This working paper examines how declining international financing and limited domestic resource mobilization are putting essential data for sustainable development, climate action, and evidence-based policymaking at risk—particularly in countries of the Global South. The paper analyzes the consequences of underfunding for statistical systems, data ecosystems, and the monitoring of global agendas, while identifying opportunities to innovate through public-private partnerships, alternative financing mechanisms, and the responsible use of private sector capabilities. In a context of multiple crises, the paper argues that protecting and innovating in data ecosystems is not optional, but a prerequisite for development.
Data at Risk, Development at Stake: How the Private Sector Can Drive Innovation in Times of Crisis
December 20, 2025
Principales hallazgos
Underfunded data systems pose a systemic risk that weakens public planning, deepens inequalities, and hinders progress on global agendas, including the SDGs and the Paris Agreement.
Heavy reliance on a small group of donors, combined with weak domestic investment, makes data ecosystems fragile, volatile, and highly vulnerable to economic and political shocks.
The private sector, through well-governed public-private partnerships, can play a critical role in fostering innovation, diversifying financing, and strengthening the sustainability of data as a global public good.
Main Findings
Underfunded data systems pose a systemic risk that weakens public planning, deepens inequalities, and hinders progress on global agendas, including the SDGs and the Paris Agreement.
Heavy reliance on a small group of donors, combined with weak domestic investment, makes data ecosystems fragile, volatile, and highly vulnerable to economic and political shocks.
The private sector, through well-governed public-private partnerships, can play a critical role in fostering innovation, diversifying financing, and strengthening the sustainability of data as a global public good.
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