May 7-8, 2025 - Cartagena, Colombia
As part of the Make Inclusive Data the Norm initiative, the event “Tírame el Dato: Citizen Data in Action for the Canal del Dique” convened community leaders, national institutions, international organizations, and development partners in Cartagena to spotlight the role of citizen-generated data in shaping inclusive governance and sustainable development.
Hosted by Colombia’s National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE), in collaboration with UNFPA, Corporación Desarrollo y Paz del Canal del Dique y Zona Costera, the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, APC-Colombia, and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the event explored how data produced by communities can help build fairer, more participatory public policies.
Speakers emphasized a shared message: data is not just about numbers; it carries the identity, needs, and experiences of people and places.
Piedad Urdinola, Director General of DANE, called for viewing data as a common good.
“Data has a face and a trace,” she said, highlighting that it reflects the lives of historically excluded communities.
She praised local initiatives like the Youth Thought Festival and Más Pez, Más Paz for demonstrating how data grounded in local realities can guide public action.
Luis Mora of UNFPA echoed this sentiment, stating that:
“Data should build citizenship and peace, not only generate technical knowledge.”
His opening remarks underscored the need to respect and include diverse narratives in how data is created and used.
Carlos Pérez Ibarra of AECID emphasized the importance of engaging local communities to ensure sustainability, asserting that:
“Data cannot be built without the voices of those who live in the territory.”
Representing the Global Partnership, Fredy Rodríguez underscored three key principles for unlocking the transformative power of citizen data: supporting data producers, building local capacities, and fostering transparency and information-sharing.
“The power of data lies in people”
Beatriz Salas Díaz, Executive Director of the Corporación Desarrollo y Paz, described Tírame el Dato as a homegrown initiative inspired by traditional fishing nets, symbolizing the connection between knowledge, livelihood, and community.
“These are not just statistics, they are stories that drive policy grounded in ethnic, territorial, and environmental justice,” she explained.
Sandra Bermúdez from APC-Colombia highlighted how citizen data strengthens the national statistical system.
“We must work alongside communities who are already producing valuable data,” she said, pointing to Colombia’s broader push for inclusive statistics through digital tools and projects like DATA.
Participants also engaged in working sessions focused on two major themes:
- Income, Food Security, and Environmental Sustainability: Addressing challenges related to artisanal fishing and local livelihoods, while advancing goals around poverty, economic growth, food security, climate action, and marine biodiversity (SDGs 1, 2, 8, 13, 14, and 15).
Youth Rights and Opportunities: Exploring young people’s access to education and employment, their leadership in democratic life, and their role in building territorial peace (SDGs 1, 4, 8, 10, 16, and 17)
Day 2 activity
This event reflects Colombia’s continued leadership in advancing inclusive data practices, offering a powerful example of how citizen data can help localize the SDGs and ensure no one is left behind.
