WHO WE ARE
UNDP works in about 170 countries and territories, helping to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and exclusion, and build resilience so countries can sustain progress. The Data Futures Exchange is an open-source data innovation for development impact to support policy decisions that accelerate sustainable development.
Why is it important?
Imagine yourself as a policy maker. You’re looking to design effective fiscal policies and want to learn more about the economic analysis behind your priorities - how would your decisions affect other socio-economic and political dimensions of development? What are the opportunities and interlinkages of your fiscal policy in other important areas, such as healthcare, human development and gender equality? What about financial analysts making important investments for their clients without a full picture of the trade-offs of their decisions? Or civil society leaders looking to unlock information on how efforts impact community livelihoods and governance systems for minority populations?
These are examples of where data insights can support decision-making, collective action and address a multitude of integrated development issues.
The journey behind
The DFX was launched in December 2020 to support country offices with COVID-related policy insights, exploring areas such as vaccine equity, temporary basic income, gender-related national responses, and future scenarios of SDG interventions.
Recognizing the evolution of our data space, we’ve reimagined the DFX as a broader data platform to support UNDP’s overall strategic plan, improved the user experience, and enhanced data tools and insights to address country and regional needs. and foster partnerships.
The DFX will continue as an open resource and one-stop shop for development-related data.
We bring together data from across the UN system and partners to advance integrated development solutions in support of the 2030 Agenda. Currently, it automatically retrieves more than 350 development indicators, and counting, from over 60 trusted sources.
How it Works
8 Data Principles for UNDP
UNDP was the first in the UN System to adopt a “Digital by Default” approach, which is geared towards fully integrating digital into programming at both the country and corporate strategic levels.
Plan for reusability and interoperability
Maximise the value of our data by ensuring it is usable in multiple domains. Make use of open standards and machine-readable formats in order to improve interoperability.
Empower people to work with data
Provide people with the technology and data literacy skills to be able to effectively work with and understand data. Support governments, local communities and civil society partners to strengthen data and statistical capacities.
Safeguard personal data
Embed ‘privacy by design’ into all data practices. Get informed consent and ensure data are anonymized before publishing.
UN Principles on Personal Data Protection and Privacy
Informed Consent
Uphold the highest ethical standards
Anchor data practices in the UN Charter and international human rights frameworks. Ensure that data processes and partnerships serve the public good.
Charter of the United Nations
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Manage Data Responsibly
Practice effective data stewardship and governance to ensure sound data quality, security and accountability. In accordance with relevant institutional policies and regulations.
Expand frontiers of data
Explore emerging practices and innovative technologies to increase data availability and expand coverage of under-represented groups through data collection and disaggregation.
Make data open by default
Make data available as widely as possible. No ‘data hoarding’.
Be aware of data limitations
Assess gaps, risks and bias in the use of data. Actively question blind spots and potential negative implications of data use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Whether you are part of a government entity at the national or local level, an IO, an NGO, an academic institution, a private sector organization, a researcher, or an individual data enthusiast, join a vibrant ecosystem of users committed to sustainable development – experts and novices alike.
The platform's user-centric design ensures that practitioners can access, analyze, and collaborate on data-driven initiatives regardless of the use case, fostering a collaborative approach to achieving the SDGs.
UNDP is committed to providing open access to data for sustainable development free of charge. The Data Futures Exchange is publicly available for development data enthusiasts. Access levels may vary depending on the type of user and the data's sensitivity.
The platform hosts a diverse range of data, including socioeconomic indicators, environmental data, demographic information, and much more. It also features datasets related to the SDGs and development projects, as well as tools for data analysis and visualization. Currently, it automatically retrieves more than 350 development indicators, and counting, from over 60 trusted sources.
Datasets featured are not directly owned by UNDP. The ownership of data and the terms of its usage are determined by agreements made between the entities responsible for creating and maintaining each specific dataset. UNDP neither endorses nor verifies the content of datasets owned by external organizations. Decision to include external datasets is based on an assessment of their relevance to issues related to international development. Information about data ownership is clearly outlined in the metadata for each dataset. Data sources are included on each indicator, and further information on methodology, metadata or other technical should be consulted in the data producer/compiler’s website and respective methodological and technical materials.
The DFX follows UNDP Data Principles and is line with UNDP web privacy policy, including its Personal Data Protection and Privacy Policy.
The success of the Data Futures Exchange relies on collaborative efforts with governments, NGOs, academia, private sector, and other UN agencies. Partnerships enable the platform to leverage diverse expertise in Storytelling, Artificial Intelligence, Geospatial Analysis and, Economic Modelling to achieve collective development goals.
You can contribute to the Data Futures Exchnage by jointly exploring ways to advocate for the use of data-driven decision-making in sustainable development policies, collaborating on data-driven projects and initiatives that align with the platform's mission, and sharing relevant data and research.
If you have any questions or would like more details please email data@undp.org