Data Photo: VCG

The United Nations World Data Forum will release the Hangzhou Declaration calling for the release of a data management approach to better address problems facing achieving sustainable development goals, a UN official said at the forum on Monday.

Addressing a press conference prior to the opening ceremony of the forum, Li Junhua, the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs of UN said at a time when global social, economic, humanitarian and environmental issues are intertwined and uncertainty is on the rise, reliable data is the basis for all sectors of society to understand and make decisions.

As this year is a middle point of the goals of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the UN will hold an important conference in September to review, redesign and observe the implementation of the sustainable development goals. The organization will continue to closely monitor global data development.

The UN World Data Forum this year is held in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province between Monday and Thursday. More than 400 people from different countries and fields of expertise will participate in the forum. The number of online participants is expected to exceed 8,000. 

The four-day forum will release Hangzhou Declaration calling for faster action on global statistical and data communities to enact a data management approach consistent with the Cape Town Global Action Plan for Sustainable Development Data, according to Li. 

The forum aims to coordinate, connect new partnerships and strengthen the existent partnerships, as well as how to use data and count information in the premise of following ethnical principles so as to better protect privacy and personal data, Li said.

He said more importantly, the forum will discuss how to ensure that national data ecosystems are more resilient and future-ready for everyone, through sustainable funding, calling for countries and international organizations to take actions soon.

Global Times