Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen on Friday said In the era of the fourth industrial revolution, data has already emerged as the new oil.
“Just as oil ignites engines and motors that move people, so does data,” he said.
The foreign secretary said this at an online high-level side event titled `Strengthening GovernmentData4Recovery Capacity with a Focus on Public Health’ as part of the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) 2021.
Momen said that Data brings significant outcomes if the process chooses logical tools in the hands of able analysts.
“To provide evidence for decision making,strategizing and eventually accelerating Covid-19 recovery, let us plan about ideas and actions on strengthening public health governance to effective employment of data for sustainable recovery.”
The Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations, a2i Programme, Government of Bangladesh, Government of Peru, NewYork City Mayor’s Office, United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC)), South-South Network for PublicService Innovation (SSN4PSI), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Vital Strategies co-organized this year's side-event.
Speakers at the high-level virtual event underscored the need to identify the means to develop innovative infectious disease surveillance and control systems that harness data and technology customised and utilised on an international scale to provide evidence for strengthening public health policy in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They said that the virus have exposed weaknesses in current systems, exacerbated inequalities and stalled progress towards the Sustainable DevelopmentGoals (SDGs), according to a press release.
Despite all these challenges, governments around the world brought together private sector, civil society, academia, media and development partners to form unprecedented partnerships and establish novel, Collective Data Intelligence Systems that enable: 1)Syndromic surveillance; 2) Mortality surveillance; 3) Contact tracing; 4) Epidemiological modelling; and 5) Health-response planning and management.
Going forward, what is a cross-sectoral, mission-oriented approach that accelerates the identification of successful models both from the Global North and South and platforms for representatives from Member States, UN agencies, and other stakeholders to share best practices, exchange the tools and expertise required for national initiatives to coalesce into robust international systems that can prevent future pandemics.
Guyana health and cooperative Minister Dr. Frank C.S. Anthony and Peru Health Minister Dr. Óscar Ugarte Ubilluz, and Principal Coordinator (SDG Affairs) of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Zuena Aziz also spoke at the programme.
Two separate panel discussions were held at the event where Prof. Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak, Professor of Economics at Yale, Xiaojun Grace Wang, UNOSSC Deputy Director for Programme and Operations, Dr. Samira Asma, Assistant Director-General, Division of Data, Analytics, and Delivery for Impact, World Health Organization and Dr. Pramod Varma, Chief Architect Aadhaar & India Stack, CTO EkStep Foundation, Cofounder Beckn.org, Volunteer iSPIRT, Dr. Philip Setel, VicePresident, Public Health Programme, Vital Strategies, Dr. Meerjady Sabrina Flora, Additional Director General (Planning andDevelopment), Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh; Dr. GretchenVan Wye, Assistant Commissioner & City Registrar, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; and Ms. Janet Mucheru, Registrar-General, Civil Registration Services, Government of Kenya.
At the event, Anir Chowdhury, Policy Advisor, a2i Programme, ICT Division/Cabinet Division/UNDP Bangladesh, presented the keynote presentation where he highlighted the necessity of real-time data to prepare more targeted health responses including management of medical resources and tracking the long-term effects of the disease.
Speakers said that real-time data-driven modeling was essential to predict future outbreaks of COVID and studying the potential impact of the spread of new variants of the disease, massive movements of people within countries and across borders triggered by outbreaks, natural disasters, major religious festivals, holidays, etc.