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Towards a data users’ framework to advance Sustainable Development Goal 2

the citizens and the institutions which have an impact on their lives and well-being. Accountability is
strongly associated with good governance (Bovens, 2007). An effective accountability framework
will therefore need to consider and address multifaceted challenges that are linked to data collection
and data use, legal and regulatory frameworks, policy tools, social participation at different levels,
including of the youth, and monitoring and evaluation frameworks which would allow tracking
progress against specific commitments (Potts, 2008; Potts and Hunt, 2008). Accountability mechan-
isms are also critical in ensuring that human rights of individuals are met (Potts, 2008). As
a cross-cutting and multi-scale issue, accountability will need to translate into incorporating specific
mechanisms within the thematic policy areas at regional, national, and global levels. While tailored
to different geographic contexts, universal accountability principles and mechanisms are required as
guiding principles.
More specifically, effective accountability mechanisms will also be critical to ensuring progress
towards the achievement of SDG2 — “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition,
and promote sustainable agriculture” (United Nations, 2015a). Accountability can and should be part
of the projects, programmes and policies aiming at eliminating hunger, reducing malnutrition and
promoting food security. As with health and education, the right to food has been recognised to be
a basic human right (Osmani, 2000; Szabo, 2016), and as such, access to safe and nutritious food
should be guaranteed by the state. While hunger and famines have been proven to be associated with
unfair distributional policies and lack of social protection (Devereux, 2009; Sen, 2009), increasingly
obesity prevention has become a key public health priority in many developed and developing coun-
tries (Popkin, Adair, and Ng, 2012; Swinburn, Caterson, Seidell et al., 2004). The economic power
of food industry and its influence on market dynamics and public policy has meant less accountabil-
ity towards consumers and governments (Swinburn, Kraak, Rutter et al., 2015). It has been recog-
nised that strengthening the accountability mechanisms is a precondition for achieving progress in
reducing obesity rates and the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NDCs) (Swinburn, Kraak,
Rutter, et al., 2015).
Accountability and data revolution are intrinsically linked. As part of the pre-SDG agenda setting,
policy makers and citizens called for a data revolution which would involve making data more
available, accessible and disaggregated (IEAG, 2014). Data standardisation and disaggregation
will become increasingly critical with the ever greatest focus on socio-economic inequalities (United
Nations, 2015a; United Nations, 2015b). The implications of the availability or lack of quality data
on inequalities and wider human development can be twofold. First, poor data hinder evidence gen-
eration; thus, preventing effective policy design and decision making. Second, unequal access to
data can prevent citizens from access to information, thus limiting their engagement in social actions
and political processes (IEAG, 2014). These barriers in access to data are also linked to inability of
the poor to purchase or use ITC services, because of lack of resources, remote location or lack of
education (IEAG, 2014).
This paper summarises the results of the discussion and analysis undertaken by ONE Campaign-
facilitated working group on accountability for SDG2, and in particular the data users sub-groups.
ONE Campaign is an international campaigning organisation which aims to fight extreme poverty
and preventable diseases, mainly in Africa. The paper’s key objective is to contribute to the current
debate on SDG2-related accountability mechanisms, by providing a novel conceptual framework and
a set of concrete policy recommendations on how to overcome data challenges in nutrition, agricul-
ture, and food security. The paper starts by highlighting key accountability challenges for data col-
lectors and data users with references to specific programmatic examples. We then propose a new
accountability framework for data users and collectors. Finally, we provide a set of operational and
policy solutions to address accountability obstacles for data users and collectors by applying a chart
of principles approach.

2. Data User Experiences and Challenges

Quality data are the necessary foundation for strategic decision-making amongst governments,

66 International Journal of Population Studies | 2016, Volume 2, Issue 1