IREX is a global development and education organization. We work in more than 100 countries to cultivate youth, leaders, and institutions that support more vibrant information ecosystems in communities around the world.
We believe that being able to engage critically with information is a building block towards more equitable and effective development, including better education, inclusive leadership, and positive youth development.
Priorities as a partner of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data
One of IREX's priorities is to advance vibrant information ecosystems in the communities where we work. Vibrant information is particularly important in the context of tracking our progress towards and achieving the SDGs. Communities and leaders must be able to engage critically with data to make the evidence-informed decisions that are key to sustainable development. This depends on how well stakeholders produce information and with whom they share it, how broadly skills and confidence to access it are enjoyed by diverse community members, and how smoothly it flows between different actors.
One way IREX accomplishes this is by placing special priority on fostering meaningful use of data for everyday citizens and local leaders. One pioneering project in Tanzania, Data Zetu ("our data" in Swahili) applies creative ways to extend the data revolution to subnational contexts, using digital and offline tools to build the infrastructure for local communities to engage with data, as well as supporting them with practical skills to be confident in working with data. These efforts have included the country's first ever data-driven fashion show, data literacy training with young leaders, and a pioneering open data resource containing the project's own impact data.