10 April 2014: Panelists emphasized the need for a transformational data revolution to enable, empower and transform knowledge for development, at a World Bank event on ‘Talking about the Data Revolution’ in Washington, DC, US, held on the sidelines of the 2014 Spring Meetings of the Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Panelists discussed data needs for the post-2015 development agenda, and underscored the importance of partnerships for a development revolution, including partnerships with academia, civil society, foundations and the private sector.

Jan Eliasson, UN Deputy Secretary-General, said “a data revolution is about more than counting; it aims to make people feel that they count – their concerns, needs, triumphs and above all their voices.” He outlined four steps for improving how data are produced, used and disseminated: invest in national statistical capacity; explore new data sources, including from citizens, to collect detailed, disaggregated and timely data; harness big data and visualization tools; and facilitate open access to data.

Noting that some countries use data that are three to five years old, Mahmoud Mohieldin, Special Envoy for the President of the World Bank, emphasized the need to support countries in creating and maintaining data. He said “30 developing countries lack sufficient data to report on poverty,” while 29 countries cannot report on sanitation. Nick Dyer, UK Department for International Development (DFID), said three things are needed from the data revolution: good baselines; data that “ends invisibility,” such as data on disabled groups, girls and women, and data at local and individual levels; and open data. He emphasized the need to “collect less data but collect it better” and to build the capacity of Parliamentarians, policymakers, journalists and others to use data.

Haishan Fu, World Bank, stressed statistical development as a goal in its own right. She said a data revolution will require a change in mindset, rethinking basic rules of the game and new partnerships, including public-private partnerships (PPPs). Gavin Starks, Open Data Institute, said “the revolution is already here, it’s just not very evenly distributed.” He described actions to build an enabling ecosystem for data, including developing publishing standards, engaging with the corporate sector and incubating startups. Lindsay Coates, InterAction, moderated the panel. [Event Information] [Statement of UN Deputy Secretary-General]