In 2020, in the heat of the pandemic, Cepei, the United Nations, and the Tableau Foundation took a bold step together. We partnered to develop the COVID-19 Data and Innovation Centre. Our goal, to inform response and recovery plans with data from the global south.
This partnership built on a longer partnership between an American tech giant –Tableau– and a Colombian think tank, Cepei. Tableau has invested in strengthening the data ecosystem in Latin America. Cepei had invested in developing data and analysis to support the 2030 Agenda, including monitoring our regional progress towards meeting the SDGs. Together, Cepei and Tableau have built a solid foundation to 1) get data, process data, and make it useful; and 2) deploy this useful data–gathered and processed in the South– to inform the highest level of policymaking at the UN.
This is a unique partnership with distinct outcomes. This partnership brings together data scientists, statisticians, National Statistical Systems, students, professors, private sector leaders, and policymakers together. It is innovative not because there is some groundbreaking NEW thing but because it works. It works well. And it has the potential to be transformative especially as we enter the 9-year mark towards 2030.
Cepei has 20 years of proven experience strengthening the data ecosystem in Latin America and the Caribbean. Tableau came in with funds, tech, expertise, and their Foundation’s leaders’ commitment to allow a Southern, a Colombian think tank experiment and learn fast.
