Your Excellency Mr. Huang Shiyong, Vice Governor, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionMr. Zheng Jingping, Deputy CommissionerDistinguished Guests,Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my great pleasure to join you for the Global Preparatory Seminar for the United Nations World Data Forum here in Guilin. I thank the National Bureau of Statistics of China and the Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region for hosting this event. UN-DESA (United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs) has a long tradition of working together with the National Bureau of Statistics of China. We are extremely pleased to have this opportunity again, especially since it is in preparation for the first UN World Data Forum that will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, in mid-January next year.
Guided by the Statistical Commission and supported by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the High-level Group for Partnership, Coordination and Capacity-Building for Statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, will lead the organization of the Forum. This will be done in close consultation with other Member States and international partners.
The Statistical Commission has agreed to hold the UN World Data Forum every two years. This will offer a suitable platform to intensify cooperation across various communities:
Thus at this Global Preparatory Seminar, you are setting the stage. The next few days offer a valuable opportunity to highlight some important issues in data and statistics. Your discussions will contribute to the success of the Forum in January, and guide the collaborators in their pursuit of the best outcomes for the event.
The panels of this preparatory meeting will engage public and private measurement experts, information collectors, statistical producers, information system specialists, and users. Technical and methodological issues for the production and stewardship of data for the SDGs will be addressed.
This event also allows us to engage with civil society, business, and the scientific and academic communities. We will learn about the latest information innovations and their potential application to the production, use and communication of sustainable development data and statistics.
This Seminar and the upcoming World Data Forum arise at a crucial time for strengthening data and statistical capacity around the world. The new and integrated 17 Sustainable Development Goals will guide international development efforts and national policy making over the next 15 years. It is therefore essential to have accurate, reliable, timely and disaggregated data. And this requires a critical role of all communities represented in this room.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The 2030 Agenda poses enormous challenges for the global statistical community. It is imperative to modernize, improve capacity and cooperate at a truly global level.
In particular, National Statistical Offices (NSOs) have a key role to play. They constitute the core of national information systems. They are the institutions responsible for ensuring the production of reliable and high-quality statistics, in line with international standards, to ensure comparability across countries. But it will be essential to strengthen national statistical capacities so that these offices can become the new data hubs for national, regional and global monitoring. To make this happen, we will need all partners to join forces and work together.
By improving the way we collect and utilize data and information, we can ensure we are counting those that have been previously missed. We can invest resources and interventions to benefit the most vulnerable and often forgotten. We are all aware of the challenges this poses. But together, we have an opportunity to improve data disaggregation. We can collect data in ways that capitalize on technology, geographic-based innovations, and improve traditional data sources. This is the way to ensure no one is left behind.
The global efforts needed to improve data availability and utilization are not only a challenge, but a great opportunity for the global statistical community. There is much work that has already begun, but clearly much work still lies ahead.
I am certain that the UN World Data Forum will be a coveted opportunity to bring together partners in data, improve the way the data ecosystem operates and elevate the discourse in statistics and information. This is the way to address our most pressing development challenges and achieve the 2030 Agenda.
I am delighted that that journey begins here and I look forward to the discussions.
Thank you.
It is my great pleasure to join you for the Global Preparatory Seminar for the United Nations World Data Forum here in Guilin. I thank the National Bureau of Statistics of China and the Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region for hosting this event. UN-DESA (United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs) has a long tradition of working together with the National Bureau of Statistics of China. We are extremely pleased to have this opportunity again, especially since it is in preparation for the first UN World Data Forum that will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, in mid-January next year.
Guided by the Statistical Commission and supported by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the High-level Group for Partnership, Coordination and Capacity-Building for Statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, will lead the organization of the Forum. This will be done in close consultation with other Member States and international partners.
The Statistical Commission has agreed to hold the UN World Data Forum every two years. This will offer a suitable platform to intensify cooperation across various communities:
- information technology,
- geospatial information managers,
- data scientists and users, and
- civil society stakeholders.
Thus at this Global Preparatory Seminar, you are setting the stage. The next few days offer a valuable opportunity to highlight some important issues in data and statistics. Your discussions will contribute to the success of the Forum in January, and guide the collaborators in their pursuit of the best outcomes for the event.
The panels of this preparatory meeting will engage public and private measurement experts, information collectors, statistical producers, information system specialists, and users. Technical and methodological issues for the production and stewardship of data for the SDGs will be addressed.
This event also allows us to engage with civil society, business, and the scientific and academic communities. We will learn about the latest information innovations and their potential application to the production, use and communication of sustainable development data and statistics.
This Seminar and the upcoming World Data Forum arise at a crucial time for strengthening data and statistical capacity around the world. The new and integrated 17 Sustainable Development Goals will guide international development efforts and national policy making over the next 15 years. It is therefore essential to have accurate, reliable, timely and disaggregated data. And this requires a critical role of all communities represented in this room.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The 2030 Agenda poses enormous challenges for the global statistical community. It is imperative to modernize, improve capacity and cooperate at a truly global level.
In particular, National Statistical Offices (NSOs) have a key role to play. They constitute the core of national information systems. They are the institutions responsible for ensuring the production of reliable and high-quality statistics, in line with international standards, to ensure comparability across countries. But it will be essential to strengthen national statistical capacities so that these offices can become the new data hubs for national, regional and global monitoring. To make this happen, we will need all partners to join forces and work together.
By improving the way we collect and utilize data and information, we can ensure we are counting those that have been previously missed. We can invest resources and interventions to benefit the most vulnerable and often forgotten. We are all aware of the challenges this poses. But together, we have an opportunity to improve data disaggregation. We can collect data in ways that capitalize on technology, geographic-based innovations, and improve traditional data sources. This is the way to ensure no one is left behind.
The global efforts needed to improve data availability and utilization are not only a challenge, but a great opportunity for the global statistical community. There is much work that has already begun, but clearly much work still lies ahead.
I am certain that the UN World Data Forum will be a coveted opportunity to bring together partners in data, improve the way the data ecosystem operates and elevate the discourse in statistics and information. This is the way to address our most pressing development challenges and achieve the 2030 Agenda.
I am delighted that that journey begins here and I look forward to the discussions.
Thank you.
File date:
Wednesday, September 7, 2016