Law No. (5) of 2021 Concerning the Reorganisation of Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi

Article 1 — In the implementation of the provisions of this Law, the following words and ¶

phrases shall have the meanings corresponding thereto, unless the context
requires otherwise:
State : The United Arab Emirates.
Emirate : Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Government : Abu Dhabi Government.

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Executive
Council
: The Executive Council of the Emirate.
Office : Abu Dhabi Executive Office.
Centre : The Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi.
Director-
General
: The Director-General of the Centre.
Governmental
Entities
: The departments, public authorities and institutions,
bodies, centres, councils, funds and any other entity
affiliated to the Government.
Governmental
Companies
: The companies wholly owned by the Government or
Governmental Entities or in which the Government or
Governmental Entities contribute by a rate exceeding
50% of their capital.
Institute : Statistical Training Institute.
Users : Decision makers, researchers, planners, the public, media,
business community, individuals, international community,
local and international consultation offices and other
beneficiaries of official statistics and statistical data.
Statistics : Collecting data, information and indicators from their sources,
categorising, classifying, processing, analysing, and publishing
them to serve the Users.
Official Statistics : Statistical data issued by the Centre and Governmental
Entities and Companies under the supervision, control and
approval of the Centre.
Census : Organised statistical operation, following the total process
method and comprehensive inventory to collect detailed data
on the characteristics of each unit of the target population
without exception, such as the general census of population,
housing and establishments, the industrial census and others.

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Statistical Survey : Organised statistical work that follows the approach of the
principle of examining and collecting detailed data on various
topics and issues by taking a part of the population covered by
the study, selected by scientific statistical methods. Its results
is generalised after processing and analysis to represent the
entire target papulation.
Polls : A public opinion survey of a specific group of the target
community regarding a matter, phenomenon, topic or issue,
conducted in a specific short period of time and according to
selected general questions.
Data : A set of values of qualitative or quantitative variables about a
person, entity, thing, subject, phenomenon or more.
Statistical Data : Data, information, figures and indicators related to official
statistics, statistical activities, individuals, families,
Governmental Entities and Companies, private companies,
and all that is related to the conditions of the Emirate, which
were collected through censuses, statistical surveys, polls,
records or other data sources for statistical purposes.
Data Sources : Governmental Entities and Companies, charitable and
civil associations and institutions, private companies and
institutions, individuals, Ministries, federal public authorities
and institutions, international organisations and institutions
in addition to social media, open data, big data and any other
sources.
Metadata : Data that defines, specifies and describes the Statistical Data
and the official statistics produced. It shall be considered as
a description and documentation of the statistical concepts,
procedures and methods related to the collection, processing,
storage and publication of data according to specific criteria
that help the user understand the nature of these statistics
and optimise their use.

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Statistical
System
: The legal framework that regulates the functions of the Centre
and the sectors, departments and sections of the concerned
Governmental Entities and Companies by providing, publishing
and using data on all activities and sectors in the Emirate.
Statistical
Portfolio
: A comprehensive official document and guide approved by
the Centre and containing a list of all types of indicators
and statistical topics at the Centre and any entity that has
statistics or statistical data related to the Emirate.
Respondent : The natural or legal person, public or private, who is required
by the Centre to provide information and data under this Law.
Statistical
Maturity
: The readiness of Governmental Entities and Companies
towards preparing and issuing official statistics in a manner
consistent with the methods, standards and methodologies
approved by the Centre.
Individual Data : Any descriptive information or characteristics that identify the
Respondent.
Statistical
Documents
: Maps, schemes, records, forms, sample lists and the like.
Extrapolation : Using data, probabilities, statistical trends, and simulation
models to reach statistical conclusions and short or long-
term immediate or future predictions about the phenomenon
under study.
Statistical
Frames
: Lists or maps of all units of the community or the target sector
to be subject to statistics, comprehensive data collection, or
selection of a sample thereof, such as buildings, residences,
population, establishments, and others.
Records : Files, databases, forms, tables, models, or any other paper
or electronic media stating information and data about
individuals, families, addresses, buildings, establishments,
and activities in any governmental or non-governmental entity.

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Article 2 — • The Centre shall have an independent legal personality and a full legal ¶

capacity to act, and shall be affiliated to the Office.
• The Executive Council may change the affiliation of the Centre to any other
entity specified thereby.

Article 3 — The Centre’s main office shall be located in Abu Dhabi City and it may, upon ¶

a resolution issued by the Chairman of the Office, establish branches or
offices inside or outside the Emirate, after the approval of the Executive
Council.

Article 4 — Statistics shall be prepared in the Emirate and published in accordance ¶

with international statistical principles, in particular the principles of
independence, impartiality, professionalism, confidentiality and trust.

Article 5 — The Centre shall assume the following competencies: ¶

1. Suggest the Centre’s public policies and submit them to the Office in
order to be approved by the Executive Council.
2. Provide official statistics and recent and reliable Statistical Data to the
Government and Users, without prejudice to the confidentiality of the
data according to the legislations in force, and in coordination with the
Governmental Entities and Companies.
3. Develop an integrated Statistical System and manage and organise the
statistical work in the Emirate by defining and distributing the roles,
tasks and competencies of all components of the Statistical System in
accordance with the Statistical Portfolio.
4. Laydown the principles and standards related to Statistical Data
systems and official statistics, manage, unify, document, build, classify
and publish the same, and supervise their quality assurance.
5. Build an information network and a unified channel that serves the
Statistical System in the Emirate.
6. Work on building integrated statistical databases in partnership with
Governmental Entities.

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7. Technically supervise any statistics and statistical data systems works
carried out by Governmental Entities, audit the results of their work, and
provide technical advice in accordance with the Statistical System in
force in the Emirate.
8. Collect, classify, store, analyse, process, archive, publish and protect
the Emirate's Statistical Data from Data Sources.
9. Build and organise Statistical Frameworks for all activities and various
sectors and update them periodically in coordination with Governmental
Entities and Companies.
10. Design and conduct censuses, studies, demographic, social, economic
and environmental statistical surveys, polls, and others at the Emirate
level according to the Statistical Portfolio.
11. Publish official statistics and Statistical Data according to the Statistical
Portfolio and using the latest used methods, without prejudice to the
confidentiality of the data prescribed in accordance with the legislations
in force.
12. Laydown the principles and rules regulating statistical work, and unify
methods, standards, definitions and classifications related to statistical
work in the Emirate, in coordination with the concerned federal entity
and in accordance with the legislations in force.
13. Approve the statistical projects for Governmental Entities before
submitting them to the Department of Finance within the budget of
those entities, in accordance with the Centre’s policies and procedures
for planning and implementing statistical projects in coordination with
the Department of Finance.
14. Conduct, develop and publish estimates, projections, extrapolations
and future predictions for various demographic, economic, social,
environmental and other issues.
15. Organise the Institute and prepare its plans, training programmes and
systems to support and develop statistical capabilities and enable
Governmental Entities to produce official statistics and statistical data
and contribute to training and strengthening statistical capabilities.
16. Conclude agreements and memoranda of understanding with
Governmental Entities and Companies, private companies and others
to organise statistical work, exchange and publish data.
17. Spread the statistical culture, and raise awareness among all segments
of society of the importance of statistical work.

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18. Organise and participate in conferences, seminars, workshops,
educational programmes and statistical activities inside and outside the
State.
• The Centre may contract with any entity or company inside or outside the
Emirate to carry out data collection and other statistical activities.
• The Executive Council may amend the competencies of the Centre stated
in this Law or any other legislation by deletion, addition or transfer.
• The Centre may delegate some of its competencies to any other
Governmental entity or outsource some of them to the private sector after
obtaining the approval of the Executive Council.

Article 6 — The Centre shall have a Director-General appointed by a resolution of ¶

the Executive Council, and he shall manage and supervise the Centre’s
Functions, and in particular:
1. Suggest the strategic and executive plans for the Centre and submit
them for approval in accordance with the legislations in force.
2. Follow up on the implementation of the Centre’s strategic and executive
plans, programmes, projects and activities managed or executed by the
Centre.
3. Manage, develop and implement all the strategic and executive tasks
entrusted to the Centre, either directly or through the work teams he
appoints or entrusts with tasks, in a way that does not contradict the
legislations in force.
4. Suggest initiatives, programmes, studies and recommendations related
to the Centre’s functions and activities and submit them for approval
according to the legislations in force.
5. Suggest the annual draft budget of the Centre and submit it for approval
in accordance with the legislations in force.
6. Suggest the organisational structure of the Centre and submit it for
approval in accordance with the legislations in force.
7. Appoint experts, consultants and technicians on a temporary or
permanent basis, and determine their fees, and he may resort to the
experts, institutions and consulting offices he deems fit.

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8. Open bank accounts in the name of the Centre in accordance with the
legislations in force.
9. Form internal committees and work teams either from among the
Centre’s employees or others, specify their tasks and the procedures of
their work.
10. Suggest legislations, organisational and executive regulations, including
violations and administrative fines related to the Centre’s competencies,
and submit them for approval in accordance with the legislations in
force.
11. Suggest fees, tariffs and prices related to the Centre’s competencies
and present them to the Chairman of the Office in preparation for
submitting them for approval in accordance with the legislations in
force.
12. Represent the Centre before the Courts and third parties.
13. Any other competencies or tasks assigned by the Executive Council.
• The Director-General may delegate some of his competencies to any of
the senior staff of the Centre, provided that the delegation is in writing.
• The Executive Council may delegate any of the competencies of the
Director-General to any committees or work teams that he appoints either
from among the Centre’s employees or others.

Article 7 — Governmental Entities and Companies shall commit to the following: ¶

1. Prepare official statistics and statistical data related to their field of work
under the supervision of the Centre in accordance with the Statistical
Portfolio and using all available means with the obligation to continue
their productivity unless the Office decides otherwise.
2. Apply the rules regulating Statistical Work prescribed by the Centre in
accordance with the legislations in force in all stages of statistical work,
such as collecting, analysing, processing and publishing Statistical
Data.
3. Develop their records in accordance with the requirements of the
Statistical Work determined by the Centre.
4. Submit the classifications, definitions, work methodology and statistical
form, including the Metadata prepared for this purpose, to the Centre

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for approval before they begin statistical operations.
5. Coordinate with the Centre before making any amendments or additions
to the records forms or the statistical mechanisms used, in order to
ensure that these records, forms and mechanisms meet the purposes
of statistical work.
6. Make their employees and workers attend the training programmes
carried out by the Centre to build their statistical capabilities.
7. Implement the necessary development plans to raise the level of
Statistical Maturity according to the standards and methodologies
approved by the Centre.
8. Apply the publishing policies of official statistics and statistical data
approved by the Centre and according to the roles and competencies
assigned to them according to the Statistical Portfolio.
9. Enable the Centre to access their databases and records through
electronic linkage or other means, and provide the Centre with all the
detailed Data and Metadata it requires to perform its statistical tasks
in a format that can be processed electronically within the agreed
period and according to the technical mechanisms and time schedules
established in accordance with the Statistical Portfolio.
10. Obtain the approval of the Centre before conducting any Census,
statistical survey or Polls in the Emirate related to official statistics.
11. Facilitate the task of the Centre’s employees assigned to any statistical
or census work, ensure easy communication with the relevant entities,
and provide all the data they request for statistical purposes, including
allowing them to peruse the records and the other means of storing
information.
12. Not modify the official data and statistics without the approval of the
Centre.

Article 8 — • The Centre may use all data sources to prepare official statistics. ¶

• All private institutions and companies shall provide the Centre, upon its
request, without any consideration, with the detailed data it requests
within the limits of its competence and in a form that can be processed
electronically.

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Article 10 — • All data and individual data, which are collected or saved by the Centre ¶

or by Governmental Entities and Companies and related to any survey
or census, shall be considered confidential, and neither the Centre nor
any of its employees may reveal or disclose such data to any person or
public or private entity, or use them for any purpose other than statistical
purposes.
• When publishing official statistics, the Centre shall not reveal any individual
data in order to preserve their confidentiality.
• Employees in the field of statistics in the Centre and in Governmental
Entities and Companies who are assigned to conduct any survey, census
or polls, shall sign an undertaking not to disclose or publish any data or
individual data.
• Data and Statistical Data shall be disclosed and revealed if that is required
to comply with a Court order or judgment.
• The Centre shall take the necessary measures to implement security
and safety conditions to ensure the protection of the data collected and
preserved in the Centre’s workplaces, and coordinate with Governmental
Entities and Companies to ensure that they carry out the same procedures
and conditions.

Article 11 — The following shall be excluded from the individual data confidentiality rule: ¶

• Using individual data to prove a violation of the provisions of this Law or
the regulations and resolutions issued pursuant thereto.
• Using individual data related to the person or entity, provided that they
agree to this in writing.

Article 12 — The Centre shall submit to the Office every three months or whenever the ¶

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Office requires the same, a report on its functions, achievements, budget,
administrative and financial affairs, and the stages of progress it has made
in carrying out the functions and tasks entrusted to it.

Article 13 — By a resolution of the Chairman of Office, the Office may provide logistical ¶

support and all operational functions regarding support services to the
Centre, including human and financial resources affairs, procurement,
electronic systems and other works and services.

Article 14 — 1. Without prejudice to any more severe penalty stipulated in any other Law, ¶

every civil servant or the like who commits any of the following acts shall
be punished by imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year and a
fine not exceeding one million Dirhams:
• Disclosing any confidential data within the definition stipulated in this
Law or any of the secrets of industry or trade and other know-how
that are considered to be one of his secrets and that he has become
acquainted with due to his position.
• Knowingly publishing or causing to publish incorrect statistics or
results of censuses and surveys.
• Deliberately keeping for himself any statistical documents that contain
data, or deliberately destroying or forgering them.
• Failing to preserve confidential statistical documents, which led to
their loss.
2. The sanction shall be doubled in case of recidivism.

Article 15 — 1. Without prejudice to any more severe penalty stipulated in any other ¶

Law, whoever commits any of the following acts shall be punished by
imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year and a fine not exceeding
one million Dirhams:

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• Impersonating the Centre’s employees or any person charged with a
task related to the census or statistical survey and other statistical
work.
• Deliberately disrupting the works of the census or statistical survey
or refraining from giving the required data in the prescribed manner.
Failure to submit the statistical data within the specified date shall be
considered as refusal to submit it unless it is proven that refraining
from providing the data or the delay was with an acceptable excuse.
• Deliberately giving misleading data to any of those charged with
conducting a census or survey.
• Obtaining, through any of the Centre’s employees or from the Centre’s
records and entries, data or confidential data by means of fraud, threat,
misrepresentation, or by any other means in violation of the Laws.
2. The sanction shall be doubled in case of recidivism.

Article 16 — • Without prejudice to any more severe penalty provided by another Law, ¶

whoever violates the provisions of this Law, its regulatory and executive
regulations and the resolutions and circulars issued in implementation
thereof shall be punished by an administrative fine not exceeding AED
(500,000) five hundred thousand Dirhams.
• The Centre shall collect the administrative fines and the Chairman of
Office shall, after obtaining the approval of the Executive Council, issue
a table specifying the violations and administrative fines prescribed for
each, without exceeding the fine set forth in this Article.
• The Director-General or his delegate may offer reconciliation to the
violator, provided that this is proved in the minutes of the procedures.
The violator accepting reconciliation shall pay a fine equivalent to (75%)
of the total administrative fine specified for the violation, within a period
not exceeding sixty days from the date of offering reconciliation thereto.
• In all events, if the violator does not remove the effects of the violation in
a timely manner, the Centre shall remove them at the violator's expense.
• The regulatory and executive regulations of this Law shall determine the
reconciliation procedures stated above including their time limits.

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Article 17 — The Head of the Judicial Department Abu Dhabi shall, in agreement with ¶

the Chairman of the Office, determine the Centre’s employees who shall
have the law enforcement officer capacity for the crimes falling within
their jurisdiction. They shall have the right to inspect and control to verify
the commitment of all entities, companies and persons to implement the
provisions of the legislations related to the Centre's competencies.

Article 18 — The Centre’s financial resources shall be consist of: ¶

1. The annual appropriations allocated to it by the Government.
2. The fees of the provided services.
3. The donations and contributions granted thereto after the approval of the
Executive Council.
4. Any other revenues approved by the Executive Council.

Article 19 — The fiscal year of the Centre shall start on the first of January and end on the ¶

last day of December of every year.

Article 20 — The Centre shall have one or more accredited auditors to verify its accounts ¶

and financial statements, who shall be appointed by virtue of a resolution
issued by the Chairman of the Office according to the legislations in force,
specifying as well as the remuneration thereof.

Article 21 — • The Centre shall be subject to the financial laws and rules in force at the ¶

Emirate.
• The Centre’s employees shall be subject to the human resources laws and
rules in force at the Emirate.
• The local employees shall be subject to the pensions law and civil
retirement benefits in force at the Emirate.

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Article 22 — • The Director-General shall, after the obtaining the approval of the Executive ¶

Council, issue the regulatory and executive regulations of this Law.
• The Director-General shall issue the executive and operating policies,
rules, resolutions and circulars necessary for the implementation of the
provisions of this Law.
• The policies, rules, resolutions and circulars in force shall remain effective
to the extent that does not contradict the provisions of this Law, until the
issuance of the policies, rules, resolutions and circulars implementing the
provisions thereof.
(Article 23)
• Aforesaid Law No. (7) of 2008 shall be repealed.
• Any provision contrary to the provisions of this Law shall be repealed.

Article 24 — This Law shall enter into force as of its issuance date and shall be published ¶

in the Official Gazette.
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Ruler of Abu Dhabi
Issued by us in Abu Dhabi
On: 18 August 2021
Corresponding to: 9 Muharram 1443 Hijri

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