DATA FOR DEVELOPMENT

INTRODUCTION
D4D is a global research alliance that works to strengthen collaboration across a broad network
of stakeholders by developing and mobilizing the knowledge needed to advance the
responsible use of data to address critical development challenges across the Global South.
A culture of experimentation and innovation must be fostered around data operations, and
countries must invest in tools for analyzing datasets in creative ways.
Data has also powered India’s pandemic response, innovations in education, health care, and
food security, and enabled digital financial inclusion at a near-population scale. Also, India is
rapidly emerging as a world leader in the geospatial sector
In a session on digital transformation, the Prime Minister said the principle of "data for
development" will be an integral part of the overall theme of India's upcoming G20 presidency

OBJECTIVE
To share and benefit from development data, it must be accessible, of high-quality, and offered
in real time

Access to data, and ensuring that stakeholders can use it, is fundamental to tackling many
global development and humanitarian issues — From tracking disease outbreaks to improving
food security.
This series explores the practical ways that satellite data can be harnessed to support the work
of development professionals and aid workers.
It will outline some of the existing challenges that currently hinder the application of space
technology in international development and shine a spotlight on some of the strategies to
make data more usable for the sector in the future.

ASPIRATIONS
If the G20is to help accelerate progress towards SDGs, it must vigorously pursue two kinds of
data-driven interventions:
Rejuvenating legacy datasets using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data analytics, thus
converting data to intelligence
Using cutting-edge emerging tech — including drones, geospatial mapping, and AI — to
generate futuristic new datasets
Also, G20 members will have to try and arrive at a common understanding of sensitive and non-
sensitive data, and to reflect on frameworks that could help share data across borders

MEETINGS AND SESSIONS UNDER G20

1. 1st Development Working Group Meeting
(13-16 December, Mumbai)

4 Sessions:

a. Session 1 and 2 - Accelerating Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals

1. Gender discrimination, just green transitions and digital transformation
2. Existing bottlenecks for accessing sustainable finance
3. Need to strengthen efforts to achieve gender equality

b. Session 3 - Data for Development

1. Need for quality data and data with trust
2. Role of private sector and civil society
3. Capacity building
4. Aligning DWG with DEWG
[ ‘Data for Development’ included presentations by MeitY (Ministry of electronics and
information technology) and a representative of the G20 Digital Economy Working Group
(DEWG), UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Technology, and a representative from UN
Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).]

c. Session 4 - LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment)

1. Identify policy measures
2. Incentivise policy shifts
3. ‘Making sustainable lifestyle aspirational’

2. 1st Development Working Group Meeting: Side Events

2 Panel discussions headed by domain experts and relevant international organisations
took place:
• 1st Side event: Panel discussion on Data for Development ( https://dwgg20.org/1st-
dwg-meeting-side-events-indian-presidency/ )

The side event also featured two plenary sessions focusing on “Rejuvenating legacy systems:
From data to public value intelligence” and “Models for the future: Leveraging IoT, Big Data and
AI for the SDGs”. The plenary sessions highlighted several core principles which include:

1. Making larger volumes of data publicly available and accessible to researchers, start-
ups, and solution providers to enable more effective policymaking.
2. Overcoming the siloed nature of data through collaboration.
3. Providing high-quality, simple, and easy-to-understand data in real-time rather than
aggregated form.
4. Continuing to invest in emerging technologies and specialised tools that can analyse
datasets in creative and novel ways.
5. Encouraging a spirit of constructive competition among stakeholders in data generation
and using the ecosystem to enhance data-related outcomes for development.
6. Thinking big, scaling-up data for development initiatives, and moving from pilots to
population-scale solutions.
7. Fostering a culture of technological experimentation and innovation.

• 2nd Side event: Panel discussion on Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE)

INITIATIVES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

In May, NITI Aayog launched the groundbreaking National Data and Analytics Platform to
democratise access to public government data by making datasets accessible and
interoperable, and providing accompanying tools for analytics and visualisation
Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa, suggested that governments should share data in a granular
form to inform policy decisions better and facilitate accurate analysis of the impact of different
policies.
Such data sharing was particularly crucial in the context of international cooperation, as it
would allow governments to assess the impact of policies on different countries and regions
more accurately and to tailor their approaches accordingly
India has consistently and robustly engaged in stakeholder consultations in designing and
implementing tech stacks, including Aadhaar, UPI, financial inclusion, and COVID-19 vaccination
The “data for good” initiative can help communities and government agencies in policy making.