Description: The purpose of the United Nations World Data Forum (UNWDF) is to intensify cooperation on data for sustainable development between various professional groups in Government, academia and professional bodies, geospatial community, international agencies, donor and philanthropic bodies, private sector, civil society and the media. During these times facing the Covid-19 pandemic, a virtual Forum will be held from 19 to 21 October 2020 to satisfy demand for the latest data solutions and thinking to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and now more urgently for the monitoring and recovery from the pandemic. A Programme Committee, composed of experts and leaders from different professional groups, guide the selection and design of the Forum’s programme across the six thematic areas. The Statistics Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs supports the organization of the Forum in its role as Secretariat of the United Nations Statistical Commission and the High-level Group for Partnership, Coordination and Capacity Building for Statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development who oversee the organisation of the Forum. The first United Nations World Data Forum was hosted from 15 to 18 January 2017 by Statistics South Africa in Cape Town, South Africa. The second UN World Data Forum was hosted by the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority of the United Arab Emirates from 22 to 24 October 2018 in Dubai. The next physical meeting of the UN World Data Forum will be hosted by the Federal Statistical Office of Switzerland now scheduled for 3 to 6 October 2021 in Bern, Switzerland.
