Abu Dhabi: President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Wednesday issued a decree in the form of Federal Law No. 6 of 2015, setting up the Federal Authority for Competitiveness and Statistics (FACS).
The new authority, which will be based in Dubai, will be affiliated to the Cabinet and replace the National Bureau of Statistics and Emirates Competitiveness Council.
The decree in the form of federal law stipulates that FACS will be tasked improving the UAE’s global competitiveness index and achieving sustainable development, in addition to regulating the statistics and competitiveness sector and establishing an integrated national statistics system.
The establishment of the Federal Authority and the integration of the two prestigious institutions is in line with achieving UAE vision in 2021, which is a strategic road map for the UAE to be among the best countries in the world by 2021.
In order to enhance the UAE’s competitiveness, FACS is tasked with various specialisations to achieve these objectives, such as proposing policies, strategies and plans concerning statistics and competitiveness in coordination with government and specialised bodies. The authority will also look into best international practices in the field of statistics and competitiveness.
The authority will also work on disseminating a culture of competitiveness and providing the required training and support for developing work in the field of statistics and competitiveness. It will also set a unified statistics system for various sectors in the UAE, and represent the country at international events.
The authority will be the primary official source for statistics pertaining to competitiveness, such as global reports and studies, as well as statistics on the local level.
The decree annuls Federal Law No. 9 of 2009 setting up the National Bureau of Statistics.
The UAE Cabinet issued a resolution appointing Reem Ebrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State, as chairperson of FACS.
The board’s members will include representatives from the Executive Councils of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah, and the Emiri Court of Fujairah.
