Launch of the Data to Policy Navigator & Network

About the Data to Policy Navigator

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Addressing crises like climate change, the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and gender inequality requires effective, transparent and evidence-based government policies.

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The advancements in digital technologies and the data they generate are game-changers for policymakers around the world. Today, ministries working on any given issue can use a range of new data sources like satellite imagery, social media and mobile data that they could rely on to back their policies and programme proposals.

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Many countries, however, are still unable to leverage this new data reality. Some of the reasons impeding public institutions from seizing this opportunity include general skepticism about new data sources, the lack of legal frameworks that regulate data exchanges, rigid government structures and processes, as well as insufficient data expertise. These challenges impede the development of more effective policies that are informed and backed by evidence.

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Several initiatives and projects have exerted a lot of effort to improve the quality of the data collected and produced in many developing countries around the world. However, according to research conducted by GIZ and the Open Data Institute, not enough focus has been given to building the capacities of policymakers, who are the primary data consumers.

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To address this gap, GIZ’s Data4Policy Initiative and UNDP’s Digital Office developed the Data to Policy Navigator. A resource, specifically designed for government officials with no or with basic prior data science knowledge and experience. It aims to give policymakers the know-how to systematically integrate new data sources into their decision-making and policy-development processes.

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To ensure that the policymakers, despite their busy schedules, are able to utilise this resource and grasp its methods, the Data to Policy Navigator has been designed to be easily searchable and interactive with the needs of its users. It offers step-by-step actionable recommendations and examples throughout the policy development process, starting with problem definition to policy design and evaluation.

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