SDG 16.10.2 UPGRADED TO TIER I BY IEAG-SDGs

During a meeting in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) on 21 – 24 October 2019, the Inter-agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators (IAEG-SDGs) agreed to upgrade the status of the Indicator SDG 16.10.2 to Tier I.

This category positions the indicator, which assesses public access to information (ATI), as a necessity when attempting to achieve progress related to the implementation of ATI laws. The reclassification should encourage member states to report more in-depth on Goal 16.10.2, particularly as it serves as a prerequisite to the monitoring and reporting on the development of other diverse areas, such as health (SDG 3), gender equality (SDG 5), climate change (SDG 13), etc.

Thanks to the work of UNESCO (the custodian agency for the SDG 16.10.2), this upgrading demonstrates that the indicator can be assessed using an international methodology and that it can produce regular data in countries who have committed to the 2030 Agenda. The system of tiers, developed by the IEAG-SDGs, recognises the availability and the quality of data from indicators on a global scale. It also aims to get a better understanding of the interlinkages between the different SDGs.

GFMD, alongside partners and international networks, advocate to raise awareness of the fundamental right of ATI. Indeed, the considerable links between SDG 16.10 and the other sustainable development goals, places ATI as an important lever needed to achieve progress in the UN Agenda.