Cetic.br discusses measuring the Sustainable Development Goals

VII NIC.br Week of Survey Methodologies brought together representatives from 13 countries and various sectors

As an action plan that establishes universal and transformative goals for economic, social, and environmental areas, the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was at the center of discussions during the 7th edition of the NIC.br Week of Survey Methodologies, held by the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br) through the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br). For four days (June 5 to 8), challenges in measuring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were debated by representatives from 13 countries and different sectors, gathered at the NIC.br headquarters in São Paulo.

During the course, representatives from the public, private, academic, non-profit, and international organizations met to deepen understanding of what the SDGs are, the challenges in measuring them, and how information and communication technologies (ICT) contribute to their implementation and measurement. “The event traditionally promotes a broad reflection on the importance of producing quality data for the design and monitoring of policies to foster the digital transformation of the economy. Bringing together data producers and users from various economic and social sectors in one space is crucial to bridging the gap between political and measurement agendas,” said Alexandre Barbosa, manager of Cetic.br.

During the meeting, Francesca Perucci (United Nations Statistics Division) provided an overview of the SDGs and reinforced that they should be integrated into countries' development plans. “Decisions will have to be guided by national priorities, based on each country’s context. At the same time, national indicators must be aligned at regional and global levels,” she emphasized.

Additionally, Roberto Olinto, President of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), reminded that the Government has a governance mechanism for implementing the SDGs in Brazil: the National Commission for the Sustainable Development Goals, in which IBGE holds an advisory position. "We are beginning the discussion on developing a national framework. The Commission is discussing the coordination of specific goals, as well as how to produce national indicators and the responsibility of data producers," he reported.

Regional inequalities and data analysis

Experiences from Ecuador, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, South Korea, and South Africa on measuring the SDGs were brought to the meeting with participation from representatives of these countries. Based on presentations by Emmanuel Letouzé (Data-Pop Alliance), the VII NIC.br Week of Survey Methodologies discussed the potential contribution of data sets known as big data for producing data that can aid in the monitoring and promotion of the SDGs.

The Latin American perspective, particularly concerning economic and social inequalities, was addressed at the meeting by Mireia Fernandez-Ardèvol (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya), who contributed to the discussion on indicators for measuring this theme. The fourth and final day of the event involved in-depth discussions on the quantitative analysis of sustainable development indicators and was led by Bruno Cautrès (Centre de Recherches Politiques de Sciences Po - Paris). From an integrated perspective that connected different aspects associated with measuring the SDGs, the session discussed the use of quantitative indicators and presented statistical techniques for data analysis.

This content was automatically translated with the support of artificial intelligence.