The WeObserve SDGs and Citizen Science Community of Practice (SDGs CoP) is an open platform for citizen science/citizen observatories and the SDGs.
Our aim is to connect citizen science practitioners and researchers; National Statistics Offices (NSOs) and government officials; UN and other international agency representatives; and the broader data and stats communities to share and exchange knowledge, ideas and resources on how to demonstrate the value of citizen science data and impact for SDG achievement.
SDGs are a roadmap to achieve a healthy, prosperous and fair future for all. Achieving the SDGs requires informed decisions that are based on accurate, timely and comprehensive data. Even though data availability has improved over the last decade, there are still major gaps in information and knowledge for guiding policy formulation and implementation. New innovative approaches to data collection, such as citizen science/citizen observatories, which is very broadly defined as public participation in scientific research, can contribute to SDG monitoring. In addition, citizen science could also help mobilize citizen action and promote behavioral change that has a tremendous value in achieving the transformation needed to build the “future we want”.
The SDGs CoP aims to demonstrate the value of citizen science/citizen observatories for SDG monitoring and implementation by focusing on the potential contributions of citizen science data and action for achieving the SDGs.
Our objectives, which were co-created by our CoP participants, are to:
- understand the opportunities and challenges for the use of data from citizen science/citizen observatories for SDG monitoring; and
- advance our knowledge of how citizen science/citizen observatories can help behavior change towards achieving the SDGs.
