The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Bangladesh, in partnership with the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), on Saturday held an advocacy session to strengthen gender-disaggregated data collection for better monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The session, held under the Accelerate SDG Localization in Bangladesh project, aims to develop a “Bangladesh Model” for advancing SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), implemented by UNOPS in collaboration with UN Women.
Officials, including representatives from BBS, district administrations, local government bodies, civil society organizations and women’s groups, took part in discussions on improving the collection, analysis and use of gender-disaggregated data at the local level.
BBS Director General (ad interim) Mohammad Obaidul Islam attended as chief guest, while Demography and Health Wing Director Md Emdadul Haque chaired the session. UNOPS Partnership Advisor Shirin Sultana was present as guest of honor. SDG Cell focal point Md Alamgir Hossen delivered the welcome remarks.
Speakers stressed that accurate and timely disaggregated data is essential for inclusive planning and effective SDG implementation, particularly in addressing inequalities faced by women and marginalized groups.
They also highlighted the need to strengthen local data systems and align them with national standards set by BBS to improve evidence-based policymaking.
The session focused on Bangladesh’s 39+1 National Priority Targets, with emphasis on tracking female labor force participation, reducing child marriage, increasing women’s representation in local governance, and improving access to justice and institutional responsiveness to women’s safety concerns.
The initiative is expected to build stronger local commitments to maintaining gender-disaggregated datasets and improving reporting to the National SDG Tracker. It also aims to create a network of 190 “SDG Data Champions” across Dhaka, Rajshahi and Chittagong divisions.