Thousands are Gathering at UN Data Forum to Find Bold Solutions for Leveraging the Power of Data, Central to Achieving the SDGs

Hangzhou, 24 April 2023 – With most of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) still far from being achieved at this mid-point of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, over 2,000 data experts from 140 countries are gathering in Hangzhou, China in person — almost 20,000 people will participate virtually — at the 2023 UN World Data Forum from 24 to 27 April to find solutions for equitable and open access to data. Better data is central to accelerating progress towards the SDGs and addressing the multiple crises that are threatening poverty eradication, food security, the environment and peace and security.

“We can’t carve out effective solutions to the problems we’re facing if we don’t fully understand the who, what, when, where, and why of the sources and the impacts. We need robust data that can give us the insights we need,” said Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, and head of the Forum secretariat.

“By convening such a diverse range of practitioners across the global data and statistics landscape, this Forum can help generate the solutions, partnerships and pathways that we need to better leverage data for decision-making and bring the world closer to achieving the SDGs.”

The rapid expansion in new sources of data – from national statistical offices (NSOs) to citizen-generated data and private sector data for public good – are creating large-scale opportunities for innovative approaches and partnerships for better data to achieve a more sustainable future for all.

The fourth of its kind and the first to be held in the Asia-Pacific region, the 2023 UN World Data Forum will bring together major data producers and users of data from NSOs, policymakers, the geospatial community, business, civil society and scientific institutions to collaborate and launch innovative initiatives that will deliver better data on health, education, climate, natural resources, gender, human rights, refugees and other aspects of sustainable development.

“The theme of the 2023 UN World Data Forum 2023 is ‘Towards Data that Empowers Our World’ which emphasizes the impact of data on improving lives and societies while highlighting the enormous value of data resources,” said Mao Shengyong, Deputy Commissioner of the National Bureau of Statistics of China.

“The forum will be an opportunity for in-depth discussions and expanded cooperation amongst global statistics and data communities who will join hands to shoulder the responsibilities of the digital era and charter the future of digital civilization.”

High-level plenaries of the Forum will address the use and value of data for better policymaking; the value of innovation for timely and broader disaggregated data; public transparency and rights to privacy; the difficulties in establishing partnerships across different data ecosystems while addressing digital infrastructure; and the national and international data and statistical capacities.

Core Issues

The 2023 UN World Data Forum will focus on core issues related to the following four themes:

1. Data provides the insight we need to ensure a sustainable and safer future for all.
2. Partnerships and innovation are key to data equality and ensuring that no one is left behind.
3. We all have a responsibility to ensure data and statistics are used ethically to protect privacy and data rights.
4. Resilient national data ecosystems need support, including sustainable funding, to ensure they are fit for the future, and everyone benefits.

About the UN World Data Forum

The 2023 UN World Data Forum is hosted by the National Bureau of Statistics of China and the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province, with support from the Statistics Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). The UN World Data Forum was agreed upon by the UN Statistical Commission based on a recommendation by the UN Secretary-General’s Independent Expert and Advisory Group on a Data Revolution for Sustainable Development. Improved use of data and statistics will be crucial to achieving the transformational vision of a better future for people and the planet, set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by world leaders at the UN in September 2015.

For Media: More information can be found on the media page at UNDataForum.org, or on Twitter @UNDataForum.

The Plenary sessions will be livestreamed on: https://oep.unwdf2023.org.cn/en

Media contacts:

United Nations Information Centre Indonesia

Miklos Gaspar, email: miklos.gaspar AT un.org