UN World Data Forum meets at ‘critical time’ with COVID battle ongoing

The forum, which takes spot from 3-6 October successful Bern, Switzerland, comes astatine “a captious clip arsenic the satellite is inactive dealing with the pandemic,” Stefan Schweinfest, Director of the United Nations Statistics Division said.

“Disaggregated information is needed to incorporate the illness and for citizens to recognize the satellite astir them and usher their actions” helium added.

‘Huge gaps’

According to Mr. Schweinfest, “we are inactive faced with immense information gaps. 40 per cent of countries person nary commencement oregon decease registration strategy - a basal root for governments to support their population.

A twelvemonth into the pandemic, lone 60 countries had information connected COVID-19 infections and decease rates that could beryllium disaggregated connected sex and sex,” helium said. “Now is the clip to fortify our commitment.

There’s an urgent request to marque information smarter and utilise emerging innovations to summation the magnitude and amended the prime of data”.

Better information for a amended future

The  UN World Data Forum volition bring unneurotic hundreds of information experts, users and producers moving connected caller information solutions to enactment the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Forum volition culminate with the adoption of the Bern Data Compact for a Decade of Action connected the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Compact volition telephone connected the assemblage to nutrient information that permission nary 1 behind, to guarantee timely, unfastened and impartial information and to physique spot successful information protection.

It besides aims to fortify the practice betwixt assorted information communities astatine the section and planetary levels to execute the SDGs done data.

Every 2 years, the Forum puts a spotlight connected innovations and information gaps, showcasing advancement successful the implementation of the information gyration and the Cape Town Global Action Plan for Sustainable Development Data.

‘Leaving nary 1 behind’

Mr Schweinfest said that the Forum is organized around six main thematic areas, which include: “leaving nary 1 behind, knowing the satellite done data, gathering spot successful information and statistics, expanding concern to heighten information postulation and addressing gaps that exist”.

He emphasized that this tin beryllium done by moving “as 1 assemblage to foster innovative practices and seizure the presumption and the needs of each people, by presenting information successful a timely manner, portion preserving privateness rights and maintaining transparency”. 

While acknowledging that it would beryllium hard for governments to unfastened up and widen their information ecosystems,  Mr. Schweinfest said the situation is to person much information with “quality assurances,” adding that the Forum is simply a abstraction for the assemblage to collaborate connected caller initiatives to proceed aft 6 October