A Preliminary Look at the State of Gender Disaggregated Aid Data

“Throughout our conversations, implementing agencies have expressed the need for a variety of data ranging from the typical – forward looking data on where donors are looking to work – to more specific, often results-based, disaggregated data which extends beyond simple ratios between male and female and includes more detailed, intersectional data”

ReliefWeb

Exclusive: Erratic aid spending could derail drive to end slavery by 2030

United Nations research, revealed exclusively by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, found that annual anti-trafficking overseas development aid (ODA) by the 36-nation OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) at least tripled to $434 million from 2000 to 2013. Yet many nations received small or inconsistent sums, raising fears about the effectiveness and sustainability of anti-slavery funding given the dearth of data on its impact.

Reuters

Asia’s problem with big data is slowing down AI progress

“Enterprises looking to adopt AI face real, urgent challenges that hinder their ability to take advantage of the many benefits AI technology promises to offer,” said Appier’s CEO and Co-founder, Chih-Han Yu. “To clear these hurdles, it’s important for organisations to choose partners who offer expertise in engineering and data management as well as in building precise and effective models.”

Asian correspondent

Good governance is the solution to Africa’s problems

When we review countries, one of the big challenges is politicized data, for example on unemployment rate. Workers’ unions will tell you so much; the government will say, “No, it’s less.” Then the private sector will say something else. So you can get three sets of data on the same issue. At APRM we have a process to validate and verify data, but stakeholders, including the government, have to agree with the data.

The Sierra Leone Telegraph

Our data road map: Is the ADT initiative in the U.S. the right way to put Canada’s farmers in control of their data too?

“Currently, she says, farmers don’t really own their own data. Many agricultural technology companies say the information they collect is the farmers’ property. But they don’t have transparent explanations on their websites — or in service contracts — as to what that claim actually means.”

Country Guide

HLPF Report Notes Strong Momentum on 2030 Agenda

“The report notes that: the momentum around the 2030 Agenda remains strong; disaggregated data and statistics are gaining ground; and many countries are working to ensure coherence of action with other internationally agreed instruments, such as the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) 2015-2030 and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD).”

IISD

UNICEF Executive Board takes a close look at work in Bhutan and Uganda and sets course for 2019

On Friday, the UNICEF Executive Board ended its second regular session of 2018 after three days about discussions and deliberations of issues relating to the programmes, policies, finances and oversight of the organization.

UNICEF

Collection of data on people with disabilities to ensure inclusive development in Pakistan

“An event to ensure the rights, freedoms, dignity and inclusion of people with disabilities in Pakistan was hosted by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) on Thursday. The event was held to raise awareness of the need to collect data on people with disabilities to ensure inclusive development in Pakistan.”

Pakistan OBSERVER

Rethinking how New Zealand spends its overseas aid

“He believes the last government began to use aid as a way to benefit New Zealand’s own interests (such as its successful bid for a seat on the UN Security Council). Aid decisions should be made more altruistically, he says, and there are already signs that could be the case under this Government.”

Newsroom

The Commitment to Development Index 2018

“The Commitment to Development Index ranks 27 of the world’s richest countries on their dedication to policies that benefit people living in poorer nations.”

Center for Global Development

How should official development assistance be allocated across countries?

“This paper tries to shed light on the questions above by taking a new approach to aid allocation.

Instead of trying to assess aid’s impact on poverty reduction, we use a classical welfare economics framework to measure the “consumer surplus” to the recipient country that accrues as a result of aid.”

Brookings

Ghana baseline report on ActionAid’s power project launched in Accra

“The Baseline Report, she said, was the outcome of the Study conducted as part of project implementation strategies in the project communities to get a clear and scientific picture of women’s economic circumstances and give significant pointers to how development needs were to be executed to benefit people living in poverty.”

Ghana.gov

World Bank 2018 Call for Proposals: Trust Fund for Statistical Capacity Building (TFSCB) 

“The World Bank is seeking proposals for its 2018 Trust Fund for Statistical Capacity Building (TFSCB) that aims to improve the capacity of developing countries to produce and use statistics with an overall objective of supporting effective decision-making for development.”

Deadline: 10 October 2018

UNECE 15th Joint Task Force on Environmental Statistics and Indicators

“The Joint Task Force is open to environmental experts and statisticians from all

member States of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE).“

25-26 October Geneva

International Conference on Population and Development. Enabling Choices: Population Dynamics and Sustainable Development

“Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the ground-breaking International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and its Programme of Action in 2019, the Regional Conference will assess progress and identify gaps in the implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action in the UNECE region.”

1-2 October Geneva, Switzerland

Sixth Statistical Commission for Africa (StatCom-Africa-VI)

“The Sixth StatCom-Africa will provide an opportunity for the African Statistical System to take stock of the ongoing global initiatives and seek out how to mainstream ownership of new and/ or updated methodologies aiming at enhancing Member State’s statistical capacities.”

1-4 October Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

12th Sustainability Reporting and Communications Summit 2018

“For over a decade this event has delivered an unmatched, holistic view of sustainability reporting challenges and solutions. 2018’s iteration is the strongest, most value packed we’ve ever produced. Whether you work in reporting, communications or sustainability this is the only strategic event that delivers the information you need to shift towards an SDG-focused reporting and communications strategy.”

10-11 Oct

London, UK

World Data Forum

“Join together in this unique event with governments, businesses, civil society and the scientific and academic communities. Explore innovative ways to apply data and statistics to measure global progress and inform evidence-based policy decisions on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Contribute to important discussions, data labs and interactive platforms aimed at improving the use of data for sustainable development. Launch new initiatives and solutions that will deliver better data for all.”

22-24 October 2018