25 SEPTEMBER, NEW YORK—This year’s historic UN General Assembly is marking the 75th anniversary of the UN and five years since the UN’s 193 Member States agreed the Global Goals. The week includes Global Goals Day on September 25, which this year has the theme of ‘Factivism’ drawing attention to the state of the Goals’ progress and the actions needed from everyone to deliver the Goals by 2030. 

One group of committed factivists are the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, a network of more than 260 partners committed to using data to improve lives and support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The network is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a global town hall event, where it will launch A Global Movement for Better Data & Better Lives  (Five years of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, 2015–2020).

United Nations Deputy-Secretary General Amina J. Mohammed is the Honorary Chair of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data’s Board of Directors. In the report, she describes the world’s growing awareness of the significance of good data: “Since its inception, the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data has tackled many pressing issues, but the COVID-19 pandemic is our greatest challenge yet. The availability of data has never before been so clearly linked to the fate of the world and its people. Strong data systems, or the lack thereof, will make or break economies, guiding billions of decisions, big and small at this crossroads in our history.” 

The report sets out how partners from the private sector, civil society, academia, and government are coming together to respond to common challenges that can be addressed by leveraging data and technology in a thoughtful and inclusive way. A suite of data visualizations and maps illustrate the many collaborations taking place, with over 70 partnerships brokered in 27 countries.

One example is in response to the global pandemic, where the Global Partnership is working with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) to help countries communicate COVID-19 data and trends, and use data for critical decision making. The group is currently engaging 40 countries across Africa, with a roster of 30 technical partners who will work with those countries, bringing different skills and assets to bear, and have already developed or strengthened partnerships in 21 countries.

Claire Melamed, Chief Executive Officer adds: “2020 doesn’t look like the world we want — crises of climate change, inequality, and the COVID-19 pandemic are not yet being met with commensurate action. But collaboration remains essential, and networks like the Global Partnership, which foster new relationships across national, sectoral, and institutional borders, are even more critical as global institutions struggle to overcome the barriers put in their way. Together we can use data responsibly, to realize a more inclusive and equitable world.”

NOTES FOR EDITORS

ABOUT THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT DATA
The Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data is a global network including governments, businesses, and civil society organizations working around the world to harness the data revolution for sustainable development. Since it was created in 2015, the Global Partnership has elevated data issues at a political level, launched a multi-million-dollar Collaborative Data Innovations for Sustainable Development funding initiative, and supported the advancement of country-led Data Roadmaps for Sustainable Development. Learn more at http://www.data4sdgs.org