United Nations

TRANSFORMING OUR WORLD
THE 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

Data, monitoring and accountability

17.18 By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts

17.19 By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries

Follow-up and review

47. Our Governments have the primary responsibility for follow-up and review, at the national, regional and global levels, in relation to the progress made in implementing the Goals and targets over the coming 15 years. To support accountability to our citizens, we will provide for systematic followJup and review at the various levels, as set out in this Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. The high-level political forum under the auspices of the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council will have the central role in overseeing follow-up and review at the global level.

48. Indicators are being developed to assist this work. Quality, accessible, timely and reliable disaggregated data will be needed to help with the measurement of progress and to ensure that no one is left behind. Such data is key to decision-making. Data and information from existing reporting mechanisms should be used where possible. We agree to intensify our efforts to strengthen statistical capacities in developing countries, particularly African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, small island developing States and middle-income countries. We are committed to developing broader measures of progress to complement gross domestic product.

Sustainable Development Goals and targets

57. We recognize that baseline data for several of the targets remains unavailable, and we call for increased support for strengthening data collection and capacity-building in Member States, to develop national and global baselines where they do not yet exist. We commit to addressing this gap in data collection so as to better inform the measurement of progress, in particular for those targets below which do not have clear numerical targets.

Data is key to Sustainable Development

Labour Market Information System

Strengthening national data systems is the silver bullet to many countries with regards to indicators.

See the impact of the LMIS in Rwanda on the labour statistics framework, described by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda, → here ←

Characteristics of our LabourMIS

Our holistic LabourMIS delivers information on all common labour market indicators inherently and facilitates evidence-based decisions.

Data pillars

Information systems can be as good as the data they process. Thus data shall be retrieved only in a suitable way, with the limitation that there is enough capacity to do so (e.g. although it may be more accurate to have a population census done every year, this is not realistic).
In general LMISs use census / micro-census data and administrative data for regular monitoring of development over time, and survey data for the purpose of looking into phenomena more deeply.
Still there are objects of monitoring that would better base on, but do not produce administrative data, like informal employment, and can thus only be recorded using inspections, studies or surveys.

Quality aspects

The FREE formula

Flexibility + Relevance + Effectivity + Efficiency = Sustainable utility

↓ Read more ↓

Flexibility

An information system is flexible if it is able to react promptly to changes. In this way information systems should behave like living organisms and adjust to the modifying environment.
Changes can either result from new or adapted indicators (due to development or policy transformations), new editions of international categorisations, or restructuring of stakeholders and data delivering institutions (DDI).
Therefore it is necessary to

monitor national and international standardisation institutions;
have close cooperation with stakeholders and DDIs; and
always have up-to-date information on indicators and monitoring needs.

Relevance

An information system is relevant if it is instrumental in the achievement of the objectives set for an organisation. Or in other words: the information given must answer the questions asked.
Therefore it is necessary to

have close cooperation with those who ask the questions – the certain groups at the ministry and the stakeholders;
also save metadata like: when was this dataset saved and by whom;
have close cooperation with stakeholders and DDIs; and
always have up-to-date information on indicators and monitoring needs.

Effectivity

An information system is effective if it produces the planned output and in addition harnesses the data available to a maximum extent.
Therefore it is necessary to

plan the output accurately together with stakeholders;
cross-check data of the same kind from different sources;
have brainstorming sessions from time to time, to find out, whether there is more useful information hidden in the data stored; and
take into account that a non-planned output also means output to an unauthorised person.

Efficiency

And an information system is efficient if it produces outputs without wasting resources.
Therefore it is necessary to

allocate computing capacities adequately;
collect on the appropriate level and demand from DDIs only data needed; and
minimise costs in means of software licenses and robust (non repair intensive) hardware.

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Information is key to Education

TVET eLibrary

Provides schools and colleges with learning materials and spreads tailor-made teaching materials via internet.

Challenge: insufficient bandwidth

Fast internet connection only available in capitals;
Remote schools are often still connected to the internet via modem or DSL with low bandwidth;
Time-dependent rates prevail (expensive), flat rates often depend on volume (also expensive).