In July 2012, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed 27 civil society, private sector, and government leaders from around the world to a High Level Panel whose purpose was to advise him on the Post-2015 development agenda. Co-chaired by H.E. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of Indonesia, H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia and H.E. David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
In their report “A New Global Partnership: Eradicate Poverty and Transform Economies Through Sustainable Development“, the High Level Panel made a number of recommendations. One recommendation which captured the imagination of many in the development and statistics sectors was the call for a data revolution.
We also call for a data revolution for sustainable development, with a new international initiative to improve the quality of statistics and information available to citizens. We should actively take advantage of new technology, crowd sourcing, and improved connectivity to empower people with information on the progress towards the targets.
The Report of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda
This led, eventually, to the formation of an expert group to advise the UN Secretary General on this data revolution. The Independent Expert Advisory Group on the Data Revolution submitted its report “A World that Counts” in 2014, its recommendations eventually forming part of the UN Secretary General’s Synthesis Report titled “Road to Dignity by 2030”.
More information on the Data Revolution
Website of the UN IEAG on the Data Revolution
A World That Counts: Report of the IEAG on the Data Revolution