Day: May 31, 2023

A number of farmers in Al-Qafr District, Ibb province, implemented an initiative to plant 3,000 coffee seedlings instead of qat trees, in Masa Bani Jerban, Bani Saba, with the support of the Agricultural Committee in the province.

The first deputy governor of the province – head of the Agricultural Committee, Abdul Hameed Al-Shahri, explained that the cultivation of coffee seedlings represents a first stage, which will be followed by the planting of 15,000 coffee seedlings during the coming period, as part of the efforts of the Agricultural Committee and its interest in educating farmers about the importance of replacing qat trees with coffee.

The Director of the Agriculture and Irrigation Office, Eng. Hammoud Al-Rasas, and the Director of the Agricultural Projects and Initiatives Finance Unit, Yahya Al-Rumaishi, indicated that the state and the government are interested in cultivating cash crops, especially coffee, and supporting agricultural initiatives, whether plant or animal.

Al-Rasas and Al-Rumaishi pointed out that qat tree is a pest that threatens agricultural areas and depletes water.

In addition, the deputy chief of the province inspected three sites for the implementation of water barriers with community initiatives in the isolation of Bani Saba in Al-Qafr.

Al-Shahri directed the Agriculture Office to prepare technical and engineering studies for these projects and contribute to their financing by the Agricultural Projects and Initiatives Finance Unit in the province.

Source: Yemen News Agency

The community committees in Jadr neighborhood of Bani Al-Harith district in Sana’a implemented a community initiative to support teachers and those in charge of activities and summer courses in a number of centers in Jadr area.

During the visit to the summer centers, a member of the Shura Council, Adel Al-Hanbasi, distributed sums of money to support teachers in seven summer centers.

They were briefed on the conduct of summer programs and activities in the centers of Imam Ali – peace be upon him – and the martyr Taha Hamid al-Din, the horizons, Imam Zaid – peace be upon him – and the martyrs of Jadar, and the good land and dawn, in the Jadar neighborhood .. praising the level of attendance of students and the efforts of those in charge of the summer courses.

Source: Yemen News Agency

Undersecretary of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for Hajj Affairs Dr. Ayed Algwinm has chaired a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Motawifs of Turkiye Pilgrims and Pilgrims of Europe, America and Australia Company, to ensure the readiness and to follow up on early preparations for this year’s Hajj season.

The officials discussed preparations for implementing the operational plans and the estimated budget for the pilgrims program to be carried out through the field service centers.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) announced today the first results of the Kingdom’s 2022 census, which puts the population of Saudi Arabia at 32,175,224 million. Of the total number, Saudis make up 18.8 million (58.4%), while non-Saudis, 13.4 million, constitute 41.6% of the population.

The census also shows that the Kingdom has a young population, with the median age of 29 and a population of Saudis under 30 making up 63% of the total.

The latest Saudi census data provides crucial statistics and insights required by government entities and the private sector to make decisions. It is also critical to the drive to boost the investment environment in Saudi Arabia and deliver on the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals.

Minister of Economy and Planning, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Statistics Faisal bin Fadel Al-Ibrahim said “the Saudi census 2022 is an important national project, and its outputs will be a key pillar for planning and decision making, developing economic and social policy, creating development plans for various sectors and services, and supporting the investment environment in the Kingdom and achieving the Vision 2030 goals.”

He added: “We are exceptionally proud to have delivered a comprehensive and accurate census, and to have become an example of the best statistical practices in the world. I would like to express my thanks and appreciation to the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, and to the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, for their generous guidance and unlimited support for the census project at all its stages.”

The Saudi 2022 census is the most comprehensive and precise population survey conducted in the Kingdom’s history. The results are accurate more than 95%; they were based on follow-up phone calls to check data with a random sample of over one million people. The methodology used has been acknowledged by a large number of international experts as one of the most accurate in the world.

The 2022 census has been conducted in line with the best international methodologies, and with the help of the latest technologies, such as satellites and self-enumeration technology. In order to ensure the accuracy of census data, error monitoring and automated data correction techniques were deployed, such as more than one million phone calls, 900,000 field visits, and the use of advanced methods of data analysis and statistics. Comparisons included five different data sources, and the data was reviewed by more than 200 indicators to confirm its accuracy.

In view of the evolution and change in the methodology used in the 2022 census, compared to that of 2010, (which relied mainly on field and paper work), GASTAT has backcasted the population from the previous years based on the results of the Saudi census 2022. The use of backcasting is in line with international best practices and is utilized to reflect changes in census data resulting from improved methodologies. The backcasted figures for previous years will be published on GASTAT’s website, in order to provide interested parties with the most accurate dataset available.

Comparing the 2022 census data with the backcasted 2010 data shows that the total population of Saudi Arabia has increased by 8.2 million (34.2%) since 2010, the number of Saudis has increased by 4.8 million (33.8%), and the number of non-Saudis has increased by 3.5 million (34.7%).

Reflecting on the 2022 census, President of the General Authority for Statistics Dr. Fahad Aldossari said: “The release of such comprehensive and accurate census data is a testament to improvements in international methodologies and data-capture technology, such as satellites and self-enumeration technology, as well as to the coordination between government agencies and our excellent digital infrastructure. These results reflect accuracies not just for 2022, but for the preceding years as well, thanks to backcasting capabilities. We are now able to provide the most comprehensive and accurate data, and this dataset is available publicly on our website.

“We are deeply proud that the international experts who were invited by the authority to review the census’ methodologies as quality assurance expressed their admiration for the level of organization and numbers, the innovations applied in the Kingdom, and the capabilities of the country’s dedicated census team. My heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone involved in this process.”

The Saudi census 2022 results included detailed data on three main categories: population, households, and housing. Results on education, health, employment, income, migration and diversity will be announced over the next few months.

GASTAT will make the census results available on a dedicated website featuring interactive dashboards, easy-to-use interactive maps, reports, tables and charts. GASTAT will also host in the coming month a live-streamed webinar about the census methodology and key findings.

The 2022 census was conducted in May 2022 and is the fifth census in the history of Saudi Arabia. It was originally due to be carried out in 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The highest standards of security and integrity of information and data were followed to ensure its confidentiality and protection, in alignment with the National Authority for Cybersecurity standards.

GASTAT also stressed its commitment to the highest levels of privacy and confidentiality regarding participants’ data.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

A new book on Qatar-Turkiye relations, co-authored by Qatari academic Dr. Khaled Al Jaber and Turkish researcher Ozgur Pala, was released by US-based Lexington Books.

Titled Turkish-Qatari Relations: From Past to Present in a Turbulent Geopolitical Landscape, the book examines the relations between the two countries since the 19th century, utilizing arguments of practical geopolitical reasoning.

It has come out in several languages, including Arabic, Turkish and English.

Jordanian publisher ‘lines and shadows’ will release an Arabic version of the release to go on display at the upcoming Doha International Book Fair due in mid-June.

The release coincides with the conclusion of the Turkish presidential elections, which saw Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan winning a new presidential term till 2028.

Employing scientific and academic analysis, the book explores how Middle East heavyweight Turkiye, combined with ambitious Gulf state Qatar, can achieve long-term goals capitalizing on bilateral relations and strategic partnerships and alliances.

Source: Qatar News Agency