by
Dr. Ola Awad, Shaida Badiee and Haitham Zidan
04 April 2023
The Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) recognizes the many benefits of open data.
Open data not only increases the performance and transparency of public sector organizations, it is also a driver for economic growth.
Open data can contribute to the development of innovative services and the creation of new business models.
Open data is important for measuring and monitoring progress toward gender equality and for achieving it. In PCBS we are providing comprehensive databases on the reality of women and men in Palestine in various fields through the implementation of surveys, censuses, and studies, and through data derived from the administrative records of public and private institutions.
Open data is a central part of our strategy for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is a critical part of the effective allocation of resources to solve international development challenges.
Palestine is a leader in open data in the Western Asia and the Middle East Region and is one of top 20 performing countries around the world. Since 2018 Palestine’s open data scores have risen to the top tier in Western Asia and in the world, through the work of the open data team, which is one of the working groups at PCBS that carried out the mission of periodic follow-up with statistical directorates to bridge gaps and provide data and indicators according to the recommendations of the Open Data Watch (ODW) in the Open Data Inventory (ODIN) reports.
Our partnership with ODW over the years and the guidance provided through the ODIN assessments has helped PCBS identify and apply principles of openness and coverage to all data and indicators.
We will periodically follow up and review the ODIN reports and collaborate with our national and international partners to implement recommendations, fill gaps, and address weaknesses to maintain and improve Palestine’s the quality and openness of Palestine’s statistics.
