Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Al-Ibrahim, who's also the Chairman of the Sustainable Development Steering Committee (SDSC), launched the first National SDG Data Webinar on Thursday. Developed in partnership with the United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office in Riyadh, the new series of sessions aims to explore the best ways to report and measure data on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Kingdom is committed to achieving the UN SDG Agenda and is taking rigorous actions locally and internationally. To support the achievement of SDGs in the Kingdom, more than 70 government entities and international organizations gathered to take part in the webinar as the Kingdom prepares to present its second Voluntary National Review to be submitted in 2023 and update its data for the upcoming Sustainable Development Report 2023 by Sustainable Development Solutions Network next year. Rapid social, economic and environmental progress has made the process of reporting and monitoring progress on the 17 SDGs challenging. It has become increasingly vital to ensure the latest data is used to reflect the performance. Government analysis has shown that three factors affect the accuracy of data used in the wider SDG ecosystem, which includes both the United Nations and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network: unreported data, outdated data, or inconsistencies with global reports. "Effectively monitoring and evaluating the Kingdom's fast social, economic and environmental progress requires collective, coherent and coordinated action," Al-Ibrahim said. He added, "as we take great strides toward successfully delivering Vision 2030 and the SDG Agenda, we must ensure that the data being used to measure our performance reflects our very latest achievements. Aligning with international partners, such as the United Nations, is essential to this and thus unlocking the full potential of our nation". — SG
