The first UN World Data Forum will be hosted by Statistics South Africa, with support from the Statistics Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, under the guidance of the United Nations Statistical Commission and the High-level Group for Partnership, Coordination and Capacity-Building for Statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
It will be an opportunity for data and statistics experts from around the world to:
- JOIN together in this unique event with governments, businesses, civil society and the scientific and academic communities.
- EXPLORE innovative ways to apply data and statistics to measure global progress and inform evidence-based policy decisions on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
- CONTRIBUTE to important discussions, data labs and interactive platforms aimed at improving the use of data for sustainable development.
- LAUNCH new initiatives and solutions that will deliver better data for all.
When: 15 – 18 January 2017
Where: Cape Town, South Africa
Afrobarometer plenary session: Perceptions data is increasingly recognized as a valuable input into analysis and policy making. The ‘MY World’ survey influenced the outcome of the SDG negotiations, demonstrating clearly how central ‘honest and responsive governance’ is to people’s desire for a better world. Governments around the world are investing in surveys to understand what their citizens want and need. This session will bring together people and organisations with different perspectives to discuss how understanding people’s values, priorities and desires through data can lead to better policy and better outcomes.
Boniface Dulani, Fieldwork Operations Manager at Afrobarometer with focus on Southern and Francophone Africa, will share insights on:
- Why perceptions data is important.
- The most surprising things he has learned from the perceptions research.
- What areas of policy he thinks will most benefit from a greater understanding of people’s values and desires.
The opening and closing ceremonies, as well as plenary sessions, will be webcast at the Forum’s website (http://undataforum.org/).
