Workshop - Advancing women’s land rights and implementing the SDGs

Eight years after adopting the 2030 Agenda, several countries are facing considerable challenges in monitoring targets in many policy areas, particularly on land and gender indicators. Insufficient availability and quality of statistical information on SDG indicators hamper the capacity of policymakers to generate evidence-based and effective policy responses and implement the 2030 Agenda.

The workshop on "Advancing Women’s Land Rights and Implementing SDG Indicators 5.a.2 and 1.4.2 in Western Asia and Beyond," which took place online on 14 December, was organized by UN ESCWA in collaboration with FAO, UN-Habitat, GLTN, and the Arab Land Initiative. The workshop contributed to the efforts of creating a common understanding among data producers on how to collect, measure, and disseminate SDG indicators, particularly those that are less commonly produced in the Arab region, in order to increase data production and enhance national data flows to users and custodian agencies.

The event, which targeted official statisticians in the Arab countries, along with regional, subregional, and national gender focal points from custodian agencies, partners, and other key stakeholders, aimed to:

• Raise awareness among national institutions about the importance of SDG 5 for the 2030 Agenda and the need to improve data collection on SDG indicators 5.a.2, 5.1.1, 5.a.1, and 1.4.2 as a baseline for reporting progress;

• Strengthen the capacities of national institutions to collect data on SDG Indicator 5.a.2, by discussing challenges and good practices in the region and beyond;

• Trigger an informed discussion on the challenges faced by rural women in Western Asia and ways to advance women’s land rights and gender equality to promote inclusive rural transformation and sustainable development.