KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) today renewed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance statistical capacity, strengthen sustainable development, and promote inclusive growth for member nations of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
In a statement, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said the renewed MoU also embodies a shared commitment to expand knowledge sharing and ensure that the statistical systems of OIC member states can produce high-quality economic, social, and environmental data, crucial for supporting evidence-based policymaking, sustainable development and inclusive growth.
“Today marks a significant milestone in the close and ongoing cooperation between Malaysia and SESRIC, reaffirming our shared vision to strengthen statistical capabilities and enhance regional collaboration under the OIC framework,” the statement read.
The MoU was renewed during the 14th Session of the OIC Statistical Commission (OIC-StatCom), held from Oct 1 to 3, 2025, in Ankara, Türkiye. It was signed by Malaysia’s chief statistician, Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin, and SESRIC’s director general, Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk.
In the same statement, Mohd Uzir emphasised that the MoU demonstrates Malaysia’s firm commitment to improving the quality, accessibility, and use of official statistics as a key driver for informed policy formulation, accountability and sustainable development.
"We have achieved significant progress in capacity building and statistical innovation through our collaboration with SESRIC, which we will continue to strengthen.
"Our focus remains on emerging challenges, including digital transformation, big data integration, and Sustainable Development Goals, to ensure our communities remain resilient and evidence-based," he said.
Meanwhile, Zehra Zümrüt acknowledged Malaysia's leadership and emphasised that this cooperation will empower statisticians, data scientists and policymakers across member nations.
She affirmed that Malaysia and SESRIC are committed to advancing statistical systems that meet the demands of the digital era, enhance regional integration and support the global development agenda.
Since its initial signing in 2020, the MoU has served as a crucial foundation for enhancing cooperation toward a modern, competitive, and inclusive statistical system, thereby supporting both regional and global development aspirations.
"During this period, DOSM has played an active role in strengthening statistical capacity, including by delivering 29 training programmes and technical sharing sessions.
"These joint initiatives have also contributed to advancements in statistical methodology and the adoption of innovative data collection tools among member countries," she said.
According to DOSM, Malaysia has for the first time achieved an exceptional milestone by ranking first globally in the biennial Open Data Inventory (ODIN) 2024/25 report issued by Open Data Watch, outperforming 198 other countries.
"This achievement marks a significant leap from its 67th position in the ODIN 2022/23 assessment," the statement added.
The Government of Malaysia has declared Oct 20 as National Statistics Day (MyStats Day), themed “Statistics are the Essence of Life”, while the 4th World Statistics Day will be celebrated on the same day under the theme “Driving Change with Quality Statistics and Data for Everyone”.
OpenDOSM NextGen is a platform providing data catalogues and visualisations to facilitate user analysis, accessible via https://open.dosm.gov.my.
--BERNAMA
