The Gender Data Network (GDN) is a joint initiative between PARIS21, Data2X, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), and Open Data Watch. Founded in 2019, the GDN is designed to raise the standard of gender data production to better link with demand, improve the effectiveness of communication of and about gender data, and encourage gender data use across participating countries by:

• Connecting its members to the wider global community focused on gender data;
• Strengthening members’ capacity through fostering gender data expertise, facilitating cross- country learning, enabling capacity building and training, and providing a platform for members to raise and solve issues they face; and
• Focusing on common gender data gaps and accelerating the uptake of new methodologies to close them.

What is the Gender Data Network and what does it do?

In 2019, the African Centre for Statistics (ACS) at ECA, in partnership with Data2X and supported by Open Data Watch, initiated the Gender Data Network (GDN) to improve the production and use of gender data within African national statistics systems. Current GDN members include gender data experts at national statistical offices (NSOs) from 15 African countries: Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Since its inception in 2019, the GDN has offered a range of events and opportunities for members to engage with each other, strengthen skills, and learn from experts. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the GDN continued its engagement virtually, launching a public-facing webinar series on key issues in gender data and statistics.

The Network has proven useful for its members by strengthening their credibility and confidence through valuable conversations and knowledge sharing. For some, the GDN has provided exposure to new tools and best practices. For others, it has given them the support they needed to push gender issues forward in their organisation. All members have benefitted from a strong, shared sense of community that functions as a primary source of information on new developments in gender data and statistics.

Bringing the Gender Data Network to PARIS21

Through 2020, the GDN was hosted by ECA and maintained an exclusive focus on African countries. The support and technical expertise of the ACS at ECA was crucial for the successful piloting of the network.

As we look toward the next phase of the GDN, building on the insights and successes of the work in Africa, the network will scale and expand to new countries and regions. Scaling to a global GDN will continue to enrich knowledge sharing among members and advance efforts to provide more and better gender data globally through inter-regional engagement and peer learning.

To facilitate the growth of the GDN in this next phase, PARIS21 has joined the network as the new global secretariat. With more than twenty years of experience facilitating the development of national statistical systems in low- and middle-income countries, and a rich expertise in gender statistics, PARIS21 is uniquely placed to support the expansion of the GDN going forward.

Learn more about the Gender Data Network

Discover the new Gender Data Platform

Blogs

• The Africa Gender Data Network: A Young Initiative Fostering Lasting Progress
• COVID-19 and beyond: How the Africa Gender Data Network can help boost capacity for gender data collection, use, and impact 

Media articles

• 15 African statisticians unite to advance gender data across the continent
• Making sure women are counted in Kenya
• In Tanzania, making sure every girl and woman is counted

GDN Webinars

• Methodological Research on Approaches to Gender Data Collection
• Building a Business Case for Disaggregated Data
• The Power Of Partnership: Advancing Gender Data in the Context of COVID-19
• Lessons from the Pandemic: Building Better Gender Data in the World of Work
• Achieving Better Outcomes with Better Gender Data

Reports

• Advancing Gender Data and Statistics in Africa (May 2022)
• Bridging the Gap: Mapping Gender Data Availability in Africa
• Bridging the Gap: Mapping Gender Data Availability in Asia and the Pacific