Contact: Dilly Severin | dseverin@data2x.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, DC – The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Data2X and Open Data Watch today announced that the Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21) will become the new secretariat of the Gender Data Network (GDN).
PARIS21, which helps low- and middle-income countries produce better data for better lives, was selected on the basis of its twenty-year track record of capacity strengthening among national statistical offices and for its ability to convene a wide range of stakeholders around topics of key importance such as data for gender equality.
Founded by Data2X and hosted by UNECA since its launch in 2019, the GDN works to improve the production of gender data within national statistical systems, make gender data communication more effective, and encourage greater use of gender data across countries. Members can access best practices and support to advance gender issues in their organizations.
“Reflecting the differences between men and women in official statistics strengthens the whole statistical system. With the GDN, we laid the groundwork for improvements in concepts, methods and knowledge-sharing to reflect better the realities of women and men in Africa” says Oliver Chinganya, Director of the African Center for Statistics at UNECA.
The GDN aims to be a catalyst for solutions at a time of increasing vulnerability and widening inequality for women and girls, as well as unprecedented demands on national statistical offices as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most national statistical offices have reported that financing for statistics has decreased, and even more so for gender statistics, as resources are channeled to preventive measures and health needs in response to the pandemic.
“More than half of the sex-disaggregated data needed to plan COVID-19 recovery in low- and lower-middle-income countries are missing. Yet this has not translated into more funding. To support NSOs and their gender data focal points in overcoming these obstacles, we are committed to building the GDN into a truly global network and a significant force for change”, says Johannes Jütting, PARIS21 Executive Director.
Emily Courey Pryor, Executive Director of Data2X emphasized, “Tackling gender data gaps requires practical solutions driven by those closest to the data. I am excited that the Gender Data Network contributes to these solutions by providing gender data experts in national statistical offices with a platform to exchange knowledge and share lessons learned.”
A new Gender Data Network newsletter is available to those interested in following its activities.
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About Data2X
Data2X is a global gender data alliance which builds the case and mobilizes action for gender data. Through our research, advocacy, and communications, we make gender data central to global efforts to achieve gender equality.