To achieve sustainable development goals in China, it is essential to invest in national statistics systems and create partnerships to share data and expertise at the local, national, and international levels. Data will therefore play a bigger part in the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development because of the surge in its use for innovation, governance, and decision-making.
The head of China’s National Bureau of Statistics, Kang Yi, stated that the use of data as a core strategic resource, a significant productive force, and a critical production element has profoundly altered social production, global economic operating mechanisms, and human behaviour.
He continued by saying that it has broadened the field and given global sustainable development and national governance reform new impetus. Rich data resources, he said, can open new possibilities, spur technological advancements, and broaden application scenarios. But occasionally there will also be issues and difficulties.
The range of data has significantly increased, and a sizable amount of unconventional data has been produced and extensively used in business, daily life, and national governance. Using conventional ways to gather, store, and process data, it is difficult for government statistics organisations to respond to such vast and diverse data in an efficient manner.
To better serve the needs of scientific decision-making and macro governance activities, the government statistics system’s management techniques, standards, collection principles, sample objects, and technical means of data collection must be modified.
The challenges facing a world that is fast changing call for better policies, more quick responses to crises, and more nuanced knowledge of today’s complicated issues, according to Fu Haishan, director of the World Bank’s Development Data Group. As a result, they will need to reconsider how they gather, produce, and use data.
They also need to comprehend how data might be utilised and repurposed repeatedly to assist in finding fresh approaches to today’s urgent difficulties. The value of data cannot be realised if it is kept secret or made difficult to obtain. Authorities must also ensure that the data inspire confidence and that the appropriate safeguards are in place to prevent its exploitation.
To maintain accountability and transparency, according to Fu, data must be shared with the public, academics, and individuals. Data must also be regularly checked for quality in terms of correctness, timeliness, relevance, and coverage.
According to reports, most of the data in the world was produced in the previous two years, and the amount of data produced every day is increasing at an incredible rate. According to authorities, there is a huge possibility for responding to problems more quickly, effectively, and efficiently because of the significant rise in data creation.
To ensure that the growing volumes of data collected are handled in a way that preserves the individual’s rights, which are also used for a global commonwealth, they must ensure that there is a standard, internationally accepted data governance architecture.
To deal with the current situation, authorities added that data will be a part of the solution, and more efforts should be made to invest in national statistical systems to build skills and capacity, integrate data into decision-making to ensure that data is properly used, and build partnerships to share lessons from the local to the global level.
