Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make it her policy to support the adoption of a target to substantially strengthen capacities for data collection and statistical analysis relevant to sustainable development by 2020 with a focus on generating timely and high-quality data disaggregated, as appropriate, by income, age, race, ethnicity and rural urban location in Open Working Group negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals.

As we have already made clear, the UK supports the target to by 2020, substantially strengthen capacities for data collection and statistical analysis relevant to sustainable development with a focus on generating timely and high-quality data disaggregated, as appropriate, by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, and rural/urban location. This language is included in the most recent draft goals and targets list released by the co-chairs of the Open Working Group (OWG) on 2 June.

The final targets in the post-2015 development framework will however be subject to international negotiations in the United Nations, in which the UK will play an active role.