data that meet the requirements of sustainable development.
B) Supporting the Central Informatics Organization in the fulfillment of its role in organizing statistical and informational work, and to carry out its tasks in establishing technical mechanisms for the production and collection of statistics and data available at ministries and government agencies and depositing them in central databases, provided that the data-supplying agencies are responsible for their accuracy and updating.
C) Approving official information and data and determining the bodies responsible for their production and the times for their publication periodically.
D) Establishing appropriate procedures for organizing the exchange of information between government agencies.
E) Evaluating the performance of the database by assigning public or private entities that conduct studies to improve the quality of official information.
Article (4)
The committee holds its meetings at least once every three months at the invitation of its Chairperson in the time and place he determines, and the meeting is valid in the presence of the majority of its members provided that the Chairman or his Deputy is among them, and the committee issues its decisions and recommendations by a majority of the votes of the members present, and whenever the votes are equal, the side of the chairman breaks the tie.
Article (5)
The committee may form sub-committees from among its members or others in order to follow up and study specific issues related to its activities. The committee may also seek assistance from experts and specialists and invite them to attend its meetings or the sub-committees’ meetings to discuss with them and listen to their views or to provide the committee or sub-committees with the information it deems necessary to carry out its functions, and those who participate in the work of the committee shall not have the right to vote.
Article (6)
The committee shall determine its procedures and work program, prepare a periodic report on the implementation of this program, and submit the report to the Cabinet of Ministers in order to decide what it deems appropriate.
Article (7)
The Minister of Follow-up Affairs, the Ministers, and the concerned authorities - each within his jurisdiction - shall implement this decision, and it shall be enforced from the day following the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.
Prime Minister
Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa
Issued on: 29 Jumada al-awwal 1436 AH
Corresponding to: 20 March 2015