SDG Data Focal Point Training – Session 02

The National SDG Data Portal ( https://data.sdg.lk/) developed by the Sustainable Development Council currently contains 450 data series under 115 SDG indicators generated by government agencies.

The second training session, aimed at streamlining the data-entering process and developing an SDG data catalog to map meaningful SDG data, was successfully conducted for the SDG Data Focal Points from the government today.

Going beyond traditional data sources, there are untapped data sources such as research organizations, think tanks, universities and international organizations to mine meaningful data for robust monitoring and evaluation of SDG progress.

Non-traditional data may not be particularly useful in calculating overall national-level figures but can help address significant data gaps as it digs to the lowest disaggregation level. For example, data from these non-traditional sources may not be useful for calculating annual road traffic deaths (SDG indicator 3.6.1), but it may help identify hot spots for traffic accidents, enabling authorities to take preventive measures.

The training included a special module on maintaining an SDG data catalog and the process of mining meaningful SDG data which was conducted by Thisara Watawana, Data Consultant of the United Nations Development Programme.