Reliable, timely data on population, health and demography key to monitoring SDG achievements: PPD

The intergovernmental alliance of 26 countries, which is headquartered in Dhaka, acknowledges the need for “reliable and timely” population, health and demographic information for monitoring SDG achievements.

Executive Director of the Partners in Population and Development (PPD) Joe Thomas at a UN debate on Thursday said quality data would be “critical” for policy and strategy development.

He particularly stressed the need for data on issues related to population dynamics, demographic dividend, reproductive health needs of adolescents, and young people, gender and health inequity and ageing.

Thomas was speaking at the general debate on national experience in population matters: “Strengthening the demographic evidence base for the post-2015 development agenda” in New York.

He said much remained to be done to strengthen data systems and PPD would help countries in this regard.

He, however, said one of the “key” challenges of strengthening the demographic evidence is the establishment or expansion of civil registration and vital statistics systems.

“This is important to monitor the right to legal identity of each individual and to monitor maternal and child survival”.

He said the member countries are “firmly” committed to establishing a functioning civil registration and vital statistics system and ensure that it generates timely vital statistics.

“PPD secretariat will work with and remind the member counties to further develop and implement the strategies,” he said.

The UN, last year, embraced a new set of 17 sustainable development goals with 169 targets and 230 indicators which would guide the actions of the governments and the development community through 2030.

Thomas said PPD would work with its member countries for promoting South-South Cooperation for strengthening the demographic evidence base for the SDGs.