SESRIC participated in the First Doha Data Forum for Inclusive Data Ecosystems and Effective Decision Making which was organized under the patronage of H.E. Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of State of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani and by the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA) of State of Qatar on 29-30 October 2023 in Doha, Qatar. The Forum was participated by the representatives of ministries, government agencies, universities, research centres of State of Qatar, and international and regional organisations including SESRIC.

In his welcoming remarks, H.E. Dr. Saleh bin Mohammed AL NABIT, President of PSA, emphasized the importance of data in the daily lives of individuals and its use in formulating evidence-based policies as well as the partnerships between the PSA and various Qatari ministries, government agencies and the private sector in order to ensure the production and dissemination of high-quality data. The PSA President also underscored their cooperation with international organizations in the field of capacity building, modernization of the Qatari national statistical system. H.E. AL NABIT as well highlighted the Doha Declaration – proposed to be adopted at the end of the Forum – would enable the Doha Data Forum as a platform for dialogue, knowledge exchange and cooperation among stakeholders in data systems.

The Opening Session of the Forum also witnessed the opening speeches of Dr. Dominik ROZKRUT, President of the International Association for Official Statistics (IAOS) and Mr. Stefan SCHWEINFEST, Director of the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD).

The First Doha Data Forum hosted 9 technical sessions by focusing on Value of Official Statistics in Sustainable Development Planning, Data Infrastructure and Technology, Power of Data through Analytics and Visualization, Data Governance and Policy Frameworks, Open Data and Data Sharing, Data Literacy and Capacity Building, Data for Social Justice and Inclusion, Unlocking the Power of Technology Innovation and Data Science for Official Statistics, and Data for Sustainable Development.

On the second day of the Forum, Dr. Atilla KARAMAN, Director of Statistics and Information at SESRIC, made a presentation titled “Reimagining Statistical Education for the New Data Ecosystems” under the session of Data Literacy and Capacity Building. Dr. KARAMAN also moderated Session 7 titled "Data for Social Justice and Inclusion" with the participation of panellists from OECD Centre, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, and ILO who shared their perspectives concerning the potential of data to address societal inequalities, support vulnerable communities, and promote social justice and inclusion.

The Doha Data Forum aims to achieve a number of objectives; namely, encouraging and disseminating a culture of innovation through developing and applying solutions based on official data and statistics to confront national challenges in various sectors, following up on the recommendations of the United Nations Statistical Commission and other relevant fora, as well as enhancing inclusiveness and ensuring the inclusion and participation of all stakeholders so that they benefit from the potential of data and are able to use it to address societal issues. The forum also seeks to upgrade the level of data and explore new ways of collecting, analysing, interpreting and disseminating data effectively in order to improve decision-making processes.