The Data Revolution for Sustainable Development Side Event at World Bank & IMF Spring Meetings

Written by SDSN Staff

On April 17, 2015, SDSN, The World Bank, and UN Foundation will host a high-level side event during the World Bank & IMF Spring Meetings, entitled “The Data Revolution for Sustainable Development.”

The data revolution is well underway. Discussions on the post-2015 development agenda present an opportunity to mobilize the data revolution for sustainable development and to ensure we have the data we need to implement and monitor the new goals. Currently, governments and other stakeholders face a range of data-related challenges including limited capacity, skewed incentives, and uneven access to technology. The Financing for Development Conference in Addis Ababa can help drive concrete strategies to realize this opportunity.

This high-level event, with presentations from Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Ambassador Elizabeth Cousens and Mahmoud Moheildin, attempts to build support for financing the data revolution and to seed concrete ideas on how to make real advancements for development data that can be taken forward in Addis Ababa and beyond. SDSN will present key findings from a recent study Data for Development: A Needs Assessment for SDG Monitoring and Statistical Capacity Development looking at the scale of investment to support SDG monitoring commitments and to move towards a culture of systematic data collection across governments. The World Bank, UN Foundation, Open Data Watch and other expert participants will share ideas on mechanisms that could help drive international investment in data and monitoring systems and to build capacity in low-income countries.

For more information on this event please contact Jessica Espey, Program Leader, Monitoring and Accountability for Sustainable Development.

Originally published at UNSDSN.org on April 16, 2015.