26 October 2016: The Sixth Global Forum on Gender Statistics discussed ways to improve the collection, production, dissemination and use of data on gender to support implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls). One-third of the SDG indicators call for gender data analysis, underscoring the importance of reliable and relevant statistics on gender to measure progress on the Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Over 200 national statisticians, government officials, statistical experts, and other stakeholders attended the two-day Forum, which convened in Helsinki, Finland, the 24-26 October 2016. The Forum followed the International Day of the Girl Child, for which the 2016 theme focused on better and more data to support progress for girls.
The Forum considered national experiences and best practices in producing gender statistics, and reviewed data availability and data gaps on gender equality and women’s empowerment. Participants discussed SDG indicators related to several themes: women’s economic empowerment (SDGs 1, 5, 8); women and girls in international migration (SDGs 8, 10); violence against women and girls (SDGs 5, 11, 16); unpaid work (SDG 5); women’s political participation, including at the local level (SDG 5); and women’s health (SDGs 3, 5). Sessions also addressed: asset ownership and entrepreneurship from a gender perspective and women’s engagement in agriculture; administrative data and geospatial information systems for gender data; gender indicators frameworks and data disaggregation; and international initiatives on gender statistics.
The number of SDG indicators relevant to gender is expected to translate into an increased demand for high-quality gender statistics.
UN Statistics Division (UNSD) Director Stefan Schweinfest said the SDGs have raised awareness about the need for better data, with the stand-alone Goal on gender equality putting “significant pressure on countries’ statistical capacity to fulfill new SDGs’ gender data requirements.” He elaborated that the number of SDG indicators relevant to gender is expected to “translate into an increased demand for high-quality gender statistics that are produced regularly and that provide solid and objective evidence on the status of women compared to men.”
UNSD launched a Minimum Set of Gender Indicators Portal at the Forum that allows users to explore indicators by the following categories: economic structures, participation in productive activities and access to resources; education; health and related services; public life and decision-making; and human rights of women and girl children. The Portal displays the minimum set of gender indicators agreed upon by the UN Statistical Commission (UNSC), which includes 52 quantitative indicators and 11 qualitative indicators on national norms and laws on gender equality. Users can also display SDG indicators by their Tier classification and leading agencies, and explore or download relevant data and metadata files.
The Global Gender Statistics Programme and the UNSD organized the Forum with guidance from the UN Inter-agency and Expert Group on Gender Statistics and in collaboration with Statistics Finland. [UN Press Release on Opening] [UN Press Release] [Forum Website] [Minimum Set of Gender Indicators Portal] [IISD RS Story on International Day of Girl Child]