Incentives, accountabilities, and fitness-for-purpose influence how (and whether) data are used to drive policy. So what opportunities exist in national data ecosystems that can catalyze systemic change, toward greater evidence-based decision-making?

This Women's History Month, we will continue to highlight DG’s cross-cutting support of women across our global programs. But in today’s post, we will focus on how we work internally to improve gender balance, support women in the workplace, and aim to do our part in closing the nonprofit leadership gender gap. We will also highlight areas where there is opportunity for us to improve.

Data-driven decision-making was considered a positive norm across countries researched during the UNICEF Data for Children pilot process. Ideally, the national data use cycle would consist of: (i) evidence-based planning; (ii) implementing programs according to plans; (iii) monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and reporting; (iv) analyzing data; and (v) making appropriate planning or program adjustments.