A Human Rights Based Approach to Data

Leaving No One Behind in the 2030 Development Agenda

In January 2017, at the first ever United Nations World Data Forum in Cape Town we published the DFID Data Disaggregation Action Plan. As part of work to roll this out across DFID we were delighted to welcome Nicholas Fasel, a Senior Statistician from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), to our office today. Nicholas gave a presentation exploring a human rights based approach to data.

Data and the Global Goals for sustainable development

The Global Goals focus on equity and universality in order to ensure that the furthest behind are reached and no one is left behind. In order to track progress at the national, regional and global level, a large amount of high quality, timely and disaggregated data is needed.

Disaggregating Global Goals results is far from being a norm or value-neutral exercise, and there are risks associated with this operation for the protection of the rights of data subjects.

Developing an understanding of the human rights-based approach to data

We need to ensure that the collection, analysis and use of this data are consistent with our values and the progressive realisation of human rights — so a human rights-based approach to data has much to offer in this context.

This seminar, which is being run in partnership with OHCHR, will focus on issues of data collection and disaggregation. It will be of interest to policymakers, programme management professionals, statisticians and advisers from across our cadres.

Presentation

To find out more about this exciting work you can download the report here. We hope you enjoyed this article and presentation you can find more of our articles on data disaggregation by following the links at the bottom of this page!

Kim and Fiach

More articles in this series

1. A world where everyone counts: Publishing the DFID Data Disaggregation Action Plan
2. Our Experience of Using Disability Disaggregated Data: Sightsavers International Share Learning
3. Our Experience of Using Age and Sex Disaggregated Data: HelpAge International Share Learning
4. World Data Forum 2017: Three Simple Ways to Join In
5. A Conversation on Data Disaggregation: An Inclusive Revolution
6. Help Us Improve Age Disaggregated Data
7. Help Us Improve Age Disaggrgated Data: Aging
8. Help Us Improve Age Disaggrgated Data: Youth
9. Help Us Improve Disaggregated Data: Technical Discussion paper
10. A Human Rights Based Approach to Data