Announcement on the Future Direction of SDSN TReNDS

Nearly a decade ago, in 2015, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) established the Thematic Research Network on Data and Statistics (TReNDS), aimed at convening leading data actors to discuss the power and potential of data to advance equitable progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to catalyze policy change by providing new insights from a variety of non-governmental data sources. Over the past ten years, TReNDS expanded its expert membership to more than 35 leading academics and practitioners worldwide spanning the global scientific, development, public, and private sectors. The network produced several noteworthy reports, including Counting on the World (2017), Counting on the World to Act (2019), and Leaving No One off the Map: A Guide for Gridded Population Data for Sustainable Development. Its members and Secretariat also collaborated with many national governments and partners to promote evidence-informed approaches to data curation and management in support of the SDGs. We celebrate this remarkable journey with a new report, TReNDing: The Achievements and Lessons of a Global Research Network on Data.

With the launch of this report charting the achievements and invaluable lessons learned over the last decade, the SDSN is concluding TReNDS at the end of this year and transitioning several of its initiatives to SDSN’s SDGs Today program in order to adapt to the evolving global development environment. The decision involved several consultations with TReNDS’ Expert Members, Co-Chairs, and SDSN leadership. We are deeply grateful for the members' steadfast commitment over the past decade and their ongoing support in shaping the data research agenda with the SDSN and the broader data community.

We also express our profound gratitude to our partners and donors, including the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, GIZ, SIDA, the Gates Foundation, and the Kresge Foundation for their contributions over the past decade.

SDGs Today will expand the foundation established by TReNDS to develop a research agenda that builds on a decade of successful data research, and the SDSN is dedicated to continuing its collaboration with the expert members to inform its data strategy in the years to come. We are committed to a seamless transition for all partners, members, and stakeholders and will continue to provide updates on how you can engage with the SDGs Today team. Thank you for your continued support as we progress together toward the next steps.