‘New possibilities for measuring deaths in conflict settings’ event during the 2023 UN World Data Forum | April 26, 2023
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As part of the UN World Data Forum 2023, taking place in Hangzhou, China on April 24-27, 2023, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) participated on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in an event organized by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) entitled, ‘New possibilities for measuring deaths in conflict settings’.
The UN World Data Forum, which is held twice every three years, aims to “spur data innovation, nurture partnerships, mobilize high-level political and financial support for data and build a better pathway to better data for sustainable development.” The first Forum was held in Cape Town, South Africa in 2017, and has grown since to include an active list of over 20,000 interest stakeholders (a varied group of governments, civil society organizations, private sector organizations, donor and philanthropist bodies, international and regional agencies, the geographic information community, media outlets, and academic and professional institutions).
This year’s event focused on discussion of the different methods used to measure and estimate data on deaths related to conflict, both from a conceptual and operative standpoint. This includes the innovative methods employed to measure undocumented deaths, assessing, and linking data sources, producing disaggregated data and incorporating statistical findings in decision processes. It is important to note that the number of conflict-related deaths is one of the primary indicators of the level of violence used in it, and is essential for informing policymaking and humanitarian response. The annual process of collecting data on conflict-related deaths also informs the international community of the level of conflict-related violence worldwide, and induces evidence-based procedures to alleviate the humanitarian consequences of conflicts.
Alongside Mr. Abdul Ghany, the other distinguished speakers addressed the event were Guilherme Miranda Dutra, Methodology Officer at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); Francesca Marotta of the OHCHR; Megan Price, Executive Director of the Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG); Matilda Bogner, Head of Mission at the OHCHR’s Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. The event was moderated by Marc Titus Cebreros of the OHCHR.