PUTRAJAYA: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has recognised Malaysia with a special award for its leadership and significant contributions in advancing statistical cooperation among member countries.
The Department of Statistics Malaysia announced that chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin received this honour for his outstanding leadership and invaluable role in promoting statistical cooperation within the OIC.
He accepted the recognition during the OIC Statistical Commission session held in Ankara from October 1 to 3.
DOSM highlighted Malaysia’s strong track record in its statement, noting that Mohd Uzir chaired the seventh and eighth sessions of OIC-StatCom in 2018 and 2019.
The department added that he was appointed Vice-Chair at the twelfth session in 2023.
DOSM stated that this recognition reflects the international community’s confidence in Malaysia’s statistical leadership.
Malaysia also secured the top global position in the Open Data Inventory 2024/25 by Open Data Watch, further strengthening its role as a benchmark for OIC member countries.
The department confirmed that Malaysia and the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries renewed their memorandum of understanding first signed in 2020.
This renewal occurred during the fifty-first session of the United Nations Statistical Commission in New York.
The renewed MoU reaffirms the strong partnership in capacity-building through the StatCaB Programme, where Malaysia both contributes significantly and benefits from regional exchanges.
Mohd Uzir stated that the gathering demonstrated the strength of the shared vision of OIC member countries.
He emphasised that the event underscored the importance of cooperation, unity and capacity development to meet global demands for reliable, timely and comparable data.
He added that the renewal of the MoU reflects a continued commitment to strengthening collaboration and ensuring that no member country is left behind in this era of rapid transformation. – Bernama
