KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 ― Malaysia is doing well in the development of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators with 52 per cent available indicators in 2019 compared with 41 per cent in 2018, according to Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

Chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said as the focal point in the development of national SDG indicators, DOSM will continue to support SDGs by producing more granular and timely statistics in order to achieve the 2030 global agenda.

He said this during United Nations World Data Forum 2021 (UNWDF 2021) as a panellist with the topic "Developing National SDG Indicators ― What Is The Data Situation For Leaving No One Behind.”

UNWDF 2021 was hosted by the Swiss Confederation from October 3-6, 2021 in Bern, Switzerland. The event is held once in two years.

The event brought together data and statistical experts and users from governments, civil society, the private sector, international and regional agencies, academia and professional bodies to discuss opportunities and challenges as well as to showcase the latest innovations to improve data and statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

A total of 7,626 participants registered online to spur data innovation and cultivate collective efforts on data to leave no one behind, of which 668 were present in Bern while 230 DOSM statisticians benefited by attending the forum remotely.

In the event, DOSM also organised a session with the topic titled "Re-strategising Labour Market Data Collection, Analysis and Dissemination in Times of Crisis (Understanding the world through data)” that aims to gain insights on responses and reactions of national statistics offices and systems.

At the end of the session, the host country released a statement saying that the "Bern Data Compact for the Decade of Action on the Sustainable Development Goals calls on the international community and national governments to ensure that all communities work together in the data ecosystem to secure many aspects related to the 2030 Agenda.”

The next UNWDF will be hosted by China in 2023 and Colombia in 2025. ― Bernama