2020 took off in full force at Open Data Watch, with continued preparations for our two-day conference, ConVERGE: Connecting Vital Events Registration and Gender Equality, hosted at the International Development Research Centre with the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) in Ottawa, Canada on the 25th and 26th of February, 2020.
In January, Open Data Watch traveled to Paris to attend the PARIS21 conference, New Approaches to Capacity Development for Better Data: How to Scale Up Innovation. To end the month, Open Data Watch participated in the Data as a Development Issue event to address how data can be used to stimulate development and types of data governance at the George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs.
Below is a list of additional sustainable development data articles and reports published in January. If there is something else to add, please contact us.
January
Open Data Watch – Our Story in 2019 (January)
Open Data Watch recaps their partnerships and initiatives from 2019 such as the Access to Microdata project, which explores ways to increase microdata access and data usability while ensuring privacy and security concerns are addressed, and new gender data projects with Data2x. (source)
Guidelines for Developing Statistical Capacity (January)
PARIS21 releases guidelines that introduce an innovative approach to statistical capacity development. They explain that these guidelines bring together new data stakeholders and promote a holistic view of statistical capacity that builds a sustainable and solid foundation for long-term national development and good governance. (source)
Addressing the data gap in Africa to ensure progress towards achieving Agendas 2063 & 2030 (1/2)
Claire Melamed, the CEO of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, authors a piece for the Mo Ibrahim Foundation explaining why the dearth of data is a global justice issue. She continues by saying that steps to close data gaps in Africa need to be applauded but stronger advocacy for reliable data is needed. (source)
Plans Outlined for SDG Moment, Decade of Action (1/7)
Faye Leone authors a piece for the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) on the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, and the three specific needs she highlighted for the Decade of Action. Her three key points include harnessing effective communication strategies, raising ambition, and working on solutions that catalyze progress on more than one SDG at a time. (source)
When it comes to data for the SDGs, money, and agreement are still lacking (1/7)
Lisa Cornish discusses the lack of consensus among data custodians on the legal principles of data sharing around the world. She reviews the uncertainties SDG data through insights from a roundtable discussion hosted by SDSN TReNDS on how governments need to support and curate the data required to monitor the SDGs. (source)
SDSN TReNDS Roundtable: Governing the Data Revolution (1/7)
SDSN TReNDS hosts an exclusive roundtable moderated by TReNDS co-chair, Shaida Badiee, on the balance between traditional data methods and the potential for new data methods. They explain that while looking forward to more modern data methods, like big data, it is also imperative to ensure there is a strong governing body that promotes accountability and privacy. (source)
World Development Report 2021 – Data for Development (1/7)
The World Bank announces that the World Development Report (WDR) for 2021 will, for the first time, be on data for development. The World Bank highlights the importance of high-quality development data as a foundation for effective policy-making and transparent accountability. (source)
Report Highlights Identity Management Practices to Advance SDG Target 16.9 (1/7)
Anna Maria Lebada from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) reviews the Compendium of Good Practices in Linking Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) and Identity Management Systems which was launched at the Fifth Conference of African Ministers Responsible for Civil Registration. She notes that the compendium aims to provide awareness on the benefits of a holistic approach to CRVS. (source)
First drone and data academy opens in Africa to improve service delivery for children (1/13)
UNICEF announces the launch of the first African Drone and Data Academy (ADDA) opening in Malawi. They explain that this academy will promote the use of drones for humanitarian services and they also plan to offer a tuition-free two-year master’s degree program in drone technology. (source)
The future is intelligent: Harnessing the potential of artificial intelligence in Africa (1/13)
Youssef Travaly and Kevin Muvunyi from Brookings review Africa’s opportunity to leverage digital technology and the structural challenges that undermine the continent’s progress. They highlight Africa’s need to include and advertise more academic programs that enhance technical skills among adolescents. (source)
The Tobacco Control Data Initiative (TCDI): A New Partnership with African Policymakers to Utilize Data for Effective Tobacco Control (1/14)
Development Gateway announces a new program, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, that will use data to help improve access to trusted data on tobacco control and work with African policymakers to Identify and eliminate tobacco-related diseases and disparities. (source)
Figure of the week: Poverty and health care SDG projections in sub-Saharan Africa (1/15)
Dhruv Gandhi reviews five figures from, Foresight Africa, an annual report released by Africa’s Growth Initiative at Brookings. The figures project sub-Saharan Africa’s progress in key health indicators for the 2030 Agenda. (source)
IAEG Proposes 36 Major Changes to SDG Indicator Framework (1/16)
The UN Inter-Agency and Expert Group on the SDG Indicator announces proposed changes to the global indicator framework for the SDGs, which would add eight additional indicators and delete six indicators. (source)
Opinion: Advances in AI and satellites can help us meet the SDGs (1/16)
Devex reviews how new methods such as machine learning and artificial intelligence are paving the way for sustainable development. The article explores how AI and machine learning can be used to prevent health outbreaks such as Ebola and to detect land cover changes through Earth observation satellites. (source)
How Aid Groups Map Refugee Camps That Officially Don’t Exist (1/20)
Abby Sewell authors a piece for Wired, on the work of a Swiss NGO, Medair, which uses use clipboards, cell phones, and ESRI GIS software to locate informal settlements of Syrian refugees across Lebanon. She explains that this initiative is helping with aid distribution and responding to emergencies like floods and fires. (source)
CEO Claire Melamed’s Remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos (1/22)
Claire Melamed, the CEO of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, speaks at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. Her remarks discuss how governments can ensure that our data and technology contribute to the SDGs. (source)
The State of Open Humanitarian Data 2020 (1/22)
Sarah Telford from the Centre for Humanitarian data announces the release of a new report that raises awareness on the dearth of data on humanitarian operations. The report, The State of Open Humanitarian Data, uses data collected by their partners through the Humanitarian Data Exchange. (source)
New UN finance panel to push Global Goals forward (1/28)
Tijjani Muhammad-Bande and Mona Juul, the President of the UN Economic and Social Council, introduce a joint initiative to establish a high-level panel on financial accountability, transparency, and integrity, called FACTI. (source)
Kenya’s New Digital IDs May Exclude Millions of Minorities (1/28)
Abdi Latif Dahir authors a piece for The New York Times on the Government of Kenya’s new initiative to assign each citizen with a unique identification number. The number assigned will allow citizens to access their basic rights such as education, healthcare, and to register to vote. However, Abdi Latif Dahir explains the challenges and of such identity projects and the potential for digital discrimination. (source)
Here’s what’s keeping the government from using private sector data (1/29)
Jessica Espey, the Director of SDSN TReNDS and Senior Advisor to the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, discusses SDSN TReNDS’ research into why some public-private data sharing partnerships succeed and why some fail. She writes that the three main challenges to these partnerships are mismatched incentives, the policy environment, the legal framework of the incentive. (source)