UN World Data Forum 2018

22-24 October 2018 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The UN World Data Forum 2018 opened in Dubai on 22 October 2018, bringing together data and statistics experts to explore ways to apply data and statistics; measure global progress; and inform evidence-based policy decisions on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This second UN World Data Forum follows the first Forum which was held in Cape Town in 2017 (See: First UN World Data Forum begins in Cape Town, South Africa on Sunday 15 January 2017. It is hosted by the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority of the United Arab Emirates, with support from the Statistics Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, under the guidance of the UN Statistical Commission and the High-level Group for Partnership, Coordination and Capacity-Building for Statistics for the 2030 Agenda.

The Programme for the Forum is organized around six main thematic areas covering the following topics:

• New approaches to capacity development for better data;
• Innovations and synergies across different data ecosystems;
• Leaving no one behind: generating and leveraging data and statistics to ensure visibility and voice for everyone;
• Understanding the world through data;
• Building trust in data and statistics; and
• Taking stock of how far we have progressed, and taking practical steps towards fulfilling the implementation of the Cape Town Global Action Plan for Sustainable Development Data.

Participants are provided with opportunities to interact on these themes though the  numerous plenary sessions, break-out spaces, innovation labs, knowledge sharing spaces, exhibits and virtual forumsby . The Deputy-Secretary General, Amina Mohammed, addressed the opening session which focussed on harnessing the power of data for sustainable development. The closing session will discuss the theme, ‘Implementation of the Cape Town Global Action Plan for Sustainable Development Data–the way forward.’ (Cape Town Global Action Plan for Sustainable Development Data)

See also: https://undataforum.org/WorldDataForum/