The commitment of Agenda 2030 to “leave no one behind” can be concretised through data systems that allow for the inclusion and visibility of the world’s most vulnerable sub-populations. Beyond data disaggregation, this requires a rights-based transformation in how statistical systems are developed to enable systematic inclusion of vulnerable groups – such as women, children, people with disabilities, ethnic or religious minorities, and displaced and stateless persons – in line with recommendations from the IAEG-SDG (2019).

Many governments are pioneering approaches to more inclusive data through adapting traditional data sources such as national censuses, household surveys, and administrative data systems. Others are taking steps to use alternative data sources and innovative methods. National action plans of 13 Governments under the Inclusive Data Charter are evidence of this progress in practice. Simultaneously, international statistical standards, guidance, and toolkits exist which promote, facilitate, and support efforts to foster inclusion. 

But to avoid the promulgation of siloed approaches focused on specific vulnerable groups and to shape a realistic and sustainable roadmap towards more inclusive national statistics, a more comprehensive and strategic approach is needed. This includes ensuring that National Strategies for the Development of Statistics (NSDSs) systematically review and plan for statistics and statistical systems which pro-actively support vulnerable groups. Achieving this depends on pursuing context-driven approaches, including adapting international strategies and recommendations to build effective national roadmaps, securing effective partnerships across the data ecosystem, and investing in capacity development so that it supports long-term and sustainable improvements in the way statistics support inclusivity.

The session aims to support the building of a consensus on how best to ‘include the excluded’ systematically within statistical planning processes based on learning from recent innovations and experiences. Critical issues, challenges, and opportunities will be examined based on global learning and three specific examples: 

- the provision of gender statistics guidelines within the overall NSDS guidelines by PARIS21 in collaboration with UN Women. This aims to help National Statistical Systems identify gender data gaps, engage with a diverse array of stakeholders, ensure sustainable production and use of gender data
- a toolkit developed by UNICEF in partnership with PARIS21 which aims to help stakeholders truly mainstream Child Rights into NSDS processes. This is a potentially normative step to be built on in mainstreaming vulnerable groups in general
- national efforts to incorporate statistics on internally displaced persons (IDP) into NSDSs in the Horn of Africa such as Djibouti.

The session will include:
Chair – Matthew Shearing, Co-Chair of ISI Capacity Building Committee
Presenter/panelist 1 – Karen Bett, Senior Policy Manager - Data Equity and Inclusion, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD)
Presenter/panelist 2 - Natalia Baal, Head of Secretariat, Expert Group on Refugee, IDP, and Statelessness Statistics (EGRISS)
Presenter/panelist 3 - Hrayr Wannis, Child Rights Monitoring Manager, UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office 
Presenter/panelist 4 - Omar Moussa Ali, Director of Demographic and Social Statistics, Institute of Statistics of Djibouti (INSTAD)