The Civil Society Collaborative on Inclusive COVID-19 Data will work alongside marginalized communities and activists to understand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and collectively advocate for an inclusive recovery. Over 20 civil society organizations have come together to launch the collaborative and develop a data-driven report and advocacy campaign, launching in July this year at the United Nations High Level Political Forum.

With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to erode hard-won progress against poverty and deepening inequalities, marginalized communities are being left behind as official data and statistics do not count or reflect their lives. Civil society organizations (CSOs) generate vast and nuanced data which could help to address the pervasive gaps in official statistics. 

Working alongside communities and activists, the collaborative seeks to create a more intersectional understanding of the pandemic’s effects and advocate for an inclusive recovery. Over 20 CSOs are already engaged with the collaborative, representing and working closely with a diverse range of population groups from young people to persons with disabilities to internally displaced people.

The collaborative will work with communities and activists to develop a data-driven report and advocacy campaign, launching in July this year at the United Nations High Level Political Forum. As well as uncovering the effects of COVID-19, the report will highlight CSOs and citizens’ learnings on inclusive and participatory data collection methods, and offer recommendations for improving collaboration and coordination between official data producers, civil society, and citizens

The objectives of the collaborative are to: 

  1. Increase global leaders’ understanding of the situation of marginalized people in light of COVID-19 and motivate more inclusive action
  2. Elevate the needs and voices of marginalized people in national and global dialogue 
  3. Strengthen recognition of the value of data generated by civil society by global and national leaders and increase willingness to collaborate around gathering, sharing and using data on the situation of marginalized groups

The collaborative is led and resourced by the Steering Group, involving Action Aid (Denmark), Christian Aid, Development Initiatives, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (Global Partnership), International Civil Society Centre (ICSC), Plan International, Restless Development, and Sightsavers. 

A diverse and growing range of CSOs are engaged as partners, including Africa’s Voices Foundation, CBM, CIVICUS, Consortium for Street Children, HelpAge International, Institute for Global Homelessness, Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, International Rescue Committee, Islamic Relief, Peace Direct, Save the Children, Transparency International, VSO, and World Vision.

The collaborative builds on the existing work of ICSC’s Leave No One Behind (LNOB) Partnership and the Global Partnership’s Inclusive Data Charter (IDC) and Citizen-Generated Data (CGD) Task Team

The collaborative is an open platform for civil society, communities, and activists. If you would like to learn more about engaging, please contact Kate Richards, IDC Outreach Manager.