Blog by Caya Johnson, MY World Global Youth Advocate
“Data are the lifeblood of decision-making and the raw material for accountability.
Without high-quality data providing the right information on the right things at the right
time; designing, monitoring and evaluating effective policies becomes almost impossible.”
– A World that Counts – Mobilising the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development a report by the IEAG on the Data Revolution, November 2014
In the period leading up to the adoption on the 2015 global sustainable development agenda, a revolution has been emerging at the UN – a data revolution for sustainable development.
In their report published in May 2013, the High Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda called for a Data Revolution for Sustainable Development to improve the quality of information for both people and governments, for purposes including a higher standard of accountability and decision-making. The High Level Panel stressed the need for disaggregated data, specifically by gender, income, disability and other categories in order to ensure inclusivity underpins the post 2015 agenda.
In August 2014, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon appointed an Independent Expert Advisory Group on the Data Revolution tasked with providing expert recommendations on how data can be used to maximum effect in the development work of the UN.
Last Thursday the group launched their report entitled A World that Counts – Mobilising the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development. The report specifically recommends a global consensus on principles and standards, the sharing of technology and innovation for the common good, the dedication of new resources for data capacity development, the establishment of a UN-led Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, and the establishment of a ‘SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) Data Lab’.
The report also features the MY World Survey as an important advance in the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development– the survey has provided decision makers at the UN with disaggregated data on the priorities of people around the world. This open-source data platform has allowed for people’s voices to contribute to the informed decision-making process surrounding the new sustainable development agenda.
MY World 2015 Disaggregated Data
