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S. Africa to hold first UN World Data Forum

Xinhua, December 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

Plans are in high gear for the first United Nations World Data Forum to be held in South Africa's Cape Town next month, organizers said Thursday.

Over 1,000 data experts and political leaders from more than 100 countries have pre-registered for the Forum to take place on January 15-18, the United Nations Information Centre Pretoria (UNIC Pretoria) said.

Representatives will come from national statistical offices, the private sector and academia, international organizations and civil society groups, according to the center.

The forum will be a unique opportunity for major producers and users of data and statistics to collaborate, launch new initiatives and innovative solutions to deliver better data on health, education, income, environmental indicators and other aspects of sustainable development, the center said.

"I am confident that the first UN World Data Forum will generate fruitful collaboration across the statistics and data communities, and cutting edge practical solutions to current challenges," said Wu Hongbo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, who heads the Secretariat for the Forum.

Improved use of data and statistics will be crucial to achieving the vision of a better future for people and the planet, set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development agreed by world leaders in 2015, UNIC Pretoria said.

The first UN World Data Forum will be hosted by the South African government and Statistics South Africa, with support from the Statistics Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

A number of partners, including governments, the World Bank, the United Nations Children's Fund, and several civil society organizations and research institutes, are collaborating to organize the Forum. Enditem