Priorities for Missing Data on SDG4 in Arab Region

• In Event: Conceptualizing and Addressing SDG 4 Data Gaps: Global and Regional Perspectives

Proposal

This paper describes the priorities for missing data on SDG4 in the Arab Region. The Arab Region is composed of 22 states who have joined the global community in committing to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Since 2015 Arab countries have exerted considerable efforts to embrace the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, yet despite all these efforts the region is not on track to achieve the 2030 Agenda and lags in many critical targets. The sociopolitical situation alongside widespread conflict and crises in the region have deepened already existing inequalities, and lead to the exclusion of the poorest, most disadvantaged and marginalized, as well as those in fragile contexts. The paper describes the divergent development patterns and the data contexts in the region and their subsequent impact on availability, type, and quality of collected education data (quantitative). It also identifies the underrepresented groups in Arab regional data on SDG 4 and the missing processes (especially qualitative data) and purposes that are extant in the education systems and that further impact progress towards achieving the 2030 Agenda. The impact of this missing education data is discussed, and recommendations are made for resolving these data gaps.

Author

• Karma El Hassan, American University of Beirut