New and Emerging Data

Combining new and emerging types and sources of data (spatial data, social media, mobile phone data, ethnography, and social life of data) with traditional statistics is an emerging approach that offers the opportunity for more contextualized insights into real-world complexity, identification of latent trends, and design of better solutions in the context of the SDGs.

Speak Your Mind to Prevent Conflict (Lebanon)

UNDP Lebanon is implementing a WhatsApp-based “speak your mind” survey to collect data on early warning and conflict dynamics as well as community feedback on developmental projects at the local level. It targets host communities and Syrian refugees in the most vulnerable areas in Lebanon. The objective of the WhatsApp-based survey is to strengthen UNDP’s stabilization work in the country by more effectively harnessing new ways of connecting created by Lebanon’s vibrant mediascape. 84% of refugee households use WhatsApp and younger people in particular consider information relayed through WhatsApp as more trustworthy than traditional media. Tapping into these digital possibilities is helping UNDP Lebanon to reconfigure its relationship with its beneficiaries into a more horizontal engagement while also collecting real-time, localized data on conflict dynamics to strengthen Lebanon’s conflict prevention systems.

Measuring SDG Tier III Indicators (Regional)

Nine UNDP Country Offices (including three in the Arab States region) are exploring the possibility of using new and alternative sources of data and technologies to support national partners’ efforts to measure progress of their sustainable development agenda, specifically Tier III indicators (those with no measurement framework). Participating COs tested different methodologies for measuring Tier III indicators; the results of their experimentations are contributing to global discussions on SDG measurement and the development of guidance for other Country Offices interested in exploring alternative measurement methodologies.

Engaging citizens to measure public service delivery via community radio (Sudan)

Through the funding support of UNDP Innovation Facility for cross regional initiatives on measuring SDG Tier III indicators, UNDP Sudan and national partners are using a mixed method approach that combines locally popular means (radio) and technology (SMS) to collect residents’ feedback and measure satisfaction with public service delivery. The mixed method attempts to capitalize on the wide access of radio and mobile phones which reach a large proportion of the population across the country.