The United Nations announced the rollout of a new digital platform designed to bring together a vast array of data points from across its agencies and partner networks. The system consolidates information on issues such as poverty, food insecurity, climate change, health and migration, providing a single entry point for users seeking up‑to‑date statistics.
According to the UN, the platform hosts millions of individual records drawn from dozens of existing databases. It offers searchable dashboards, visualisation tools and application programming interfaces (APIs) that enable developers and researchers to retrieve data in real time. By centralising these resources, the UN aims to reduce duplication, improve data quality and support evidence‑based decision‑making at national and international levels.
Secretary‑General António Guterres highlighted the need for a unified data environment in a statement accompanying the launch. He noted that the world faces a series of interconnected crises and that fragmented information hampers coordinated responses. The new platform, he said, places extensive data at the fingertips of governments, civil‑society organisations and the broader public, facilitating a clearer understanding of the challenges and the impact of interventions.
The initiative builds on earlier UN efforts to promote open data and aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by enhancing transparency and accountability. Technical partners involved in the development include UN agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Development Programme, as well as external technology firms that contributed expertise in data integration and cloud infrastructure.
The platform is expected to be continuously updated as new surveys, satellite observations and administrative records become available. Users can customise visualisations, download datasets in multiple formats and set alerts for changes in specific indicators. The UN has invited feedback from member states and other stakeholders to refine functionality and expand coverage over the coming months.
By providing a comprehensive, user‑friendly repository of global data, the UN hopes to strengthen the evidence base for policy formulation, resource allocation and monitoring of progress toward the SDGs.
Reporting attribution: based on reporting by UN News — Global — original source: https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2026/09/1168363.