New regulatory reforms in the Saudi statistical system
As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen governance and legislation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the General Authority for Statistics a new executive regulation aimed at establishing clear rules for information access and regulating cooperation between various entities. This step is part of a series of reforms led by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman , which aim to enhance transparency and support decision-making in the Kingdom.
Objectives of the Executive Regulations
The proposed regulations aim to establish a statistical licensing system and build an integrated framework to support decision-making. The regulations stipulate a license fee of 5,000 riyals for a three-year term, with a renewal fee of 3,000 riyals for the same period. The regulations also require licensed entities to strictly adhere to the Authority's standards and the Code of Ethics for Statistical Work, train their staff, and display their licenses clearly at their headquarters and on their websites.
Obligations and duties of licensees
The new regulations require licensees to maintain a record of their statistical work and results for a minimum of three years and to notify the Authority of any amendments to their documents within 20 working days to ensure the highest levels of transparency and compliance. They also require all public entities, private establishments, and individuals to provide the Authority with the data requested for non-commercial statistical purposes free of charge, while emphasizing the necessity of the accuracy and completeness of this data.
Cooperation with the Authority
The regulations emphasized the obligation of establishments and individuals to fully cooperate with the Authority's field representatives and prohibited any form of harassment or obstruction of their data collection work. The regulations also established clear coordination mechanisms with public entities for developing administrative forms and records and assessing data quality, while obligating these entities to provide the Authority with technical and logistical support at no financial cost and to maintain the complete confidentiality of information.
Making data available to researchers and academics
The regulations included making data available to researchers and academics, provided that they fully comply with the personal data protection system and ensure that the data is processed in ways that prevent the identification of its owners, and that this is done exclusively through the official channels of the Authority.
These reforms come within the context of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, led by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman , which aims to strengthen the legal and regulatory infrastructure in the Kingdom, ensuring the achievement of sustainable development and transparency in all sectors.
