Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals requires more and
better data than is available today. Development data are necessary to set
targets, measure progress and implement development goals so that everyone,
everywhere, can benefit from a better future. The current data gaps we face are
significant – no data are available for about two-thirds of the total SDG
indicators, stalling progress. These gaps are most severe in the poorest and
most fragile countries, where governments lack the resources to build strong
statistical systems. Without up-to-date and reliable data, many vulnerable
groups and critical policy issues risk going unnoticed or unaddressed, making
the realisation of Agenda 2030 a challenge. At the dawn of the ‘decade of
action’, more attention is being given to the essential role of data for
effective development, as seen in the OECD’s 2017 Development Co-operation
Report, the World Bank’s upcoming World Development Report on data, and the
launch of international initiatives like the Bern Network on Financing Data for
Development in 2019. As we move towards the 3rd UN World Data Forum 2020 in
Bern, Switzerland, we have the opportunity to do even more. This breakfast
meeting will explore what it means, and what can be done, to get to more and
better development data for the SDGs by looking at: – Evolutions in the data
ecosystem spurred by technology and innovation;
– New capacity development needs for national statistical systems;
– Need to improve resourcing of data and statistics by increasing both the
quantity and quality of existing funding, with examples of recent developments;
and
– Importance of establishing robust data governance to foster trust as we move
to more data.
This is an open event but registration is mandatory. To RSVP, please e-mail
Jurei Yada (jurei.yada@oecd.org) and copy in Audrey Poupon
(audrey.poupon@oecd.org) by 25 February.