On 8 April, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) elected members to its subsidiary bodies. Malta was elected by acclamation to the United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC) for the 2027–2031 term, alongside Belgium, which filled the second seat allocated to the Western Europe and Others Group (WEOG).

These elections took place within the context of the UNSC’s expansion, following a 2024 ECOSOC resolution that will increase the Commission’s membership from 24 to 54 by 2028. The current session added 10 new seats, including two for WEOG. Members serve four-year terms and are typically represented by their chief statisticians.

Established in 1946, the UNSC is the highest decision-making body of the global statistical system. It sets international statistical standards, develops methodologies, coordinates statistical work across the UN system, and oversees the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). The Commission meets annually in March.

The UNSC operates under the auspices of ECOSOC, one of the United Nations’ six principal organs. ECOSOC is responsible for coordinating the organisation’s economic, social, environmental, and related work, and serves as the main forum for policy dialogue and international cooperation. Through its network of functional commissions and expert bodies, ECOSOC supports member states and advances the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Current WEOG members of the UNSC include Austria, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

On 13^th April, Dr Carl Camilleri, Chairman of the Malta Statistics Authority, was an honoured guest at the Data Smackdown Competition Awards Ceremony. This was the second edition of this nationwide statistical competition, organised by the National Statistics Office.

In his ceremonial speech at the University of Malta campus in Valletta, he presented Data Smackdown as both a competition and a broader initiative to promote statistical literacy and the effective use of data. He emphasised that understanding and communicating statistics helps people move beyond headlines, question assumptions, and make informed decisions about social, economic, and global issues such as employment, health, migration, and living standards.

The Chairman highlighted the importance of building a society that can engage confidently with data, particularly in an era of misinformation. Data Smackdown was also presented as a way to make STEM and statistics engaging and practical, showing participants—especially younger ones—that data is a powerful tool for storytelling, insight, and real-world problem-solving, not just theory.

The speech underlined the Malta Statistics Authority’s ongoing commitment to data engagement through education, collaboration, and outreach beyond this single event. It also reflected on the expanding role of statisticians across government, industry, and research, and the opportunities this creates for innovation in official statistics, data quality, modern data sources, and clear communication.

He concluded by thanking the participants and organisers, and by encouraging the continued responsible use of data for the public good, strengthening trust in evidence and informed public debate.

Following a comprehensive evaluation by the jurors, the winners of this year’s Data Smackdown competition have been announced, with teams assessed on presentation quality, depth of analysis, and the strength of their conclusions:

Category A: Post-secondary — 1^st place: G.F. Abela Junior College; 2^nd place: St Aloysius College; 3^rd place: St Aloysius College.

Category B: Secondary — 1^st place: St Aloysius College; 2^nd place: St Monica College; 3^rd place: St Joseph School.

Friday 13 February 2026

The Malta Statistics Authority and the Union Ħaddiema Maqgħudin (UĦM – Voice of the Workers) have signed a new collective agreement for managerial grades, which will remain in force until 2028.

Managerial employees at the National Statistics Office will benefit from enhanced employment conditions under this agreement. It also paves the way for the introduction of modern work processes aligned with the demands and opportunities of today’s technological environment.

The MSA Board expressed satisfaction with the constructive and participatory discussions held among all parties. This positive outcome was made possible through the goodwill and collaboration of several contributors, particularly the Industrial Relations Unit (OPM), which acted as the lead negotiator, Mr Etienne Caruana, Director General (NSO), the employees’ union (UĦM),