PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia has been re-elected as a member of the Governing Council of the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (GC SIAP) for the 2025-2027 term.
The election occurred during the 81st session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), which was held in Bangkok and comprises 53 countries from the Asia-Pacific region.
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said this re-election marks Malaysia's second consecutive term on the Governing Council, following its tenure from 2023 to 2025.
He said Malaysia received support and votes from member countries across Asia and the Pacific region.
"Malaysia's re-election to the SIAP Governing Council reflects the international community's continued recognition of and confidence in the country's commitment and significant contributions to strengthening the statistical ecosystem at both regional and global levels, particularly through the leadership of the Statistics Department," he said.
Alongside Malaysia, seven other countries—China, India, Mongolia, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Pakistan—secured a majority of votes to fill the eight contested seats.
"Malaysia is committed to continuing close cooperation with all council members in strengthening inclusive and sustainable statistical development, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), enhancing data governance and expanding strategic international collaboration through various SIAP initiatives," Mohd Uzir said.
SIAP was established in 1970 and was later recognised as a regional institution under the auspices of ESCAP in 1995.
Based in Chiba, Japan, SIAP serves as a professional statistical training centre for government officials from developing countries, focusing on strengthening human resource capacity-building through the
provision of technical and practical training throughout Asia and the Pacific. – Bernama
