6 SDG Data Events to Watch in 2016
2016 is not over yet. Here are 6 Sustainable Development Goal monitoring events to keep an eye on.
Much remains to be discussed in 2016 regarding the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and the international data needed for monitoring. The High Level Political Forum held from July 11th–20th, 2016, was a halfway point in the list of meetings that track and discuss the SDGs and their data. Here are 6 more meetings this year that deserve your attention.
August 30th- September 1st, 2016: Third Global Conference on Big Data for Official Statistics
Big data, like the streams of information from digital devices and social media, can be utilized in the production of official statistics. National Statistics offices are at the forefront on capturing official statistics for the SDGs. The Conference will focus on partnerships, capacity building for innovation, and big data and the SDG Indicators.
September 13th, 2016: United Nations General Assembly, 71st session
General Debate Theme: “The Sustainable Development Goals: a universal push to transform our world”
The UN General Assembly 71st session kicks off this September, and continues with almost two full weeks of debates, High-level segments, and social media attention. An anticipated event to keep an eye on, the UNGA includes the selection of the next Secretary-General.
September 18th- 19th, 2016: Social Good Summit, 2016
Theme: “#2030NOW”
The annual Social Good Summit coincides with the UNGA week this September. It examines the impact of technology and new media on social good initiatives around the work. International leaders and grassroots activists gather to discuss solutions to social development needs using technology. This technology and new media is also important for new methods of collecting and disaggregating data.
September 21st- 22nd, 2016: International Conference on Sustainable Development
Theme: “Moving Forward: the SDGs in Practice”
The fourth year of this annual conference will focus on allowing various sectors involved in sustainable development (research, policy, business, etc.) to share insight into practical solutions for achieving the SDGs. Four thematic areas will make up the conference: Innovation in Technology and Governance; Data; The Science-Policy-Implementation interface; and Education and Training.
October 18th- 21st, 2016: Fourth Meeting of the Inter-Agency Expert Group on SDG Indicators
The IAEG-SDGs are the UN group dedicated to the Global Indicator Framework. This marks their fourth meeting, and their first since the 2016 High Level Political Forum. This is their second meeting since the official acceptance of the Global Indicator Framework, and will focus on policies and procedures for finalizing and adjusting the indicators, as well as finalizing indicator tiers, disaggregation needs, and standardization of reporting.
September 7th- 9th, 2016: Global Preparatory Seminar for the World Forum on Sustainable Development Data
January 15th-18th, 2017: World Forum on Sustainable Development Data (World Data Forum)
Possibly one of the most anticipated SDG data events of next year, the World Data Forum will take place early in 2017, with a Global Preparatory Seminar taking place this fall. This Seminar is expected to provide countries with the opportunity to prepare contributions ahead of the World Data Forum, and will be dedicated to key issues related to SDG monitoring.
