Data for Decision-Making: Technical Assistance for SDGs

Read about the commitment “Improving country data for monitoring SDG achievements and informing policy decisions” by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) here. 

As the custodian of 22 different SDG indicators, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) plays a crucial role in promoting the collection, analysis, dissemination, and use of SDG data. FAO committed to enhancing countries' capacity for these indicators. 

Since making this commitment at the 2024 UNWDF, the FAO has organized and participated in technical assistance and training workshops for strengthening SDG data for over 60 countries’ national statistics offices (NSOs) and ministries of agriculture (MOAs).  These workshops are tailored to country contexts and emphasize multi-level disaggregation and data-driven policymaking. They strengthen both the availability and use of food- and agriculture-related SDG data, enabling targeted action to reduce hunger, support sustainable aquaculture and agriculture, and promote equitable access to food and agricultural livelihoods. 

A regional workshop in Samoa was attended by participants from Cook Islands, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. 

Enhancing technical capacity globally 

Since the UNWDF, the FAO provided workshops and trainings for SDG Indicators 2.1.1 (Prevalence of undernourishment) and 2.1.2 (Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity) for several countries, including: 

• 6 – 10 October 2025: In Mauritius, the workshop included the development of nationally validated SDG 2.1.1 and 2.1.2 indicators and the creation of draft national reports and policy briefs. 
• 29 September – 3 October 2025: Representatives from several agencies involved in the Kyrgyz National Statistical System attended trainings on analyzing food security data for monitoring and policy. 
• 7 – 10 July 2025: The workshop in Bangladesh trained participants on statistical methods, allowing for new estimations based on the data from the Household Income Expenditure Survey. 
• 2 – 5 December 2024: A regional workshop was held in Apia, Samoa with representatives from Pacific Island nations that focused on improved data analysis and data communication skills. 

However, the work goes beyond these two indicators. From July to October, the FAO conducted virtual trainings on SDG Indicator 2.4.1 (Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture), for 42 countries. The Summary Report details the trainings as well as specific outcomes, and the presentations and recordings are fully available. 

In the Kyrgyz Republic, representatives from the National Statistical Committee, Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Regional Development, and the Ministry of Health attended the workshop. 

Other events include: 

• 24 – 28 November 2025: The FAO’s African Commission on Agricultural Statistics (AFCAS) had its 29th meeting in Tunisia. While the entire event focuses on exchanging and promoting ideas for measuring agricultural data, there were multiple presentations specifically on SDGs. These can be found here. 
• 14 July 2025: At the HLPF, the FAO held a side event titled “Re-imagining the future of women in agrifood systems: Promoting women’s land rights, decent employment and innovative partnerships to advance the SDGs” (concept note, video recording) 
• 27 February 2025: FAO Statistician Arbab Asfandiyar Khan gave a lecture at the University of Peshawar on SDG 2.4.1 titled “Measuring and Monitoring Sustainable Agriculture” (presentation, video recording). 

From tailored trainings to informative publications 

The technical assistance informs crucial publications on food- and agriculture-related SDGS: 

• The work done with different NSOs and MOAs enabled the publication of Tracking progress on food and agriculture-related SDG indicators 2025, which provides details about the status of the SDGs on a global and regional level. 
• Part of the FAO Statistics Working Paper Series, Disaggregating data for development: a cost-effective approach to SDG Indicators 2.1.2, 2.3.1, and 2.3.2 in Latin America using small area estimation describes four case studies where small area estimation was used to measure three SDG Indicators at the sub-national level, discusses how sub-national SDG data is useful for policy, and provides recommendations for countries to incorporate small area estimation into their own systems. 

Looking ahead to 2026 

To see a full list of the SDG trainings and to stay up to date with future workshops, visit the FAO SDG event page. Events such as the 10th International Conference on Agricultural Statistics are on the horizon, as the FAO continues to promote SDG data availability and data-driven policymaking.