How is Artificial Intelligence Helping us Achieve and Track the Sustainable Development Goals? — Recent headlines have been filled with content related to Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially with OpenAI’s release of GPT-4. This new Large Language Model has the ability to generate human-like responses based on user text or even images and has many in the tech world asking about the implications. …

Global Challenges and the Importance of Relevant and Timely Data — Global Economic Recovery — Food Security — Access to Relevant Data These were the main themes driving the conversation in Yogyakarta, Indonesia at the UN’s International Conference on Big Data. …

Launched in 2015 as a successor to the Millennium Development Goals, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs or Global Goals) are seven years into implementation. How is the global community doing in tracking their progress? — Key Take-Aways The two primary sources of official SDG data are the official indicators that provide a standardize mean to collect data across all countries (horizontal reporting) and the Voluntary National Reviews, which are country specific (vertical reporting).

The UN General Assembly brings with it a treasure trove of new information on the Sustainable Development Goals — For the first time in a post-COVID world, the global community gathered in person in New York for the UN General Assembly. Along with the formal proceedings, hundreds of events — both large and small — took place to commemorate Global Goals Week. If you need to catch up on…

Insights from High Level Political Forum on the SDGs — The High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development is the most significant annual gathering for discussing the Sustainable Development Goals. Delegates, advocates and experts met in New York in July for the first in-person gathering of the forum since the COVID-19 pandemic began. While there was news of positive developments…

Data released at the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development outlines progress and challenges to achieving the 2030 Agenda — Every year global development experts, stakeholders, and international delegates gather in July for the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development. This two week assembly, and the related side events, represent the highest concentration of SDG data and evaluative discussion anywhere. …

Statement to ECOSOC may preview HLPF focal points — On May 17, 2022, UN Secretary-General António Guterres addressed the Economic and Social (ECOSOC) Segment on Operational Activities for Development making the bold assertion that the global community “must rise higher to rescue the SDGs.” In doing so, he highlighted a number of key issues facing the implementation of the…

How has the global pandemic affected data collection and analysis for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? — Disruptions to the SDGs COVID-19’s impact on SDG progress is widely documented. The UN’s most recent SDG Report reveals “the global extreme poverty rate rose for the first time in over 20 years” and “an additional 101 million children have fallen below the minimum reading proficiency level, potentially wiping out two decades of education…

The top reports to pay attention to in 2022 for information on our progress to achieving the Global Goals — Each year UN agencies and other stakeholders release hundreds of reports outlining achievements, challenges, and findings related to work around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Last week we published our list of top events to follow in 2022. Here is our list of top reports to look out for.