WHAT
Accelerating South-South Cooperation to unlock the value of data for development
WHERE
Online
WHEN
Wednesday, October 20th from 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM UCT / 7:00 - 8:30 AM EST
About the Event
Description
The global landscape of development cooperation has changed drastically in recent years. The era of one-way, North-South cooperation, although persistent, has become outdated. Countries of the South engage in collaborative learning to share innovative, adaptable, and cost-efficient solutions to address their development challenges. These innovations are informed by their deep, shared understandings of the data-development nexus.
South-South Cooperation (SSC) is critical to fuel technological innovation to advance the Data for Development (D4D) agenda and progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. However, it is broadly acknowledged that SSC modalities for harnessing innovations in data for development remain under-developed. To overcome this deficit, there is a need for more documentation, discussion, and diffusion of lessons learned to spur fruitful South-South and Triangular data collaborations.
The Thematic Research Experts Network for Data and Statistics (SDSN/TReNDS), established in 2015, is global in reach with an objective to leverage knowledge from both the Global North and South to put innovative data sources to work for development. TReNDs expert members are engaged in unlocking the value of new data sources for the world’s most pressing issues: Climate Change, Disaster Risk Reduction, Public Health, Agriculture and more. These members sit at the heart of supra-national processes that reflect the growing contributions of the Global South to cutting edge research and customizing innovations to local circumstances for maximum impact.
TReNDS facilitates linkages between experts across a wide range of academic, private sector, and civil society institutions. Selected publications that demonstrate TReNDS work product include: Counting on the World (2017) andCounting on the World to Act: A Roadmap for Governments to Achieve Modern Data Systems for Sustainable Development (2019). An example of TReNDS support of SSC for innovations in development data can be found at: https://cepei.org/en/initiative/data-for-now-2/ where CEPEI – a Colombia-based global think tank collaborated with the National Statistical Offices of Columbia and Paraguay.
TReNDS resides within the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). Established in 2012, SDSN was set up under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General. SDSN mobilizes global scientific and technological expertise to promote practical solutions for sustainable development, including the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement. SDSN works closely with United Nations agencies, multilateral financing institutions, the private sector, and civil society.
This session would draw from TReNDS members’ direct experience in South-South and Triangular Cooperation processes with the aim of distilling lessons learned and sparking a broader conversation with SciDataCon participants about accelerating more fruitful data collaborations. Specifically, session speakers and participants will take stock of progress to date in elevating contributions of the Global South in data for development, identify key blockers and opportunities to South-South Cooperation, and pinpoint areas in which Triangular Cooperation can help maximize data’s value in development.
We propose to structure this session in two-parts. During the first segment (50 minutes), 5 TReNDs members will share reflections on their experiences in various North-South and South-South data collaboration processes in a lightning talk format. The second segment (20 minutes) would be an interactive panel discussion of how experiences across specific thematic areas can be shared for mutual benefit as well as discuss what global actions are necessary to accelerate the transformation to mature South-South collaboration models. The remaining 20 would be devoted to a structured Q&A session, with an objective to continue this exchange with interested SciDataCon participants.
Proposed speakers for the first part of the session would draw from the TReNDs network with an emphasis on diverse geographic, sectoral, and organizational backgrounds. The panel discussion would be a mix of TReNDS members along with their connections to key policy makers in the Global South.
The session will also provide an opportunity to engage with other members of the D4D community concerned with data capacitation and capacity-building in the Global South.
Prospective list of Speakers for Lightning Talks and Panelists (these and more to be confirmed)
Grant Cameron, Director of SDSN/TReNDS.
Virginia Murray, Global Disaster Risk Reduction for Public Health, England.
Tom Moultrie, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Philipp Schonrock, President Centro de Pensamiento Estrategico Internacional (Cepei).
Sabina Alkire, Director, Oxford Poverty and Human Development Institute.
Ibrahima Kampo, Manager of SDSN Sahel, Universite Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal.