Evidence-based data crucial for driving development wheel in Pakistan:Romina Khurshid

ISLAMABAD: The Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change, Romina Khurshid Alam, emphasized the critical importance of reliable, evidence-based data in advancing development across various domains, including economic, social, technological, and environmental sectors. She highlighted that such data fuels innovation by providing valuable insights into trends, consumer behavior, and market demands.

“Data plays an increasingly vital role in driving socio-economic progress, especially in developing nations like Pakistan, where the lack of credible data remains a significant obstacle to achieving development goals and formulating evidence-based policies,” Ms. Alam stated during her keynote speech at the closing ceremony of a three-day capacity-building workshop titled ‘Data for Development.’ The event was organized by the UN Population Fund in collaboration with the Ministry of Climate Change & Environmental Coordination, the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, and other development partners.Pakistan’s Climate Change Ministry, GGGI sign pact to mobilise green finance for climate action

Addressing participants from governmental and non-governmental organizations, she underlined that as Pakistan faces challenges like poverty, inequality, unemployment, and climate change, data serves as the cornerstone for crafting effective policies, designing impactful programs, and ensuring accountability in development initiatives.

“As policymakers and leaders, we must recognize the transformative power of data in socio-economic development. Properly collected, analyzed, and applied data is essential for achieving sustainable growth, reducing poverty, fostering social equity, enhancing disaster resilience, protecting the environment, and improving the quality of life for all citizens,” Ms. Alam stressed.

She further noted that effective governance and policymaking demand decisions rooted in evidence. Accurate and real-time data enables policymakers to address urgent needs in critical sectors such as education, health, agriculture, and infrastructure. For instance, poverty data and regional mapping can help allocate resources efficiently to uplift marginalized communities. Data also plays a key role in monitoring progress on development goals like poverty alleviation, educational improvements, and healthcare advancements.

Discussing environmental challenges, Ms. Alam said that addressing issues such as environmental degradation, limited access to clean water, and building climate-resilient systems requires real-time data on environmental factors like deforestation rates, water consumption, and carbon emissions. This data informs policies that balance economic growth with environmental sustainability. It also aids in tracking sustainability goals related to climate change, renewable energy, and conservation efforts.

She also emphasized the importance of data in tackling poverty. By utilizing poverty indices, household surveys, and income distribution data, governments and NGOs can effectively target poverty alleviation