The UN Data Commons for the SDGs, funded by Google.org, aims to provide a centralized hub for official data and statistics from the UN system. This data is now accessible through Google’s Data Commons, making it easier for organizations like the Nigeria Network of NGOs to monitor their country’s progress towards the SDGs. The UN Data Commons is part of a larger network that includes organizations such as Feeding America and Harvard University’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science. Additionally, a collaboration between Data Commons and ONE, a global advocacy organization, has resulted in the creation of the ONE Data Commons, which combines ONE’s data on Africa with the publicly available datasets in Google’s Data Commons. The use of AI is believed to have great potential in accelerating progress towards the SDGs, with recent advances and investments in AI contributing to the achievement of these goals. However, challenges such as fragmentation of efforts, limited access to data and talent, and lack of knowledge sharing still remain. The UN Data Commons for the SDGs and related initiatives aim to address these barriers and advance the work towards meeting the SDGs.

source update: New tool from Google and the UN to track progress on Global Goals