SDG Indicators and Data: Who collects? Who reports? Who benefits?

by Barbara Adams

The Global Policy Watch has posted on its website a briefing by Barbara Adams entitled SDG Indicators and Data: Who collects? Who reports? Who benefits? In the briefing Barbara discusses the recent meeting of the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goals (IAEG-SDGs), (See: Informal meeting of the Plenary to hear about progress in the development of the Global Indicator framework for the SDGs pursuant to para 75 of Resolution 70/1) pointing out that many of the agreed indicators remain inadequate, and that 62 require “more in-depth discussion and/or methodological development.”

Among the questions that she poses is: “What will happen to these grey indicators if there is no agreement before March 2016 when the framework is to be presented to the UN Statistical Commission?” She discusses the failure to identify structural problems and means to address them.  While identifying a meaningful indicator for every target is a formidable task, having one relevant indicator does not mean the target is covered—let alone the goal. And we must not forget that the goals and targets apply to all countries, not just developing countries; that they require reporting at the UN level, not only at the national level or in preferred forums like the OECD. As she says “Developed countries cannot be let off the hook on the basis of lack of comparability or willingness to be held to the same standards.”

Capacity and resources, across the board, including that of all member states should, moreover be addressed. She also highlights that “a number of the CSO proposals indicated a need to go beyond a single indicator and include periodic impact assessments, while it is reportedly under discussion by the UN Statistical Division, it is not reflected in the framework….

This important paper, which addresses so many key issues related to SDG indicators and data, is available here.