29 August 2014: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced the establishment of a 24-member Independent Expert Advisory Group (IEAG) on the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development, to provide recommendations on closing data gaps and strengthening national statistical capacities for the post-2015 development agenda. The Group is expected to report to the Secretary-General later this year, as input to his synthesis report ahead of intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 agenda.

The Group will also assess opportunities related to innovation, public and private data and technical progress to complement conventional statistical systems and strengthen global, regional and national level accountability.

Members of the IEAG include experts from governments, international organizations, civil society, the private sector and academia. Ban appointed the Co-Chairs of the Group: Enrico Giovannini of Italy and Robin Li of China.

The UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for Post-2015 Development Planning, Amina Mohammed, and the Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Thomas Gass, will serve as ex-officio members of the Group to provide a UN system link. [UN Press Release]