Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data

Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data
Name	Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data
Formation	2015
Type	International partnership
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Region served	Global

Contents

Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data The Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data brings together a coalition of United Nations agencies, national statistical offices such as the United States Census Bureau and Office for National Statistics (United Kingdom), technology firms like Google and Microsoft Corporation, philanthropic organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation, and international financial institutions including the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Formed in the context of the 2015 United Nations Summit on Sustainable Development and the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Partnership focuses on harnessing data for monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals and supporting initiatives across the European Union, African Union, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and other regional bodies.

History

The Partnership was launched following discussions at the United Nations General Assembly and the World Economic Forum meetings in the mid-2010s, influenced by reports from the High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda and the Independent Expert Advisory Group on a Data Revolution for Sustainable Development. Early convenings included stakeholders from the United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Children's Fund, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and national offices such as Statistics Canada and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Key early initiatives referenced methodologies from the Open Data Charter and collaborations with technology partners like IBM and Facebook. Over time, the Partnership expanded through alliances with regional institutions including the African Development Bank and research institutions such as Oxford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University.

The Partnership's mission aligns with commitments articulated by Ban Ki-moon and later António Guterres at United Nations forums to strengthen statistical capacity and data ecosystems for tracking the Sustainable Development Goals. Objectives emphasize enhancing capacities of national statistical systems exemplified by the United Nations Statistical Commission, promoting standards like the International Organization for Standardization codes and the International Monetary Fund's statistical manuals, and mobilizing private sector innovation from firms like Amazon (company) and Cisco Systems. The agenda includes supporting data interoperability used by projects associated with Bill Gates-funded initiatives and harmonization efforts linked to the Global Monitoring Report and the Paris Agreement.

Governance structures include a multi-stakeholder steering group drawing representatives from intergovernmental organizations such as the World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, and the International Labour Organization; member states including United States, United Kingdom, India, Kenya, and Brazil; and private sector entities like Accenture and Palantir Technologies. Membership spans civil society organizations such as Oxfam and CARE International, academic partners including Harvard University and London School of Economics, and regional development banks like the Asian Development Bank. The Partnership has convened advisory groups with experts from United Nations Children's Fund and the Global Partnership for Education to advise on ethical frameworks echoing principles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and data protection laws inspired by the European Convention on Human Rights.

Programs include capacity-building initiatives modelled after the Data for Development (D4D) concept, country-level accelerators in partnership with ministries in Rwanda, Ghana, and Colombia, and thematic initiatives addressing health metrics in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, climate-related indicators aligned with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and agricultural data linked to the International Food Policy Research Institute. Technical projects employ tools and standards developed in collaboration with Open Data Institute, World Wide Web Consortium, and technology providers like Esri and SAP SE. Initiatives also intersect with humanitarian efforts led by International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and monitoring frameworks used by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Funding sources comprise philanthropic grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Ford Foundation, in-kind contributions from corporations including Google and Microsoft Corporation, and project funding from multilateral lenders such as the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. Partnerships extend to regional organizations like the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and research consortia including International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. Collaborative funding mechanisms have mirrored approaches used by the Global Partnership for Education and the Global Environment Facility, while procurement and technical assistance often reference standards from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Impact assessments cite improved indicator reporting for several Sustainable Development Goal targets and enhanced statistical capacity in partner countries such as Nepal and Senegal, with case studies involving ministries collaborating with UNICEF and the World Bank. The Partnership's work has been showcased at forums like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation convenings and G20 data dialogues, and has informed national strategies adopted by ministries in Ethiopia and Bangladesh. Criticisms focus on governance transparency, dependency on private sector technology from firms like Palantir Technologies and Facebook, data privacy concerns paralleling debates around the General Data Protection Regulation and surveillance practices raised in inquiries involving Cambridge Analytica, and challenges echoed in reports by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Debates also address the balance between donor-driven priorities reflected in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development aid flows and national sovereignty concerns raised by members of the African Union and Commonwealth of Nations.