- Convenors:
-
Dilek Fraisl
(International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA))
Francesca Perucci (Open Data Watch)
Omar Seidu (Ghana Statistical Service)
Send message to Convenors
- Chairs:
-
Dilek Fraisl
(International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA))
Francesca Perucci (Open Data Watch)
- Discussant:
-
Omar Seidu
(Ghana Statistical Service)
- Format:
- Roundtable
Short Abstract
Official statistics are under pressure from political pushback, financial cuts, and shifting priorities, threatening SDG progress. This session explores how citizen science can address SDG data gaps and build more resilient, inclusive data ecosystems rooted in trust, collaborations and inclusivity.
Description
With less than five years to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), persistent data gaps, particularly in environmental indicators, nearly half of which lack data, threaten progress. Political resistance and financial constraints, especially in low- and middle-income countries, have further strained monitoring efforts. The recent termination of the Demographic and Health Surveys by the U.S. government has been a major setback. Even in high-income countries, shifting priorities and increased defense spending are limiting investment in statistical systems.
In this context, citizen science offers a promising yet underutilized solution. Studies show that citizen science data could contribute to at least 33% of SDG indicators. Real-world examples include Ghana’s integration of beach litter data into official SDG reporting, which inspired similar efforts in Sierra Leone, Colombia, and beyond. The UN Development Program used citizen science to measure citizen satisfaction with public services, reaching marginalized populations often excluded by traditional data collection.
This session will explore how citizen science, when grounded in the ECSA principles, and complemented by indigenous and local knowledge systems, can be integrated into national statistical systems and global policy frameworks, such as the SDGs and Global Biodiversity Framework. Citizen science can provide timely, localized, and disaggregated data across topics from environment to poverty. Yet, challenges in standardization, quality assurance, scaling and trust-building remain. Participants from National Statistical Offices, the UN, academia and civil society will discuss pathways to more inclusive, resilient data ecosystems, including the UN Statistics Division Collaborative on Citizen Data and the Copenhagen Framework.
The session will also mark the launch of the Citizen Science Working Group under the UN Statistics Division and partners-led Collaborative on Citizen Data. The Group will be co-chaired by the Collaborative and the Citizen Science Global Partnership (CSGP) and will outline opportunities for engagement.
Accepted contributions
Short Abstract
For more than three decades, DHS provided vital demographic and health data on population, health, HIV, and nutrition in over 90 countries. Its termination by the US administration leaves major gaps in tracking the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Abstract
For more than three decades, DHS provided vital demographic and health data on population, health, HIV, and nutrition in over 90 countries. Its termination by the US administration leaves major gaps in tracking the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
This issue has highlighted the key risks of overreliance on a single country or institution to provide a global, top-down survey approach that places minimal responsibility and financial investment on individual countries for their own data collection. Moreover, the increasing financial pressures on statistical systems and their ability to monitor the SDGs extend beyond LMICs and the US. Many high-income countries, particularly European ones, are experiencing similar challenges as national budgets are being diverted to increased defense spending. Along with these budget cuts comes a risk that perceived efficiency gains from AI are increasingly viewed as a pretense to put further budgetary pressure on National Statistical Offices (NSOs). In this evolving environment, the authors argue that citizen science, which to date has been considered as a complementary approach to official statistics, may now need to play a more central role, and become more integrated into national and global data ecosystems.
Short Abstract
Citizen science can help close urban monitoring data gaps, supporting more than two-thirds of UN-Habitat’s Global Urban Monitoring Framework (UMF) indicators.
Abstract
My research explores how citizen science can rewire how we monitor urban systems. Evidence shows it could contribute to nearly 70% of the indicators within UN-Habitat’s Urban Monitoring Framework (UMF), yet it remains peripheral. Our analysis of the UMF illustrates how citizen science could strengthen local reporting while providing national statistical systems with disaggregated, timely evidence. The real barrier is not measurement, but meaning: how do we design governance systems that recognise citizen evidence as legitimate, trusted, and actionable? At this roundtable, I want to explore how we move beyond isolated pilots and position citizen science as a routine and trusted pillar of resilient and inclusive data ecosystems.
Short Abstract
Using an app shared over the social network Goodwall, we led a research consortium working with a local NGO, DonateWater, to collect citizen data on water resources in Nigeria. The results compare favourably with official data collected through UNICEF WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) surveys.
Abstract
Monitoring access to water is crucial for implementing policies that increase the number of people using safely managed drinking water services. In this paper, we present results of a project called Yoma Operational Research (Yoma OR) that aims to test whether Citizen Science initiatives developed and led by young Africans can provide data of sufficient quality and coverage to be useful to UNICEF's WASH program in Nigeria. The specific Citizen Science initiative reported here is called DonateWater and was created by a team of young Nigerians through an innovation competition that forms part of a global SDG Olympiad. Partners on the project included the Citizen Science Africa Association, the social network Goodwall, IIASA and University of Geneva's Citizen Cyberlab.
Short Abstract
This talk presents participatory science contributions to SDG monitoring in Latin America and the Caribbean. Based on 106 initiatives across six countries, it demonstrates community-based monitoring generates data for twelve SDGs while prioritizing historically underrepresented populations.
Abstract
This talk presents findings from a regional inventory of participatory research initiatives developed through the Iberoamerican Participatory Science Network (RICAP) in 2020. The research team mapped 439 participatory initiatives across academic databases and non-academic sources, selecting 106 from Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina for detailed analysis of their alignment with SDGs indicators.
Data generated through participatory science projects in the region informed, either directly or indirectly, indicators associated with twelve of seventeen SDGs. SDG 15 (Life on Land) received the most frequent contributions, reflecting strong biodiversity-focused initiatives monitoring endangered species like the Andean bear, jaguar, and Yellow-spotted Amazon River turtle, alongside deforestation and forest fire tracking. SDG 6 (Clean water and sanitation) and SDG 14 (Life below water) also showed significant contributions through water ecosystem assessments developed with fishing communities. Additional initiatives addressed gender equality, reproductive health, participatory territorial planning, and agricultural system improvements, contributing to multiple SDG indicators including poverty reduction, quality education, and sustainable agriculture.
A distinctive characteristic emerged: approximately 75% of mapped initiatives involved historically underrepresented populations, rural (27%), Indigenous (16%), peasant (12%), and fishing communities (5%), alongside women, youth, Afro-descendants, and older adults. This focus addresses the persistent underrepresentation of minority groups in national statistics, revealing both a regional strength and potential for addressing data gaps in SDG monitoring. The analysis demonstrates that participatory initiatives generate valuable contextual data across multiple SDGs, even when not designed specifically for SDG tracking.
Short Abstract
Green Habits Scorecard is a citizen-led initiative that empowers youth, students, and local communities to audit urban sustainability through the lens of the 6S Principles: Happiness, Well-being, Climate Action, Sustainable Education, Regenerative Practices, and Ecosystem Restoration.
Abstract
Identifying Sustainability Gaps and Green Habits Scorecard: A Citizen-Led Audit of 6S Principles for Urban Sustainability is a participatory research initiative designed to empower communities—especially youth, students, and neighbourhood groups—to actively shape the sustainability agenda of their cities. Anchored in the 6S Principles of Sustainalism (Happiness, Well-being, Climate Action, Sustainable Education, Regenerative Practices, and Ecosystem Restoration), the project mobilises citizen science to identify behavioural and systemic gaps in urban sustainability.
Through a mix of qualitative and digital methods—including interviews, short videos, narratives, and app-based data collection—participants co-create a Sustainable Lifestyle Scorecard (SLS) to assess personal and collective habits around energy use, mobility, consumption, and emotional well-being. GPS-enabled tools and a prototype Sustainalism Citizen App allow for real-time mapping of sustainability gaps across neighbourhoods. A live dashboard visualises these insights, enabling stakeholders to view sustainability indices by age, gender, income, and location.
The expected outcomes include:
Identification of sustainability gaps across urban zones.
Behaviour-based sustainability scorecards and indices.
Community-generated Sustainability Action Plans.
Insights into drivers and barriers to sustainable living across demographics.
A scalable, replicable model for citizen-led urban audits.
This project positions citizens not just as data providers but as co-creators of urban change—fostering bottom-up innovation, behavioural shifts, and inclusive sustainability planning. It offers a powerful framework for cities seeking to embed community agency into their climate and well-being strategies.