UN DESA supports the formulation of data governance principles. UN DESA serves as the secretariat of the Committee of Chief Statisticians of the UN System (CCS-UN) that in 2023 prepared a report on international data governance for the UN Chief Executive Board, which was subsequently used as as a contribution to the Global Data Compact. The report aimed at strengthening policy coherence for international data governance that protects the privacy of persons and human rights and leverages opportunities for data to be used for the global public good. Being able to access, process, use and reuse data is essential for dealing with global challenges, such as managing and protecting the environment, intervening in the event of a pandemic or responding to a disaster or crisis. Data is also at the centre of innovation in all social and economic sectors and are increasingly used by firms and businesses as inputs in their production processes.

In the lead up to the Summit of the Future, negotiations were ongoing to agree on the final wording of the Global Digital Compact. One of the five objectives of this compact is to advance responsible, equitable and interoperable data governance approaches. Within this context the Statistical Commission is asked to play an important role in the formulation of the principles of data governance, while UN DESA is actively involved in the discussions to shape the data governance framework. UN DESA supports innovative thinking and prepares stakeholders for a new data ecosystem through the Working Group on Data Stewardship, which released a background document to the 2024 Statistical Commission regarding a new data stewardship approach for Governments based on the views of national statistical offices (NSOs).

UN DESA monitors global progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to help Member States plan for SDG acceleration. Its annual publication The Sustainable Development Goals Report is the only UN official report that draws on the latest available data and estimates to provide a global overview of progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. UN DESA also supports countries in their reporting on progress towards the SDGs through the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), which are submitted to the HLPF. This focus on evidence for SDG reporting can help governments use the VNR process to also identify strengths and weaknesses of the statistical systems and areas for which statistical capacity building is needed. The VNR process requires countries to have monitoring frameworks, backed by evidence and data to provide credible reporting. The country-level VNRs are also an opportunity for countries to consider forward plans to tackle future crises and to ensure that no one is left behind. Recent VNRs reflect on the challenges stemming from emerging issues and other crises, including lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as challenges related to reliable and timely data. Additionally, UN DESA supports the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators in its preparation for the 2025 Comprehensive Review of the SDG indicator framework.

UN Data integrates authoritative data and insights from across the UN system to enable more awareness and data-driven decisions on the SDGs and sustainable development. UN DESA plays a crucial role in consolidating official statistics from various international agencies and national statistical systems. In alignment with the Secretary-General’s “Data Strategy for Action by Everyone, Everywhere” and recommendations from the UN Statistical Commission, UN DESA is spearheading the modernisation of its UN Data platform. This platform, including UN Data Commons for the SDGs, integrates authoritative data and insights from across the UN System into a public repository with advanced search functionality and an innovative, user-friendly interface. Built by UN DESA, in collaboration with Google’s Data Commons, the UN Data site harnesses open, high-quality data from across the UN System, as well as cutting-edge AI technologies to make key SDG and development data and insights available to a diverse global audience. At its core, the new UN Data platform represents a paradigm shift in how data is utilized to address complex development issues. By consolidating diverse datasets across the UN System into a unified platform, UN Data enables stakeholders with access to timely, reliable, and actionable data.

UN DESA promotes data innovation, partnerships and increased resources for data through the UN World Data Forum, established by the Statistical Commission, to spur data innovation, nurture partnerships, mobilize high-level political and financial support for data, and build a pathway to better data for sustainable development. The UN World Data Forums have evolved to appeal to a wider data community while maintaining the official statistics community at its core. It is more than 7 years since the launch of the Cape Town Global Action Plan for sustainable development data (CTGAP) at the first Forum, which helped usher in the age of SDG indicators and pushed for a data revolution under the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. The fifth Forum in Colombia will launch the follow-up to the CTGAP. Taking inspiration from the UN 2.0 initiative, this document is given a current working title of CTGAP 2.0 and will serve the growing data community as a renewed action plan through the remainder of the 2030 Agenda.

UN DESA supports countries in improving their integrated data systems, essential to measure progress beyond GDP and ensuring inclusive and sustainable development. The Department, in collaboration with UNCTAD and UNDP, co-leads the Core Group on Beyond GDP, established in December 2021 by CEB. The Group in 2022 released the paper Valuing What Counts: United Nations System-wide Contribution on Beyond Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which includes a proposed framework and recommendations on the topic intended for the UN system, Member States, and other stakeholders.

A central element of this initiative is the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA), an international statistical standard adopted by the UN Statistical Commission, that accounts for individual environmental assets (i.e., water resources, energy resources, forests, fisheries, etc.) and their use in the economy, and also enables countries to measure their natural capital and understand the contributions of ecosystem services to their prosperity and well-being. Wide adoption of the SEEA will radically redefine how countries measure progress beyond GDP and link the economy and the environment in their decision making, which is essential to informing the climate change, nature and development nexus and actions that enhance synergies ensuring that growth is sustainable.

UN DESA also advises countries on the production and use of data on people’s time-use to measure unpaid work, non -market production, well-being, and gender equality and has developed statistical standards to that end. Additionally, UN DESA is leading the development of a conceptual framework to strengthen social and demographic statistics to produce data that better reflect society and its connections with the environment and the economy. This initiative is overseen by the Friends of the Chair Group on Social and Demographic Statistics, established by the Statistical Commission in 2023.

Finally, UN DESA’s Network of Economic Statisticians is also fostering collaboration on beyond GDP data initiatives, promoting an overarching framework for inclusive and sustainable wellbeing, building on SEEA, the ongoing revision of the System of National Accounts (SNA) and its extended accounts, to be adopted by the Statistical Commission in 2025. Once developed, the framework will provide decision-makers with improved visibility of multi-dimensional trade-offs in the context of measuring inclusive and sustainable wellbeing and progress beyond GDP, in full alignment with the SDGs indicators and the central promise of leaving no one behind.

UN DESA assists Member States in modernizing their population data systems to enhance data quality, improve cost efficiency and policy relevance. The Department plays a crucial role in supporting countries in establishing and maintaining comprehensive population data systems. These systems integrate a variety of data sources, including censuses, surveys, administrative records, geospatial information, and non-traditional sources to provide accurate and up-to-date information that guide integrated policy and decision-making processes. Specifically, UN DESA is overseeing the implementation of the 2020 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses. This includes providing guidance on conducting register-based censuses and moving towards a register-based approach as well as helping countries evaluate the quality of their census data, especially in light of significant undercounts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, UN DESA is leading the review of statistical standards and recommendations in preparation for the upcoming 2030 census round, during which countries are expected to significantly transform their data collection and processing systems, including through the adoption of digital-first, multi-mode methods, increased utilization of geospatial information and administrative data sources, and the development of strategies to address and adapt to potential shocks and disruptions.

UN DESA supports climate change and disaster preparedness in countries via its work programme on climate change statistics. Official statistics are needed to support independent, transparent and timely information to monitor climate change and evaluate climate actions including mitigation and adaptation success. The Global Set of Climate Change Statistics and Indicators was adopted by the UN Statistical Commission in 2022 to assist countries in their efforts to meet climate change data needs. This effort has contributed to enhancing preparedness for producing climate change statistics in many countries, via the setup of national units and programmes, selecting and defining suitable indicators and increasingly developing new data collection instruments. Examples of such instruments include specialized surveys to fill the data gaps on the way individuals, households and business perceive climate impacts and modify their choices and behaviours towards climate resilience. The Global Set is also contributing to streamlining the use of available statistical guidance and frameworks relevant to climate change, such as the SEEA, the Sendai Framework, and several SDG indicators. It also contributes to steering methodology development in very critical areas such as climate change impacts on human health and integration of gender into processes related to climate change.

UN DESA supports foresight and preparedness through its new centres on global geospatial information and its hubs on Big Data and data science for official statistics

In 2023, UN DESA with support from the Chinese government opened the United Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre (UN-GGKIC) in Deqing, China to provide opportunities to develop and expand global geospatial capacity, competence and capabilities, and strengthen geospatial information management arrangements, especially in developing countries. In 2015, the General Assembly adopted resolution 69/266 on “A Global Geodetic Reference Frame for Sustainable Development,” which underpins global navigation satellite systems technology and provides the framework for all geospatial activity, as a key enabler of geospatial data interoperability and data integration. Bringing the resolution into practice, UN DESA with support from the Germany opened, also in 2023, the Global Geodetic Centre of Excellence (UN-GGCE) at the United Nations Campus in Bonn, Germany to strengthen and advance: global geodetic cooperation and coordination; worldwide geodetic infrastructure, standards and policies; education, training and capacity development; and communication and awareness.

Since 2014, the UN Committee of Experts on Big Data and data science for official statistics (UNCEBD), which reports to the Statistical Commission, explored the use of new data sources and new technologies to improve the services of national statistical offices, especially in the delivery of timely data on emerging issues. A major challenge was developing the necessary data science skills and capabilities. To have visible impact, UN DESA engaged in individual MOUs (signed in the period 2020-2023) with Brazil, Indonesia, Rwanda and UAE establishing Regional Hubs with the objectives of sharing knowledge on newly developed methods, algorithms and tools, and providing training in the use of Big Data and data science. Similarly, UN DESA agreed with China on hosting of a Global Hub on the same issue in Hangzhou, and with Spain on hosting of a Global Hub on the use of AI for environmental sustainability in Bilbao. The Department’s UN Global Platform is used by the various hubs for international collaboration on relevant projects. The hubs prepare statistical offices to use alternative data sources and new indicators for emerging issues such as climate change, or ecosystem services.

As part of wider statistical networks, UN DESA leverages the power of partnerships. The Department serves as the secretariat for the Global Network of Institutions for Statistical Training (GIST) in which international and regional training institutions work together to deliver training across various statistical topics. GIST collaboration has led to the establishment of an online hub of statistical training courses from different agencies and partners hosted on the UN SDG: Learn statistics platform. GIST has also developed the Statistical Training needs Assessment Tool (STAT) to allow NSOs to better understand their training needs and develop training plans based on priorities. UN DESA further supports the Data Science Leaders Network, which aims to progress strategic discussions on applying data science in NSOs and accelerate collaboration on technical matters within the statistical community.

UN DESA supports increased use of non-traditional data sources. Many low resource countries are still mainly relying on surveys and censuses for official statistics production. While remaining a key data source, national statistical systems increasingly need to also make use of alternative data sources to fill the local, national, regional and global information gaps. In this context, UN DESA is co-convening several initiatives to help support progress. For example, the Collaborative on administrative data shares experiences between countries and partners and fills knowledge gaps through development of practical guidance materials and tools. The training task teams under the UNCEBD and under the Expert Group on Integration of Statistical and Geospatial information provide guidance on self-assessment maturity tools and course curricula for the use of big data, geospatial information and data science. Several e-learning courses on these topics are available in the learning management system of UN DESA’s UN Global Platform. The Collaborative on citizen data is bringing together NSOs, civil society and international partners to discuss how data collected by citizens can complement other data sources for official statistics production. Linked to the above, UN DESA is supporting several countries directly through the Data for Now initiative (see box) and UN DESA Development Accounts.

UN DESA helps strengthen the data and statistical ecosystems in countries. The shift towards increased engagement with users and use of alternative data sources requires a new set of skills, both technical and practical. Many NSOs need to learn how to become data stewards, how to engage with data holders and users, how to formalize data sharing and how to advocate for investments in statistics. UN DESA provides capacity development support and technical assistance, for example in the development of national statistical legal frameworks. The Department has supported this in more than a dozen Member States in the last few years with many now having new legal frameworks in place allowing them to access more data and thus produce more relevant indicators and statistics for increased preparedness and foresight.

UN DESA responds to global priorities and development goals. Supporting small island developing States (SIDS) is one of many priorities of UN DESA. Linked to the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS and the SIDS Coalition for Nature, the Department leads several projects aimed at improving data and statistical infrastructure (see box).