Malaysia To Host World Statistical Science Congress In 2019

PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia), Oct 20 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has been selected to host the world's premier statistical science congress, 62nd World Statistics Congress of the International Statistical Institute in 2019, that is expected to gather some 3,000 statistical science experts worldwide. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Wahid Omar the success in bidding to host the congress, which is held in Malaysia for the first time, was a recognition by the international community to the Statistics Department. He said Malaysia through the Statistics Department was also picked as the pioneering country for the Development Account on Green Economy/Green Growth Indicators project by the United Nations (UN) Statistics Division for the 2014-2015 period. "Statistics that measure green economy is an important new necessity as this sector becomes the new economic paradigm in an economic development that is sustainable, inclusive and balanced," he said when launching the World Statistics Day celebration here, Tuesday. Abdul Wahid said statistics are now no longer a subject that is exclusive and only understood by statisticians but has become a tool to assist the community to plan and make decisions based on facts in efforts to improve the living standard. "Quality official statistics release can help policymakers make decisions based on proofs and facts that are accurate. "Strong policies will drive a balanced national development, and subsequently shape a more propserous life for the people," he said. Among the activities organised for the World Statistics Day celebration on Tuesday were Statistics Talk discussion programme involving four panellists -- Telekom Malaysia Bhd chairman Dr Sulaiman Mahbob, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (National University of Malaysia) vice-chancellor Dr Noor Azlan Ghazali, Malaysian National News Agency editor-in-chief Zakaria Abd Wahab, and Department of Statistics Malaysia senior director Nazaria Baharudin. The UN General Assembly has declared Oct 20 as World Statistics Day which is celebrated once every five years. The World Statistics Day was celebrated for the first time in 2010. This year, the theme for the celebration is 'Better Data. Better Lives.' --BERNAMA