Professor Paul Cheung is a Professor (Practice) at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. He returned to Singapore in January 2013 after serving for 9 years as the Director of the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York (2004-2012). Since 1 April 2020, he serves as the Director of the Asia Competitiveness Institute (ACI).

At the UN, he facilitated the development of the global statistical system. He supervised a programme of work that included the development of international statistical standards, the dissemination of global statistical data, the provision of technical advice to member states in the development of national statistical systems, and the coordination of international statistical activities.  He initiated in 2011 an inter-governmental platform to address issues on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM). This global multilateral mechanism explores all issues on global geospatial information and conducts a series of high level meetings every year.

Prior to his appointment at the UN, Professor Cheung served as Chief Statistician of the Government of Singapore (1991-2004) and facilitated the transformation of  Singapore’s national statistical system. He was also the Director of Population Planning Unit (1987-1994) responsible for formulating Singapore’s new population policy.

Professor Cheung was an advisor to many Asian countries and did significant research and advisory work in China, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Cambodia, Laos, Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan. He served as the principal adviser to Oman to help draft their Vision 2040. He was adviser to Abu Dhabi Statistical systems. He is currently a member of National Advisory Committee of Statistical Experts advising the National Bureau of Statistics, China.  He also serves on the Experts Committee of Big Data Research Center which is jointly managed by National Bureau of Statistics and Guizhou University of Finance and Economics. He was formerly chairmen of ESCAP’s Statistics Committee and the United Nations Statistics Institute of Asia and Pacific UN-SIAP). He was an adviser to the Statistical Office of Gulf Cooperation Council. He was the past President of the International Association of Official Statistics, and the past Chairman of International Steering Committee on Global Mapping.

He has received many national and professional awards for his work around the world. He was awarded, among others, the Public Administration Medal (Gold) by Government of Singapore in 2001, the state medal ‘Royal Order of Sahametrei (Grand Officer) by the government of Cambodia (2012), the Honorary Doctorate Degree (Doctor Honoris Causa) by the National University of Mongolia (2008), and the Von Neumann-Spallart Medal, by the International Statistical Institute (1999).