12 July 2018: On Thursday, 12 July 2018, on the sidelines of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), a side event shared best practices and exchange views on how governments can mobilize the data revolution to ensure that no one is left behind, with a focus on Bangladesh.

Titled ‘Leaving No One Behind Through Data Revolution: Evidences from Bangladesh,’ the event was organized by the Permanent Missions of Bangladesh and Norway to the UN, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).

Masud Bin Momen, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN, outlined challenges related to the data revolution, including ensuring that developing countries have access to data, as well as resources and capacity on data collection, and the need to minimize risks related to privacy and confidentiality.

The Open Government Data Portal provides one-stop access to publicly available government data in Bangladesh.

During the event, speakers underscored:

• the role of data revolution in helping governments move from a silo approach to a whole-of-government approach;
• the role of national statistics offices in improving civil registration systems through public-private partnerships (PPPs) and producing statistics at a lower cost;
• the need to establish a mechanism to coordinate and synthesize various sources of statistical data;
• advocacy urging governments to prioritize and invest more in the data revolution; and
• data sharing among governments and non-state actors to achieve the SDGs.

Participants also highlighted: the need to scale up big data projects, such as using remote sensing to count roofs and identify the type of material used as a proxy poverty indicator in Uganda; promotion of Bangladesh’s Open Government Data Portal providing one-stop access to publicly available government data; and data sharing on maps helping cities and communities in Asia develop resilient transportation systems. [IISD-RS Coverage of Side Event on the Data Revolution] [Access to Information (a2i), a Programme of Government of Bangladesh]