NGOs

  A view of the room durring the address from Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General Highlights The Data For Now initiative aims to improve the timeliness, coverage, and quality of SDG data by filling critical data gaps through collaboration and partnership. Telecom companies can play a critical role in providing timely data for policy interventions in emergencies. The World Hunger Map portal developed by the World Food Programme (WFP) and Alibaba will make local data on food security available in near real-time. Data clocks are public art installations visualizing key SDG indicators to support a new movement of “factivism.” Organized by the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data and partners, this event launched the Data For Now Initiative, which aims to support collaboration and partnership for the sustainable use of robust methods and tools that improve the timeliness, coverage, and quality of SDG data. Welcoming participants, Rajesh Mirchandani, Chief Communications Officer, UN Ford Foundation, said that “if we don’t count everybody” people die, ecosystems degrade, and climate change continues. Highlighting the Decade of Action and Delivery for Sustainable Development, adopted by the SDG Action Summit the previous day, he said Data For Now will bring together data practitioners and users to “do more with data.” In her keynote, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed stressed that no country is on track to achieve the SDGs by 2030 and that different approaches are needed for several Goals. Noting that good data is only available for 20% of the SDG indicators, she underlined the importance of timely, disaggregated data for identifying and scaling up effective action and accelerating progress. She said the Data For Now partnership will build a community of data users to maximise the sharing and use of data. She called on countries and organizations to join the partnership and step up data resources to ensure that the people who are still waiting are recognized and counted for the SDGs. Claire Melamed, CEO, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, explained that progress requires access to the right data at the right time, noting that “we can’t navigate by looking in the rear-view mirror.” She said Data For Now will scale up existing tools and efforts to provide data on the world as it is now to improve action. Pledges and Projects In a series of short panels and presentations, speakers from national governments, international organizations, NGOs, and businesses showcased projects that will contribute to Data For Now. Patricia Obo-Nai, CEO Vodafone Ghana, explained how Vodafone, in collaboration with the government, uses anonymized mobile phone data to track population trends and help making life-saving decisions. Noting the importance of data privacy, she called on data providers to come together to enable accurate, timely, and predictive decision-making that saves lives. Mats Granryd, Director General, Global System for Mobile Communication (GSMA), reiterated the challenge of bridging data ethics and data uses, underlining the potential of mobile data for decision making. Noting that big data saves lives, he encouraged companies to be bold and use their data for action. David Beasley, Executive Director, World Food Programme (WFP), and Eric Jing, Alibaba, presented the Hunger Map platform combining information from different sources to monitor and predict the global food security situation in near real-time. Beasley stressed that the platform will allow more efficient use of food aid as it enables identifying people in need at local scale. Jamie Drummond, co-founder, ONE, presented a video on a project to create public “data clocks” showing changes in key indicators in real time. As public art installations, Data Clocks intend to create shared epistemologies between activists and decision makers to support a new movement of “factivism.” Maximo Torrero, Assistant Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), described FAO’s data lab, an initiative to improve the quality and comparability of data from official country sources. He said the lab is helping countries to assess existing data and data collection methods to learn how data can be collected and used more effectively. Rebecca Moore, Director, Google Earth, explained how the Google Earth engine combines different streams of data in real-time to provide knowledge for decision making, such as monitoring the state of forests, visualizing changes in water bodies, or predicting locust outbreaks. She said Google Earth will soon make data cubes available than can be used in other applications. Matthew Rycroft, Permanent Secretary of International Development, UK, provided examples of the work of the Global Data Center of the UK Department for International Development (DFID), including prediction of outbreaks of cholera to improve timely relief action. He said development agencies should focus on building the capacity of countries to enable them to work together on projects like the Hunger Map. Experiences on the Ground The final panel focused on experiences on the ground. Mahmoud Mohieldin, Senior Vice-President, World Bank Group, said the cost of data is often prohibitive, noting that making data publicly available can reduce the costs while improving data quality and usability. Commenting on the role of academia, Shaida Badiee, Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), highlighted SDSN’s role as independent voice and its commitment to work on the conditions that facilitate data sharing and the specifics of data curation. Omar Seidu, Head of Demographics, Statistical Service, Ghana, told the story of a local community that succeeded in preventing a mining operation by using data that demonstrated operation’s destructive impacts. He described Ghana’s steps to speed up access to new data and explore alternative data sources. Ariunzaya Ayush, Chairwoman, National Statistics Office, Mongolia, reported how improved access to data was used to prevent livestock deaths during a recent harsh winter. She added that national priorities include generating georeferenced data and investing in data literacy. Iván Mauricio Ojeda, Director General, Statistics, Surveys and Censuses, Paraguay, described efforts to modernize Paraguay’s institutions and laws for statistics. He said Paraguay has aligned its national development strategy with the SDGs and mandated the Statistics Office to monitor progress. In her closing statement, Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Africa, highlighted the importance of high-frequency, up-to-date data for SDG implementation and the importance of making marginalized populations visible. She urged working together to move towards big data, noting that “we must find 250 million invisible women in Africa alone.”Mirchandani thanked participants and invited them to gather again at the World Data Forum in October 2020 in Bern Switzerland. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin on the Side (ENBOTS) meeting coverage, provided web coverage from the side event on Data for Now – Accelerating Progress Through Timely Data. Photos courtesy of Diane Bondareff Rajesh Mirchandani, Chief Communications Officer, UN Ford Foundation Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General L-R: Claire Melamed, CEO, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data; Patricia Obo-Nai, CEO, Vodaphone Ghana; and Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA L-R: Claire Melamed, CEO, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data; David Beasley, Executive Director, WFP; and Eric Jing, Alibaba. L-R: Claire Melamed, CEO, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, and Jamie Drummond, co-founder, ONE Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Africa L-R: Claire Melamed, CEO, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data; Maximo Torrero, Assistant Director-General, FAO; Rebecca Moore, Director, Google Earth; and Matthew Rycroft, Permanent Secretary of International Development, UK L-R: Rajesh Mirchandani, Chief Communications Officer, UN Ford Foundation; Shaida Badiee, Sustainable Development Solutions Network; Mahmoud Mohieldin, Senior Vice-President, World Bank Group; Omar Seidu, Head of Demographics, Statistical Service, Ghana; Ariunzaya Ayush, Chairwoman, National Statistics Office, Mongolia; and Iván Mauricio Ojeda, Director General, Statistics, Surveys and Censuses, Paraguay (with interpreter) CONTACT info@data4sdgs.org Amber Kiwan | Akiwan@data4sdgs.org MORE INFORMATION http://www.data4sdgs.org http://www.data4sdgs.org/data4now  

  Carolina Schmidt, Minister of the Environment, Chile, and COP 25 President-designate, and Shinjiro Koizumi, Minister of the Environment, Japan, show their commitment to the CCAC. The 11th High-Level Assembly (HLA) of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to reduce Short-lived Climate Pollutants (CCAC), convened to discuss climate and clean air action needed on the ground and their ambition for further implementation. On air pollution and health, speakers stressed the loss of lives and economic costs due to poor air quality, and how this can be a lever for enhanced and fast climate action. They also discussed progress in monitoring air quality and addressing SLCPs, and the need to evaluate the benefits of climate change action through a wellbeing lens. On cooling and efficiency, ministers reported on investments in efficient and climate-friendly refrigeration and cooling, highlighting the rising demand for cooling caused by climate change and growing cities. They drew attention to the Biarritz Pledge initiated at the G7 Summit and its call for support of the CCAC’s Efficient Cooling Initiative. On agriculture and food systems, participants reported on efforts to reduce methane and black carbon emissions, emphasizing the importance of raising awareness on agriculture climate solutions that balance the need for ensuring food security and poverty alleviation. They also noted the importance of healthy, low carbon diets and of reducing food waste. Taking stock of the CCAC’s work launched at the 2014 UN Climate Summit, representatives from the private sector described integrated solutions to reduce methane emissions in the oil and gas industry. They highlighting private sector efforts to reduce climate and air pollutant emissions from freight. and called on countries to join a ‘Global Methane Alliance.’ In the closing session, participants adopted the 2030 Vision Statement committing members to “drive and respond to scientific and political progress to maintain an atmosphere that enables people and the planet to thrive – a stabilized climate with warming limited to 1.5 C and drastically reduced air pollution.” Members agreed to add this statement to the CCAC Framework Document and to extend the duration of the Coalition’s mandate until the end of 2030. Several members pledged additional financial support to the Coalition’s work. The United Arab Emirates was welcomed as the CCAC’s newest CCAC state partner. The 11th meeting of the CCAC HLA took place in New York, US, on 22 September 2019 on the eve of the UN Climate Action Summit. The HLA was attended by high-level representatives of governments and international and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Opening Delegates gather for the 11th High Level Assembly of the CCAC. Chair Manuel Sager, Switzerland Miguel Arias Cañete, Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, European Commission Mary Nichols, Chair of the California Air Resources Board, State of California Joseph Séka Seka, Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Côte d'Ivoire Delegates applaud the work done by the CCAC. How the Coalition is Increasing Ambition and Will Scale-Up Towards 2030 Andrew Steer, President and CEO, World Resources Institute (WRI), facilitates a series of panel sessions on: air pollution and health; cooling and eficiency; agriculture and food systems; and integrated solutions and transitions. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO) Qu Dongyu, Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Patricia Fuller, Climate Ambassador, Canada Vincent Biruta, Minister of Environment, Rwanda Aupito William Sio, Minister for Pacific Peoples, New Zealand Patrick Pouyanne, CEO, Total André Weidenhaupt, Luxembourg Pledges, Launching New Work, Plans, and the Coalition’s “2030 Vision” Xie Zhenhua, Special Representative for Climate Change Affairs, China, delivers a keynote address to launch the UNEP-CCAC-Tsinghua Report. Satya Tripathi, Assistant Secretary-General, UNEP Jane Burston, Executive Director, Clean Air Fund Marcel Beukeboom, Climate Envoy, the Netherlands Krista Mikkonen, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Finland Pledges made during the meeting. Closing Michał Kurtyka, COP 24 President, Poland, and Carolina Schmidt, Minister of the Environment, Chile, and COP 25 President-designate Family photo of the high level participants.