A three-day fourth meeting of heads of national statistical organisations of Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) member states would be held here from February 11, with the objective of compiling comprehensive vital data of the Islamic countries.
Dr Munir Ahmad, President of Islamic Society of Statistical Sciences (ISOSS), disclosed this in a press conference held here on Thursday.
Dr Munir further said that the Government of Pakistan has agreed to host the meeting on the request of Erdinc Erdun, Director-General of Statistics Economics and Social Research and Training Centre of Islamic Countries, commonly know as Ankara Centre.
As many as 13 countries have confirmed its participation and additional 25 countries were expected to attend the meeting, he added.
According to him, the meeting would be a unique example of expanding scientific and statistical activities in the Islamic countries for the benefit of industrialists, businessmen, researchers, scholars and decision-makers.
Among the main agenda items of the meeting were as follows: measuring and monitoring poverty alleviation processes; statistical capacity building in OIC member states; development of statistics monitoring system; formulation of national capacity building plans of action to mobilise the provision of the statistical capacity building; and close co-operation in the area of information system, communication and exchange of data.
He said that the government has requested ISOSS, a non-profit society, to organise, finance and co-ordinate the activities of the meeting, to which they have agreed to do so.
He said that the Ankara Centre was a premier organisation of OIC, which had been organising a series of meeting of the heads of national statistical organisations of OIC member states.