UN, Azerbaijan discuss ways to improve data availability for SDGs

The event “Azerbaijan in the Global SDG Index” brought together around 45 participants from the Government and the UN entities. They discussed ways to address inconsistencies and methodological issues across global and national databases; improve data collection for the indicators that miss data; and achieve progress on the ground for the indicators that are lagging behind. The participants also identified  a set of concrete actions for the responsible entities to follow up.

Azerbaijan progressed 15 steps in the Sustainable Development Report and Index since 2016 and ranked 50 among 163 countries with increased score of 73.5 exceeding the regional average of 71.6. Despite this paramount improvement, close look at the indicators and the data sources reveals issues that require further consideration.

The Sustainable Development Report and Index is the first worldwide study to assess where each country stands with regard to achieving the SDGs. It is a complement to the official SDG indicators and voluntary country-led review processes. The report uses publicly available data published by official data providers  and other organizations including research centres and non-governmental organizations. It helps the Governments and civil society to identify priorities for action, understand key implementation challenges, track progress, ensure accountability, and identify gaps that must be closed in order to achieve the SDGs.