Chancellor of the Government discusses the importance of data in solving global problems at the United Nations
On July 19, the Chancellor of the Government, Giedrė Balčytytė, met with Stefan Schweinfest, Director of the United Nations (UN) Statistics Division, in New York to discuss the importance of quality data management in the analysis and solutions to global problems.
Ms. Balčytytė presented Lithuania’s success story in implementing data-driven governance and the State Data Agency (SDA) reform. The Chancellor, who is continuing her bilateral meetings with UN officials, also met with the UN Special Representative on Violence against Children, Najat Maalla M’jid, and the Deputy Director of the UN Development Programme, Independent Evaluation Office, Alan Fox.
In her meeting with Stefan Schweinfest, Director of the Statistics Division, Ms. Balčytytė presented the Lithuanian SDA, one of the most advanced national statistical institutions in Europe and the world.
The Chancellor emphasized that crises in the past three-year period have shown that the ability to access, process, and analyse data in real or near real time allows the state to clearly identify problems and solve them more quickly.
The transformation of the SDA at the beginning of 2023 provides all the opportunities to access, manage, and make use of reliable and timely data, ensuring the quality of governance that meets public expectations. The transformation of the SDA to become the owner and manager of the State Data Management Information System (SDMS) has introduced advanced statistical production methods and more will be introduced later this year.
At the meeting, the Chancellor of the Government emphasised that Lithuania is among the world’s leaders as an advanced, open, and reliable producer and provider of data for its users, performing not only the task of statistics but that of data management as well. According to Ms. Balčytytė, Lithuania has a strong track record in the field of data management and is ready to share its experience.
At the meeting, the Chancellor also expressed her support for the nomination of. Dr Jūratė Petrauskienė, Director-General of the SDA, to the United Nations Statistical Commission. “Dr. Petrauskienė would be able to actively pursue her activities as a member of the Statistical Commission and represent not only the statistical interests of the country but also those of the European region, while simultaneously contributing to the development of the world’s modern statistics,” said Ms. Balčytytė.
The meeting with the UN Special Representative on Violence against Children, Najat Maalla M'jid, focused on crimes against Ukrainian children, their forced deportation to Russia and Belarus, and highlighted the need for cooperation between state institutions, NGOs, and international organisations in order to effectively address violations of the rights of the child and to meet the diverse needs of minors affected by Russian war crimes.
During the meeting with Alan Fox, Deputy Director of the UN Development Programme, Independent Evaluation Office, the parties discussed the Sustainable Development Goals and how best to help different countries achieve them.