With the statistical community facing myriad challenges as countries begin to implement the new 15-year global plan for sustainable development, it is imperative to modernize, improve capacity and cooperate at a truly global level, the top United Nations economic and social affairs official told a gathering of more than 1,500 data experts today.

“Success requires that all communities represented in this room fulfill a critical role and find ways to work together and create partnerships and synergies,” Wu Hongbo, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs,

The inaugural United Nations World Data Forum kicked off today in the South African city of Cape Town, bringing together more than 1,500 data experts from more than 100 countries, with the aim of building broad consensus on how to harness the power of data for sustainable development.

Organized by the UN in cooperation with the South African government, the four-day gathering also aims to rally support behind a new global action plan.

“The Forum comes at a crucial time for strengthening data and statistical capacity globally.

The first-ever United Nations World Data Forum is set to kick off in Cape Town, South Africa, on 15 January 2017, with the aim of increasing political and resource support for statistical capacity building worldwide.

“When you are statisticians, you are not normally on the forefront of news,” Stefan Schweinfest, Director of the Statistics Division in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), told a recent press conference ahead of the Cape Town Forum, which also aims to create partnerships and initiatives that harness the power of data for the public good and

The first-ever United Nations World Data Forum is set to kick off in Cape Town, South Africa, on 15 January 2017, with the aim of increasing political and resource support for statistical capacity building worldwide.

“Talking about data, statistics – these are very important subjects for the Member States, right from the beginning – day one – of the discussions about the Sustainable Development Agenda,” said Wu Hongbo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, in an interview with UN News, ahead of the Forum.

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It was a morning full of conversation, tips and statistics as a UN World Data Forum Twitter chat event kicked off on 11 January this week.

The inaugural United Nations World Data Forum, taking place in Cape Town, South Africa, on 15-18 January 2017, is set to kick off with an ambitious and innovative programme and roster of over 300 speakers from across the data community.

Over 1,000 data experts from more than 100 countries have registered for the Forum, including from national statistical offices, data scientists from the private sector and academia, international organizations, and civil society groups, as well as political leaders and sustainable development advocates.

Plans are in high gear for the inaugural United Nations World Data Forum, taking place in Cape Town, South Africa, on 15-18 January 2017, with over 100 sessions to feature innovative data solutions to improve lives.

Over 1,000 data experts from more than 100 countries have pre-registered for the Forum, including from national statistical offices, data scientists from the private sector and academia, international organizations, and civil society groups, as well as political leaders and sustainable development advocates.

Today marks the start of the 6th Global Forum on Gender Statistics, a two day event in Helsinki, Finland, that will highlight ways to improve data on gender in order to support better policies for women and girls and Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Meeting Goal 5 of the SDGs, which calls for gender equality and empowerment of women and girls, requires disaggregated data to ensure that a

While around the world, statistical authorities in the public sector are still mostly regarded as the primary source for data and indicators, the private sector is increasingly moving into the business of providing data analyses and projecting trends. Currently, stock markets still look anxiously forward to press releases by statistical authorities such as the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and others on unemployment rates, consumer price indices or growth rates of international trade.

As the world moves to eliminate poverty, reduce inequality and curb the negative effects of climate change, adequate measuring and monitoring of progress through data is a core ingredient for successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.