The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has launched a Knowledge Hub on Statistics for SDGs to help countries develop and communicate statistics on the SDGs, and formulate and evaluate evidence-driven policies. The Knowledge Hub is the first part of the UNECE Regional Platform on Statistics for the SDGs.

SDG 17 (partnerships for the Goals) recognizes the essential role of data and statistics in achieving the SDGs. SDG target 17.18 calls for increased availability and quality of data, and SDG target 17.19 recommends statistical capacity building for improved measurement of progress.

In line with these targets, UNECE’s Knowledge Hub, launched on 3 December 2019, seeks to contribute to coordination and promotion of statistically sound methodology. The Hub is also a direct response to a declaration adopted by European chief statisticians at a conference in 2015. The ‘Declaration on the role of national statistical offices in measuring and monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals,’ adopted by the Conference of European Statisticians (CES), calls on national governments to support national statistical offices (NSOs) in measuring and monitoring the SDGs, underscores the importance of high-quality statistics in informed decision-making, and acknowledges the importance of sharing experience and learning from each other to monitor and report on the SDGs.

The Knowledge Hub provides producers of national official statistics and other statistical experts with a set of guidelines and tools, including a practical guide to developing national reporting platforms and tools for countries to conduct self-assessments of their data and indicator availability. The Knowledge Hub also compiles summaries of progress in producing SDG indicators across UNECE countries, and shares work on national reporting platforms, statistical capacity development and data flows. The platform highlights global, regional and national events and initiatives.

Countries also can use the Hub to share technical materials. For instance, Ireland has shared its code and shapefiles for combining geospatial and statistical data. 

In addition to the Knowledge Hub, the UNECE Regional Platform on Statistics for the SDGs will include a database on SDG indicators, presented through an interactive dashboard. UNECE anticipates launching the dashboard in March 2020, in advance of the UNECE Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (RFSD). [UNECE Press Release] [Knowledge Hub on Statistics for SDGs] [Publication: Declaration on the role of national statistical offices in measuring and monitoring the SDGs]