2022 HLPF Side Event: Inclusive Data as a Strategic Tool for Building Back Better after the Pandemic

Event Date: 2022-07-12

Event Time: 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm

Making Voices Heard and Count: Inclusive data as a strategic tool for building back better after the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has deepened inequalities all around the globe and threatens the overall progress of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. The official COVID-19 responses of many countries have overlooked the situation of marginalised communities. As a consequence, the chosen mitigation measures have not reached these communities, or even worse: they have further increased inequality and the exclusion of these groups. Part of the reason for this negligence is that government policy making is typically based on data that does not adequately represent all communities and their diverse needs, leaving their voices unheard and their specific situation ignored.

Community-based and civil society organisations (CBOs / CSOs) have been at the core of local COVID-19 responses, supporting their local communities and generating relevant monitoring data of their situation that could help address gaps in official statistics. This kind of data – like all data that looks into the situation of marginalised communities – has a key relevance for “building back better” after the pandemic: it can help governments to offer more targeted support to excluded and vulnerable groups within society, thereby increasing the overall effectiveness and impact of their COVID response plans.

In this virtual side event, the Leave No One Behind partnership and GIZ presented some insights from their work around inclusive data. The audience also heard inputs from various countries who have worked with inclusive data over the last few years under the impression of the global pandemic. An international donor and expert panel discussed advantages and limitations of inclusive data sources like “Community-Driven Data” , sharing their perceptions on how such approaches can help to build back better after the pandemic.

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