New Press Fellowship Opportunity to Learn About Data for Sustainable Development in Ghana

NEW YORK, March 1, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, hosted at the United Nations Foundation, today announced a week-long reporting trip to Ghana. Selected journalists will have access to expert briefings and field trips to explore how data and technology are being used to drive progress and improve life for Ghanaians, with a focus on issues such as environmental protection, equality and inclusion, and maternal health.

Ghana, with a population of almost 30 million people, is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa and looked to as an innovator in data and technology for sustainable development. Despite this progress, the country still faces stark development challenges, with the United Nations' Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights reporting in 2018 that inequality is higher than it has ever been in Ghana, while almost one-quarter of the population lives in poverty and one person in every 12 lives in extreme poverty. The press fellowship invites reporting on the reality of using frontier technology while overcoming the fundamental issues common to countries undergoing rapid development.

Ghana is one of five countries using the Africa Regional Data Cube – a new innovation that packages 17 years of analysis-ready Earth observation and satellite data – to address challenges such as illegal mining, agricultural production, and urbanization. This work supports progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a comprehensive plan to address social, economic, and environmental challenges adopted by 193 countries at the UN in 2015.

"The Government of Ghana is a leader on data and technology for sustainable development. This is an opportunity to see the reality of how governments are using much-hyped new technology and data, and applying it to real world problems – with the opportunities and the challenges that this presents," said Claire Melamed, Chief Executive Officer at the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data. "We want to give journalists a front row seat to see how data can help monitor and achieve the SDGs."

This fellowship will give journalists access to the government officials, civil society leaders, and representatives of international organizations working in Ghana. Journalists will attend a satellite data training with NASA, learn how government officials are working to end extreme poverty using data and technology, and meet the people who are making it happen on the ground.

The fellowship is open to qualified journalists interested in covering international development and data/technology issues in Ghana and/or West Africa. The fellowship will cover all related expenses such as travel and lodging, and will take place the week of May 20, 2019.

The deadline to apply is Thursday, 18 March 2019. Apply here.

Contact: Jennifer Oldfield joldfield(at)data4sdgs.org, +1 202 629 8425        

About the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data

The Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data is a global network including governments, businesses, and civil society organizations working around the world to harness the data revolution for sustainable development. Since it was created in 2015, the Global Partnership has elevated data issues at a political level, launched a multi-million-dollar Collaborative Data Innovations for Sustainable Development funding initiative, and supported the advancement of country-led Data Roadmaps for Sustainable Development in: Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ghana, Kenya, the Philippines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania. Learn more at http://www.data4sdgs.org.

About the United Nations Foundation

The United Nations Foundation acts as a strategic partner to help the United Nations mobilize the ideas, people, and resources it needs to deliver and to grow a diverse and durable constituency for collective action. We focus on issues at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals, build initiatives across sectors to solve problems at scale, and engage citizens who seek action. Founded in 1998 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner, the UN Foundation works with philanthropic, corporate, government, and individual partners. Learn more at: http://www.unfoundation.org.

SOURCE The Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data