The Arab initiative has for mission to assist Arab countries to strengthen, improve and adapt their statistical system and also involves the promotion and harmonization of statistics among Arab countries through the use of identical methodologies, concepts, definitions and classifications. The AMF since the launch of the initiative provided several workshops aimed to develop capability building, and participate with IMF in joint missions to provide technical support for the Arab institutions.
AMF in cooperation with IMF in Abu Dhabi held on January 14 to 15, 2013, a high-level technical meeting to discuss the launch of the "Arabstat". Senior officials from the statistical agencies in fifteen Arab countries participated at this meeting. The meeting discussed, the issue related to the modernization of macroeconomic and financial statistics and regional corporation in the Middle East. The participants, during the meeting stressed the importance of establishing an Arab statistical framework under the name of "Arabstat", in order to support the development of statistical systems and capacities, to enhance statistical cooperation between the Arab countries, and the importance of a technical cooperation between the IMF and the Arab Monetary Fund. The participants called to launch "Arabstat" initiative under the umbrella of the Arab Monetary Fund and in cooperation with the IMF as well as regional and international institutions. An understanding was reached on the objectives of the initiative, besides the necessary tools and means to achieve them based on the terms of reference of the steering committee of the "Arabstat" initiative. The latter consists of directors of statistical centers in Arab countries or their representatives as well as the representatives of Arab finance ministries and central banks. The Arab Monetary Fund will be charge of secretariat of the steering committee of the initiative along with the tasks of the executive body.