Page 102 - 60 Years Generating National Statistics

UNITED NATION STATISTICS DIVISION

It gives me great pleasure, on behalf of the United Nations, to convey our warmest
congratulations on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the
Department of Statistics of Malaysia. On this day, we celebrate the achievements
that the Department has made over the past six decades. We fully recognize the
hard work of the staff of the Department, under the leadership of the Chief Statistician
Malaysia, in building a national statistical system of distinction and quality. We now
look forward to the future with confidence that Malaysia’s national statistical system
will grow from strength to strength, continuing its vital role in contributing to the country’s
economic and social development.

In 2007, the United Nations Statistical Commission, the apex entity of the global
statistical system, celebrated its 60th anniversary. In ways similar to many country
experiences, the global statistical system under the leadership of the Statistical
Commission has matured over time. There is now consensus on the need for greater
international cooperation in measuring global phenomena and reaching common
global statistical standards for greater comparability. Strengthening statistical capacity
around the world has become a widely recognized imperative for the global system.

We have witnessed in the past decades a trend towards the globalization of
economic and social activities. Associated with this process is rising global demand
for official statistics at national, regional, and global level. As evidence by the current
economic crisis and the debates on climate change, the global economy and
development challenges do not recognize borders and are common concerns for
all. Governments, the private sector, researchers and the public at large demand
comparable and reliable data not only for their own country, but also for other
countries and for regional and global aggregates.
Our response to the challenge of the globalization of the demand for official statistics
is to strengthen the global statistical system and to improve its response to user
demands. The key elements of the system are the national statistical systems and the
international agencies. These elements are linked with each other in a complex network
of bilateral and multilateral data exchanges and cooperation. Despite all the cultural
and political differences and the amazing variety of backgrounds, one of the
cornerstones of the global statistical system is a strong sense of community, which is
based on shared professional ethics and common methodology. This professional
vision has been enshrined in the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, which
were adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission in 1994.

Over the past decades, the Department of Statistics of Malaysia has played a
leadership role in regional statistical development and actively contributed to global
statistical activities. I hope this forward looking vision will continue to bring about
achievements in building a sound and effective national statistical system and in
facilitating the development of the global statistical system. I wish you success in
your future endeavour.

Paul Cheung
Director
United Nations Statistics Division
Department of Economic and Social Affairs

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