UN SDG:Learn Blogs present a series of blogs with a reflection on sustainable development governance, policies and actions. The blogs aim to strengthen conceptual and practical knowledge, spread ideas, share practical experiences and pinpoint important but understudied or under-discussed challenges related to the implementation of the SDGs. It will do so by highlighting a certain theme relevant for the SDGs throughout each series of blogs and interviews over a defined period of time, on the one hand, and by generating relevant micro-learning to meet the needs of UNSDG:Learn users - current and future - when it comes to short bits of learning on key SDG topics, on the other. You will hear from a range of experts, incl. UN experts, scholars, other practitioners, representatives of various stakeholder groups, or all those who have something important to say on the issue at stake.

Empowering SDG progress: A Glimpse into the Kyrgyz Republic's SDG Monitoring

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Offered by:Nazira Kerimalieva (First Deputy Chairman, National Statistical Committee (NSC) of the Kyrgyz Republic)

24 January 2024

This is a blog about Ms. Nazira Kerimalieva, the First Deputy Chairman of the National Statistical Committee (NSC) of the Kyrgyz Republic, who shared the unique Kyrgyz Republic's SDG monitoring experience.

International competitions as a mean to promote statistical literacy globally

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Offered by:Pedro Campos (Deputy-Director of the International Statistical Literacy Project (ISLP), Director of Methodology in Statistics Portugal)

9 January 2024

This blog is about the International Statistical Literacy Project (ISLP) and its efforts to promote statistical literacy globally. The ISLP focuses on fostering awareness and skills in statistical education through online resources, outreach activities, and international competitions.

Development Counts Team

Developing data skills amongst non-specialists

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Offered by:Dr. Rachel Bennett (Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, University of Gloucestershire, UK)

30 October 2023

Non-data specialists are often reluctant, and even scared, to engage with data. This blog outlines the approach taken by the Development Counts project to address this challenge, based on combining technical data skills training with opportunities for international collaboration.

HCP's experience in developing and implementing an e-learning strategy

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Offered by:Samir Issara (Director of Human Resources and General Affairs, High Commission for Planning of Morocco (HCP))

10 October 2023

The High Commission for Planning of Morocco (HCP) devised a smart training needs-based e-learning strategy. It incorporates regular face-to-face training, international cooperation training, and e-learning. It launched its own Academy that provides staff with access to different kinds of e-learning.

Meeting training needs to produce official statistics

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Offered by:Charlotte Juul Hansen (Consultant, United Nations Statistics Division/DESA & Global Network of Institutions for Statistical Training (GIST))

2 October 2023

The quality of official statistics depends on the capabilities of staff working in the national statistical system. The Statistical Training Assessment Tool can support national statistical offices in identifying, prioritizing and meeting training needs and establishing a training programme.

Capacity-building: big data and the calculus of SDG indicators

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Offered by:Dr. Bianca Walsh (Technical Assistant for the Director of the National School of Statistical Sciences (ENCE) at the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE))

26 September 2023

NSOs are challenged to work with new non-traditional data. Satellite imagery is promising for the calculus of SDG indicators. The UN Regional Hub for Big Data in Brazil held 2 workshops in 2023 with the purpose of identifying public spaces through geoprocessing and calculating the indicator 11.7.1.

Avoiding the Artificial Intelligence Divide in Developing Countries

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Offered by:Marco Kamiya (United Nations Industrial Development Organization)

26 October 2022

Artificial Intelligence is essential for productive transformation in developing countries and can potentially create jobs and bring prosperity to developing countries if properly used.

How to make SMEs Future Ready: Embrace Sustainability

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Offered by:Bryonie Guthrie (World Economic Forum), Olivier Woeffray (World Economic Forum)

24 October 2022

Businesses are facing increasingly complex and transnational challenges. It is critical to understand how companies of all sizes can build their resilience to these shocks, seize opportunities that might arise from such shifts and enhance their ability to generate long-term and sustainable value.

Typical food products and geographical indications for sustainable development

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Offered by:Nuria Ackerman (United Nations Industrial Development Organization), Ebe Muschialli (United Nations Industrial Development Organization), Fabio Russo (United Nations Industrial Development Organization)

21 July 2022

This article addresses the growing potential of the traditional agri-food industry, its transformative power to support inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development, and the opportunity for SMEs to unlock the value-added of their products with Geographical Indications (GIs).

Women, SMEs and sustainable development - lessons learnt for the road ahead

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Offered by:Cecilia Ugaz Estrada (United Nations Industrial Development Organization), Carmen Schuber (United Nations Industrial Development Organization)

5 July 2022

This blog talks about the women entrepreneurs as key agents in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs. It discusses the challenges of women-led businesses, global trends and proposes suggestions for overcoming these challenges and strengthening women-led entrepreneurship.

Upgrading SMEs in creative industries

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Offered by:Riccardo Savigliano (United Nations Industrial Development Organization)

13 April 2022

The article provides an overview of UNIDO technical assistance projects and tools targeting SMEs and their clusters active in the creative industry. It explores how digitalization-based business management practices, industrial design, branding are strategically linked to local cultural heritage.

Sustainability of SMEs, the how and why

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Offered by:Robert Marinkovic (International Organisation of Employers (IOE))

16 February 2022

IOE is fully aware of the crucial role SMEs play in improving the business environment at the country level and needs to be involved in more public-private collaboration and discussion. SMEs face many challenges, conventional and novel, and we have to think differently about how best to help them.

COVID-19 has brought an opportunity we cannot miss

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Offered by:Dr. Andrea M. Bassi (KnowlEdge Srl (KE))

1 December 2021

COVID-19 has accelerated every transition we can think of. It has taught us that change is possible, that we already know what to do, and that the time to act is now. It has shown us that there is only one way forward for a more sustainable future: we need to use a systemic approach.

What does policy coherence look like in a post-COVID world?

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Offered by:Måns Nilsson (Executive Director, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI))

14 July 2021

COVID recovery is an issue of policy coherence – Do we build back as quickly as possible, or build back greener and better? And what does this look like? We need to make some hard choices based on comprehensive information of potential impacts across society.