Led by the UN with funding from Google.org, the UN Information Commons for the SDGs is a part of the UN knowledge modernization initiative that goals to supply a single entry level for official knowledge and statistics from throughout the UN system. UN SDG knowledge can be now integrated into Information Commons to be used alongside different datasets, making it extra broadly accessible and permitting nonprofits just like the Nigeria Community of NGOs to trace their nation’s progress towards the SDGs.
A rising community
UN Information Commons for the SDGs is an element of a bigger Google Information Commons community that features Feeding America, Harvard College’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Stanford Doerr Faculty of Sustainability, Sources for the Future, and TechSoup. This rising community is offering nonprofits, researchers and multilateral organizations with higher entry to the world’s publicly out there knowledge.
We’re constructing on this with a brand new collaboration between Information Commons and ONE, a world advocacy group co-founded by Bono that brings collectively activists and NGOs, enterprise and coverage leaders, together with many others from all over the world, with hard-hitting knowledge to push for progress in attaining the SDGs. We’ve labored collectively to create a ONE Information Commons, which can deliver collectively ONE’s knowledge and evaluation from knowledge.one.org on the financial, political and social modifications impacting Africa with the 1000’s of publicly out there datasets in Google’s Information Commons.
“Information is crucial to our advocacy as a result of it sharpens our analyses and shapes higher insurance policies, and we’re thrilled to associate with Google on this crucial mission,” says Gayle Smith, CEO of The ONE Marketing campaign. “Information isn’t just in regards to the numbers, it’s about empowering folks to discover and unpack points, amplify their voices, and act collectively to make change occur. We’re assured the info out there on this platform will encourage and allow inventive collaborations to construct a greater future.”
AI’s potential to assist speed up progress
We all know we have now a protracted method to go to satisfy the SDGs, and we consider that AI has great potential to assist folks and organizations speed up progress by decreasing the time and sources required.
Some latest advances have made it simpler to make use of AI to maneuver the SDGs ahead, together with improved AI strategies, elevated and diversified tech deployments, extra funding, elevated AI expertise, and knowledge collaborations. We’ve additionally seen democratization throughout geographies resulting from elevated entry and affordability with cloud, in addition to elevated use of internet-capable cell gadgets.
Up to now 5 years, Google.org has contributed greater than $200 million and greater than 160,000 professional bono hours to organizations all over the world utilizing AI to deal with main world challenges. That features awarding $25 million this yr to fifteen organizations particularly centered on tasks to advance the SDGs. Our grantees inform us that, on common, AI helps them obtain their targets in a 3rd of the time and at half the price.
Regardless of this heartening progress and the spectacular work from many organizations in AI for the SDGs, attaining the dimensions required to drive influence on world targets stays a big problem. Among the limitations we’ve noticed are fragmentation of efforts, restricted entry to knowledge and expertise, and lack of information sharing. We hope that the UN Information Commons for the SDGs and associated efforts will assist decrease these limitations and advance work to satisfy the SDGs.