From access to clean water and education, to health status, inequality and climate action, tracking sustainable development means making sense of a vast body of evidence. A Pacific Data Hub dashboard is helping its users see the progress being made and where more attention is needed.

The Pacific is collecting important statistics on the differences in the lives of women and men, girls and boys. A new regional assessment finds that the harder task is building the institutions, funding and public access needed to turn those numbers into lasting evidence for decision-making.

Fuel crises, jobs, population change, public health, climate impacts: Pacific decision-makers are responding to increasingly complex challenges. This week, the region’s statistics leaders are considering how national systems can continue to improve policy and planning through evidence.

Representatives from eight Pacific Island countries and territories gathered in Fiji from 3 to 7 August to strengthen disability statistics and support inclusive decision-making, marking a key milestone in implementing the Pacific Regional Guidebook on Disability Statistics.