Kuala lumpur: The 15th ASEAN Community Statistical System Meeting (ACSS15) serves as an important platform to strengthen strategic dialogue between statisticians and policymakers, said Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin. Speaking at the ACSS15 Open Session, he highlighted the forum’s role in enabling ASEAN member states to reflect on collective progress, exchange insights, and align efforts with ASEAN’s broader development agenda, including the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the Post-2025 Strategic Plan.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the ACSS has evolved into a dynamic engine of regional collaboration in recent years. Partnerships with ASEAN sectoral bodies, international organizations, and development partners have been strengthened to enhance statistical quality, foster innovation, and improve interoperability. These collaborations have resulted in more efficient data exchange, harmonized methodologies, and coordinated capacity-building efforts across member states.
The five-day program, themed ‘Advancing ASEAN Through Inclusive Data and Innovation’, was launched by Deputy Economy Minister Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib. Also present was Dr Ahmad Zafarullah Abdul Jalil, Director of the ASEAN Integration Monitoring Directorate, ASEAN Statistics Division (ASEANStats), ASEAN Secretariat.
Mohd Uzir highlighted joint initiatives such as the ASEAN-Help-ASEAN Framework and training programs under the ASEAN Statistics Virtual Academy (ASVA) as clear demonstrations of the region’s commitment to narrowing statistical development gaps. By pooling their expertise and resources, member states can progress together towards a more harmonized and capable statistical system.
He noted that this year’s theme reflects ASEAN’s shared aspiration to build a future-ready statistical ecosystem, one that embraces digital transformation, promotes inclusivity, and strengthens regional solidarity. “The ACSS15 provides an important platform to chart our collective direction as we move towards a data-driven, inclusive, and resilient ASEAN Community,” he said.
The ACSS15 agenda focuses on reviewing outcomes from recent ASEAN Summits and Ministerial Meetings, adopting the ACSS Action Plan 2026-2030, monitoring and evaluating key performance indicators, and updating the Annual Work Programmes for 2026 and 2027. Mohd Uzir emphasized that country presentations, reports from working groups, and engagement with global statistical initiatives would highlight progress in data harmonization, capacity-building, and integration of emerging data sources such as big data and geospatial analytics.
“These discussions and initiatives ensure that ASEAN statistics remain timely, comparable, and impactful in supporting evidence-based policymaking across the region,” he said.