Data for what? A conversation with policymakers and practitioners on the use of evidence and data on forced displacement

The role of data in policymaking was at the center of this seminar organized by the JDC as part of its Quarterly Seminar Series and which also represented the JDC contribution to the UN World Data Forum 2020. The seminar featured interventions by the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, Ms. Kelly Clements, Ms. Benu Bidani, Manager at the World Bank, and two academics from important African institutions: Professors Kennedy Bindu, of the Université Libre des Pays des Grands Lacs (Democratic Republic of Congo), and Peter Kagwanja, from the Africa Policy Institute (Kenya).

The recording of the seminar is available below and on the Forum’s platform, where you can also access all the other presentations included in the Forum (registration needed, please check the Forum website).

The message that emerged from the conversation was clear: “Data is the new oil”. Timely collected data can inform policymaking over a multiplicity of dimensions, spanning from education to protection and health. In turn, this can effectively shape the life trajectories of vulnerable individuals and their families.