Relevance to Theme: The sub-theme provides a multi-stakeholders prospect to continue this discussion, bringing the regional, sub-regional stakeholders together towards finding solutions to address these critical challenges, engaging the existing and emerging opportunities for addressing regional gap, while stirring the region towards marshaling a stakeholders’ intervention for a sustainable action within the framework of the overarching theme of this year forum.
Key Areas of Concern:
This workshop will present the situation of data production systems and management at the regional, sub-regional and National levels and presents ideas about opportunities and approaches to filling data gaps.
The session will be organized around three core issues, each of which have a number of objectives:
1. Addressing data gaps
• Present baseline situation for sub-regional capacity to produce SDG indicators and highlight data gaps
• Discuss opportunities to strengthen census and survey regimes
• Discuss opportunities to further develop the “administrative data systems” at national levels in particular
• Present possibilities for using new data/ technology to address identified data gaps, including uses of artificial intelligence,
big data analysis, etc.
• To determine how alignment with national and regional agendas will impact data collection and indicator production and
reporting, to improve statistical reports for both International organizations, and those entities in the business sector that
rely on such reports.
2. Encouraging data use
• Have an open dialogue with key gatherers and suppliers of data information and experienced policy decision makers on how
improved data/ statistics can better meet their needs and inform improved policy initiatives
• Identify ways to harness the opportunity of the momentum around data for the SDGs to strengthen the sharing, accessibility and
presentation of data
• To raise the profile of data production and use with key stakeholders such as policy-makers and the media to encourage improved
evidence-based decision-making.
3. Strengthening the Data Ecosystem
• To solidify the multi-stakeholder approach to achieving and measuring the SDGs, and create new data communities.
• To identify and discuss solutions to major funding/capacity gaps created by increased demand to ensure sustainability.
• Provide an opportunity for country-to-country learning in the SDG indicator production process.
• Ensure high-level political buy in for the Roadmap process
• Capacity building at the institutional and community levels.
Relevance to Internet Governance: In recent times both at regional, sub-regional, national and global levels, extensive discussions and dialogues are happening at all levels of engagement and development to harmonies data production system in the developing countries. The key objective of this data governance programs was to best understand the relevance of data and data roadmap processes using a whole of multi-stakeholder approach to harness the data revolution for sustainable development in the developing countries. This process is defined based on regional, sub-regional and national priorities, in line with national development policies to bring together key stakeholders across sectors, to address the key issues, challenges and opportunities in regards to the SDGs that supports defining a path forward. The monitoring requirements of the national, regional, sub-regional and global development agenda place considerably increased demand on the national statistical systems (NSS) to provide a wide range of data many of which are not readily available. Significant amount of discussion is required to heighten the appreciation of the data producing institutions of the need to generate the requisite information and undertake the necessary programmes to bridge the data gaps within the sub-region.
Three of the key proposed frameworks that will dominated the discussions include:
1. Data producers will be clear about their responsibilities with regard to data production for the SDGs in the short, medium and long-term. The objective is also to engage with non-state actors in this regard as part of a broader ecosystem for data.
2. Data users will be facilitated in finding information and will have fora where they can also interact with the data producer community.
3. National Statistical System (NSS) will have a clearer picture of resource availability for its activities and ways to manage coordination.
Apart from key thematic data gaps in the developing countries, there are a number of issues that must be addressed across all areas in order to produce the type of quality, nuanced, and timely data required by the SDGs.
The cross-cutting issue of data disaggregation Underpinned by the commitment to Leave No One Behind, the Inter Agency Expert Group on the Sustainable Development Goals has stated that “indicators should be disaggregated, where relevant, by income, sex, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, and geographic location, or other characteristics, in accordance with the Fundamental Principles of Statistics”.