The United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund provides USD $899,999 to strengthen statistical capacity in Asia-Pacific through innovative and big data use

Project narrative

In 2016, the Chinese Government pledged to contribute $200 million to the United Nations over a ten year period. The United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund (UNPDF) was established to channel these earmarked funds to specific projects in coordination with the UN. The UNPDF is divided into two sub-funds: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Sub-Fund and The Secretary-General's Peace and Security Sub-Fund. Approved in 2022 by the UNPDF, USD $899,999 was allocated from the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Sub-Fund to strengthen the capacity of national statistical offices in Asia and the Pacific to use innovative, new, and big data sources for official statistics in support of the 2030 Agenda. The project responds to legal, technical, and resource constraints faced by many offices in leveraging data such as mobile phone records, satellite imagery, and web-scraping for improved accuracy, timeliness, and cost-effectiveness. Activities include regional workshops, development of knowledge products, peer-to-peer learning, and guidance on addressing legal barriers to innovative data use. South-South collaboration will be promoted through sub-regional exchanges, study tours showcasing national big data initiatives, and documentation of good practices. The project is implemented by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in collaboration with UNDESA and SDG data custodian agencies such as UN Environment, IOC-UNESCO, FAO, and UN Women. Its scheduled duration is from April 2023 to March 2025.