Southern Voice partners engage in unpacking “Data Revolution” at country level

Southern Voice on Post-MDG International Development Goals (SV) in association with Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Dhaka and North South Institute (NSI), Ottawa has launched a research program titled, “Unpacking the Data Revolution at the Country Level: An Early Examination of Candidate Post-2015 Goals, Targets and Indicators.” The initiative aims to apply a select set of candidate post-2015 goals, targets and indicators to a number of low, middle and high income countries. In doing so, it will assess the adequacy of data available for measuring post-2015 progress at the country level, seeking to inform debates and decisions on the architecture and priorities of the “data revolution”. It will also identify opportunities and challenges that may arise from a universal, country-relevant post-2015 framework.  Furthermore, it seeks to enhance the capacity of Southern think-tanks to contribute to the global policy processes shaping the post-2015 agenda, while also ensuring that the global processes are informed by country-level realities.

To inform the design of this initiative, SV along with CPD and NSI, with the support of the United Nations Foundation and the Hewlett Foundation, convened experts from around the world for a Methodology and Planning Workshop on Thursday November 21 2013 in New York City. The workshop discussed the rationale and objectives of the initiative, country selection, criteria for selecting and examining goals, targets and indicators and the implementation and outreach plans of the initiative.

Implementation of SV-CPD-NSI’s initiative on “Unpacking Data Revolution at Country Level” (currently branded as Post-2015 Data Test: Country Experiences) is progressing smoothly. The study is being implemented in six countries, viz- Bangladesh, Canada, Peru, Senegal, Tanzania and Turkey. Inception workshops in Dakar, Dar es Salaam and Dhaka have already been conducted. The other three in Lima, Ottawa and Istanbul will be taking place in April, 2014.