Africa has made most legislative progress for women

« Africa over the past four years made the most legislative progress aimed at tackling gender discrimination, however laws and social norms in the region and around the world still hamper equality, according to new OECD figures. The Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) looks at the gaps that legislation, attitudes and practices create between women and men when it comes to rights and opportunities. The findings, compiled by the OECD, reveal that despite advances in some countries, in many of the 180 nations covered, political commitments and legal reforms have not translated into real changes for women and girls.”

Financial Times

Data Is a Serious Problem for Agriculture Sector

“Minister Flomo spoke at a one-day plenary meeting of the National Oil Palm Technical Working Group in Monrovia. He said it is unacceptable for Liberia as a country to base its development in the agriculture sector on assumptions because of the lack of data. ”

Daily observer

Meet a technologist building digital data systems for dirt

“A lack of expertise in computer software and hardware is consistent across many aid organizations, whether it is because they do not see how these skills would be useful, or they have a hard time hiring professionals who might otherwise work for technology companies. Wu spoke with Devex about why he started QED, what solutions he and his team are working on, and how to engage more engineers in international development.”

Devex

Fresh look at forgotten data reveals hidden value

“As law firms look to extract value from the data held in legal documents, digital tools that help unlock this data are being developed rapidly. For some, this leads to internal efficiencies and better decision making. Law firm Orrick uses technology developed by Foundation Software Group to track data in real time, which helps it make better choices on pricing and staffing and become more efficient in generating business.”

Financial Times

Use the upcoming 2019 census to collect useful data on land

“The bureau has both the capacity and resources to facilitate the collection of countrywide land data far more efficiently and faster. But the technocrats in the bureau must be well-guided by land experts. A structured partnership between the two ministries, incorporating inputs by key stakeholders, would ensure this. Other sector Ministries that consume land data or statistics should be able to indicate upfront what extra data they need collected for their policy and project plans.”

Daily Nation

Aid Groups Accuse UN of Manipulating Data Ahead of Congo Polls

"Overall humanitarian needs have risen during 2018 rather than decreased," a group representing about 45 humanitarian agencies said in a letter to the U.N. seen by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"Such cynical manipulation of critical data distorts the reality of the situation on the ground and compromises humanitarians' ability to communicate effectively on the gravity of the crisis."

VOANews

Development Co-operation Report 2018

“When Member States of the United Nations approved the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015, they agreed that the Sustainable Development Goals and Targets should be met for all nations and peoples and for all segments of society. Governments and stakeholders negotiating the 2030 Agenda backed the ambition of leaving no one behind, an ambition increasingly referred to in development policies, international agendas and civil society advocacy.”

OECD

Connecting the dots: Measuring and increasing data use for better governance Webinar

“This webinar will bring together speakers to discuss methods for measuring data use; efforts to increase the capacity of producers to understand users’ needs on one end of the data value chain and policy makers and citizens to use the data on the other end; and what we can learn from current initiatives focusing on measuring data use.”

PARIS21, Cepei, OpenDataWatch

December 19, 2018

10-11am ECT

Disrupting Health Product Distribution: The Emergence of Digital Innovators in Africa

“Though most companies are operating at small scale, they seek to disrupt current distribution practices through technology and promise improved visibility into the movement of products.”

Center for Global Development

December 13, 2018 - 12:00PM to 1:30PM