New York - The Data to Policy Navigator is a tool developed by UNDP in collaboration with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to address modern challenges faced by policymakers to tackle data access, resource challenges, technical proficiency and bureaucracies. The tool was officially recognized as a digital public good (DPG) by the Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA), thereby contributing to the UN Secretary-General's Roadmap for Digital Cooperation.
The DPGA recognizes DPGs as open-source solutions. These solutions must adhere to privacy standards and develop software that protects privacy and minimizes harm, while enabling the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By becoming a DPG, the Data to Policy Navigator will be discoverable by a broader community of practitioners. Ultimately, this increased promotion will enhance the likelihood that governments adopt best practices and improve the policymaking process. One reason that makes DPGs important is that it enables knowledge created for development to be made openly available. There is an element of leading by example that creates a sense of pride when policymakers reference and use open-source DPG content in their own work.
The Data to Policy Navigator is a user-centric tool that helps policymakers design more effective, data-informed solutions. The tool features resources such as a step-by-step guide of how to harness data, 21 global use cases, an open data repository and an AI chatbot. To ensure the Data to Policy Navigator effectively addresses the needs of policymakers, UNDP and GIZ worked with a group of 19 policymakers and 15 data experts across different sectors. The platform has been used to inform data collaboration projects in five countries thus far: Kenya, Mauritania, Moldova, Rwanda and Türkiye. It has also been incorporated in training materials for 65 policymakers in Bhutan, Colombia and the Maldives. Apart from local projects and trainings, the Data to Policy Navigator tool has been accessed by over 15,000 users who have visited the platform from more than 190 countries.
In the midst of a rapidly changing digital landscape, there is an urgent need to provide clear guidance to help policymakers turn data insights that informs their decision making and enables them to create real impact.
"The problems are so multidimensional and way over our heads that we are not able to understand which pathway is best to reach the SDGs. We will make less errors when using data," said Dr. Iliya Nickelt, Chief Data Scientist at BMZ. This is echoed by UNDP's Data Collaboration Project Manager, Alena Klatte, "Data is power. With the Data to Policy Navigator, policymakers can harness that power. The tool enables them to use data to understand what is happening in the lives of the people they serve and the impact their policies may have on them. So, they can make better decisions - that speak to the needs of the people."
The Data to Policy Navigator leverages collective expertise to drive evidence-based decision-making worldwide. By joining the Digital Public Goods Registry, the Data to Policy Navigator will serve an even broader community of practitioners from across a network of countries and through south-south cooperation.
