15 February 2016: The High-level Group for Partnership, Coordination and Capacity-Building for post-2015 monitoring (HLG for post-2015 monitoring) has reported on its third meeting, which addressed plans for the UN World Data Forum and a database on SDG indicators. The HLG’s third meeting took place from 14-15 January 2016, at UN Headquarters in New York, US. Its report will be considered by the 47th session of the UN Statistical Commission (UNSC 47), convening in March 2016.

The HLG was established during UNSC 46 to foster statistical capacity building, partnership and coordination, among other goals. The HLG is composed of Member States and includes regional and international agencies as observers. It should report annually to the UNSC. The HLG is co-chaired by Gabriella Vukovich (Hungary) and Ibrahima Ba (Côte d’Ivoire).

On the World Data Forum, the report notes that organizing the Forum under the auspices of the UNSC is one of the main activities of the group. It states that while Kenya had offered to host the UN World Data Forum, some HLG members suggested having a call for expressions of interest open to all countries or organizations, and the dates and location of the Forum should be determined as soon as possible, preferably by March 2016.

On the SDG indicator database, the report says the UN Statistics Division will establish a database on SDG indicators, which will be the basis for the annual SDG progress report that has been called by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The database will be populated gradually as data become available over the coming years, and the 2016 SDG progress report will be a “state of the world data” report, taking stock of current data availability and data gaps.

On the relationship between the HLG and the Inter-Agency Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators (IAEG-SDGs), the report says the HLG can help shape the interaction between the technical and political aspects of the work on indicators. It notes that HLG members have agreed to define mechanisms for the HLG to make recommendations to the IAEG-SDGs on strategic issues at the country level, including the use and interpretation of indicators, means of implementation, and strengthening national statistical systems. They also have agreed to define roles of national statistical systems, international agencies, and other stakeholders in the collection, compilation, transmission, and aggregation of data. Stefan Schweinfest, UNSD Director, said the HLG can help to make connections among issues, such as setting SDG indicators, the data revolution and the transformative agenda for official statistics.

On the scope of the HLG’s work, members agreed that while its main focus should remain on implementing the SDG indicators, it should not be limited to the SDGs. The report notes that a number of countries offered to work on a draft outline of a global action plan for data, to be circulated for comments during UNSC 47.

The HLG plans to hold its fourth meeting on the sidelines of the 47th session of the UNSC, on 6 March 2016. [Publication: Report on the Third Meeting of the High-level Group for Partnership, Coordination and Capacity-Building for post-2015 monitoring] [HLG 3 Agenda, Documents] [IISD RS Story on HLG’s First Three Meetings] [UNSC 47 Side Events]