UAE To Host UN World Data Forum On Monday

The second United Nations Data Forum 2018 will commence on Monday, October 22, 2018.

DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 20th Oct, 2018) The second United Nations Data Forum 2018 will commence on Monday, October 22, 2018.

The three-day forum will bring together more than 2,500 data experts, high-ranking government officials and prominent policy makers from 120 countries around the world.

The UN World Data Forum 2018 is hosted by the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA), with the support of the Statistics Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The Forum will be co-organised by a number of partners, including governments, the World Bank, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), PARIS21 (the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the United Nations Foundation, as well as a number of civil society organisations and entities.

The United Nations selected the UAE to host the second UN World Data Forum 2018 after competing with developed countries, including Switzerland, Finland, Mexico and other countries.

With 80 interactive discussion panels and more than 400 global speakers, the second edition of the United Nations Data Forum 2018 will discuss harnessing the data revolution for sustainable development and improving the use of data and statistics to achieve change towards a better future for human communities in line with the SDGs 2030. The Forum will also feature presentations on interactive visual data and discussion panels, which enable the participants to interact, exchange ideas and views, and enhance data-use capabilities to meet the UN’s SDGs 2030.

On the recommendation of the UN Secretary-General's Independent Expert Advisory Group on the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development, the United Nations Statistical Commission agreed to organise the Forum. Improving the use of data and statistics is critical to fulfilling the transformational Vision of a better future for both humans and Earth, as per the 2030 Sustainable Development Plan adopted by world leaders at the United Nations in September 2015.

The forum takes place in Dubai and is held under the guidance of the United Nations, underlining its importance. It brings together leading data producers and users to launch innovative initiatives that contribute to improving the quality of data on health, migration, refugees, education, income, environment, human rights, and other fields of sustainable development.

The United Nations estimates that 90 percent of the world's data has been developed over the past two years, and that the volume of data will increase by 40 percent annually. The expansion of new data sources, resulting mainly from mobile, digital and space technologies, gives ample opportunities for innovative solutions to be integrated with formal data mechanisms and structures.