Access Info is calling on governments to collect and publish data on the 231 indicators for the Sustainable Development Goals, in order to measure progress towards the achievement of the goals by 2030, and to release that data following the open data principles.
The call comes on the occasion of the International Open Data Day which is marked today, March 6
The Agenda 2030 aims to tackle urgent global issues such as the climate crisis or gender inequality. Research by Access Info on the gender equality indicators (SDG 5), in seven European countries found that, on average, only a little more than half (57%) of data on 28 gender-related data indicators was published.
“The clock is ticking, but without quality data to measure the SDG indicators, it is difficult to understand where we currently stand on the path to achieve them,” said Helen Darbishire, Executive Director of Access Info.
This call comes after a year in which the pandemic revealed the weaknesses in national systems for collecting and publishing accurate, timely data, even on basic health matters such as infection rates and testing, or on the spending of public funds in emergency procurement.