The Capacity Building Workshop on Data Ethics, Governance, and Quality in a Changing Data Ecosystem for countries of the Africa Region will take place over 2.5 days in September 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya. The workshop is organized by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) in collaboration with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), and the Statistics Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).
This workshop aims to strengthen the capacity of national statistical systems in countries of the Africa region to adapt to the rapidly changing data ecosystem. Countries of the Africa region face unique challenges in managing their national data ecosystems, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted the need for resilient, adaptive, and high-quality statistical systems that provide timely and disaggregated data.
Description: Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) systems are essential for inclusive development, ensuring individuals can access rights and services while providing governments with critical data to inform policy. However, a critical gap remains in research capacity within this field. To address this, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), is conducting the CRVS Applied Research and Training (CART) initiative. The CART initiative aims to strengthen CRVS systems by supporting applied research on strategies, interventions, and tools. It equips practitioners to design and carry out independent research projects focused on CRVS systems or the use of CRVS data. This is achieved through a blended approach that combines online training, personalized mentorship, and in-person workshops.Following the success of Cohort 1, the second cohort of CART was launched in early 2025. This initiative brings together practitioners working in CRVS systems across Asia and Africa, supporting them in conducting applied research that contributes to strengthening CRVS policy and practice in their countries.This workshops marks the first in-person engagement for CART Cohort 2 participants. The five-day workshop will be interactive and participatory, blending technical sessions, hands-on skills labs, and structured group and individual work. Facilitators from ESCAP, ECA, and partner organizations will lead technical sessions and provide individualized feedback on the participants research projects.
Description: Both the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) and the Statistical Commission (StatComm) recognize the important role of the integration of statistical and geospatial information in all its forms, including Earth observations, for making informed decision-making in response to climate-related challenges, disasters, security issues, food production and other thematic areas of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at both national and local levels. In this regard, both UN-GGIM and the StatComm have urged Member States to implement and operationalize the Global Statistical Geospatial Framework, anchored by the United Nations Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (UN-IGIF), as the guiding framework that facilitates the integration of statistical and geospatial information. Furthermore, both bodies have supported the development of the SDGs Geospatial Roadmap. The Statistics Division (UNSD) as the secretariat to UN-GGIM is organizing the Joint Expert Meeting on Geo-statistical Integration, incorporating the eighth meeting of the Expert Group on the Integration of Statistical and Geospatial Information and the seventh meeting of the Working Group on Geospatial Information of the IAEG-SDGs in Nairobi, Kenya from 17 - 19 September 2024 at the offices of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), United Nations Office in Nairobi, Kenya. This Joint Expert Meeting aims to bring together national, regional, and international experts from governments, the United Nations system, SDGs Custodian Agencies, international organizations, the private sector, academic and research institutions, and civil society. Participants are expected to engage, share, and discuss relevant sciences, knowledge, practices, and experiences. They will consider priority issues and actions in the area of geo-statistical integration for the SDGs to: Address the challenges faced in the collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of reliable, timely and accessible geospatial data and earth observations for better evidence-based policymaking and the 2030 Agenda; Leverage national geospatial information management, its systems and infrastructures and today's geospatial technologies to collate and integrate the data needed to keep the promise to leave no one behind; Discuss recent views and guidances from UN-GGIM and StatComm to develop applicable work plans and establish future working modalities to ensure the Expert Group and Working Group can deliver their objectives and functions to Member States; Review and deliberate their respective future directions, including identifying how to advance the GSGF, SDGs Geospatial Roadmap and other relevant internationally agreed norms and practices, while also considering how to optimize resources and capabilities across the membership of both groups; Agree on the next steps to support Member States in strengthening geo-statistical integration and coordination towards the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda; Identify means of providing guidance to Member States that enable the full disaggregation of statistical data, including SDG indicators, by geography; and, Provide Member State representatives responsible for geo-statistical integration the opportunity to discuss challenges in the geo-statistical domain and develop work plans that identify and advance solutions in a participatory and inclusive manner.
Description: The Africa Natural Capital Accounting Policy Forum on Using Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) And Analysis to Inform Policies for Development, Climate Change and Nature Protection aims to provide participants with a platform to discuss the use of natural capital approaches, including natural capital accounting (NCA), in particular the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA), and the challenges and opportunities in using natural capital data, tools and analysis to inform and support policies in African countries. The Forum will foster dialogue and sharing of experiences on using NCA and related data and analysis to address policy issues like climate change, biodiversity, and nature protection. Both the latest Climate and Biodiversity Conferences of the Parties (COP 27 and COP15) called for addressing climate change and nature protection simultaneously, as they are closely intertwined. The 2023 Africa NCA Policy Forum will hence focus on how NCA and related approaches can inform the climate change, nature, and development nexus in Africa. The Forum is expected to attract policy makers, statisticians, academics, regional and international experts, as well as private sector entities from countries and organizations across Africa. It will be an in-person event with selected sessions livestreamed.
Description: Climate change is one of the most pressing policy issues for many African countries given its wide-ranging impacts on well-being. High quality, consistent data on the environment-economy nexus is needed to inform effective pathways for addressing climate change and related issues. Many national statistical offices (NSOs) of countries in the region have responded to this need by compiling various SEEA accounts, including taking steps towards compiling energy and air emission accounts which are among the most relevant accounts for informing climate change. However, there is still a need to strengthen the capacities of NSOs to produce and disseminate SEEA accounts, in particular energy, air emission and carbon accounts, to better meet the needs of users for high quality integrated data on climate change and the economy. Hence, this regional training workshop will aim to further build capacities in the region for the compilation of SEEA accounts relevant to climate change. The 2-day workshop will take place in Nairobi, Kenya at the Radisson Blu Hotel. During the workshop, participants will discuss technical issues related to the compilation of energy, air emission and carbon accounts and engage in practical exercises on how to compile these accounts This workshop will be held in advance to the Africa Natural Capital Policy Forum.
Description: Since 2017, the African Development Bank (AfDB), UN Women, and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) have held joint regional conferences on gender statistics. The Africa Gender Statistics Conference is an annual forum for gender statistics producers and users to share best practices and develop common strategies to rationalize, harmonize and improve the measurement and use of gender statistics in Africa. This year, more than 100 African representatives from ministries, national statistical offices (NSOs), and civil society organizations (CSOs) directly involved in the production and use of gender statistics will convene in Nairobi, Kenya for the conference. Delegates will participate in interactive peer-led sessions to share new knowledge, tools, and guidelines, exchange best practices, and inform future action plans for gender statistics in Africa. Under the theme ‘Gender Statistics Imperatives for Africa’, the conference will provide a platform for sector stakeholders to deliberate on the reconstitution of the Africa Group of Gender Statistics (AGGES) for the period 2022-2026 and disseminate and discuss the findings of the evaluation of Phase II of the Africa Programme on Gender Statistics (APGS II) and the Strategic Plan for Phase III of the Programme (APGS III, 2022-2026). Conference details: Date: 26 to 30 September 2022 Location: In-person in Nairobi, Kenya. An online option is also available via Zoom registration here. Structure: The conference includes a mixture of interactive learning sessions and sharing of new knowledge such as recent guidelines, tools, and best practices on gender statistics in Africa. For further information, please contact: AfDB COMESA Paris21 Koffi Marc KouakouStatistician EconomistGender, Women and Civil Societym.koffi@afdb.org Themba MunalulaChief Statistician and HeadStatistics DepartmentTMunalula@comesa.int Meriem AITOUYAHIAGender & Development Data SpecialistGender Data Network CoordinatorMeriem.AITOUYAHIA@oecd.org UNECA UN Women (East & Southern Africa) UN Women (West & Central Africa) Gonzaque Andre RosalieGender Officerrosalie@un.org Isabella SchmidtRegional Gender Statistics SpecialistEast and Southern AfricaIsabella.Schmidt@unwomen.org Michele SerrousiRegional Gender Statistics SpecialistWest and Central AfricaMichele.Serrousi@unwomen.org
