Lalitpur, November 14, 2017: Bikas Udhyami with the technical assistance from the Central Bureau of Statistics has launched a series of videos to demystifying different aspects of Nepal’s development by explaining them on the basis of officially available data in an easy to understand manner.
The videos were launched during a program titled ‘Nepal in Data’ on Monday evening, at Ashok Hall in Patan, with as Chief Guest, Suman Raj Aryal, Director General of the Central Bureau of Statistics. The program aimed to contribute on the data literacy and its effective use in the policy formulation and implementation. The videos feature contemporary topics including poverty and inequality, the demographic dividend, the role of media as watchdog, energy, manufacturing, violence against women and global warming.
The videos are inspired by the videos of Hans Rosling, world-renowned statistician and founder of the Gapminder Foundation who sadly passed away earlier this year. The program featured a guest lecture by Ms. Fernanda Drumond and Mr. Olav from the Gapminder Foundation from Sweden on a fact-based world view. Prior to the guest lecture, the audience was quizzed beforehand about their knowledge and perceptions on different aspects of Nepal’s development. The lecture provided audience with new perspectives and insights regarding various issues. The lecture was followed by an exercise in which audiences had actively participated through electronic voting device.
Through its Nepal in Data initiative, Bikas Udhyami has been seeking to increase the availability and accessibility of data on Nepal via its web portal http://www.nepalindata.com as well as to enhance data literacy through its infographics, news, and tools. The videos were developed with the technical assistance of the Central Bureau of Statistics and are intended to generate more public interest around data and enhance people’s understanding of key issues related to Nepal’s development.
The videos and program have been made possible through the ‘Data for Development in Nepal’ Program implemented by The Asia Foundation in Partnership with Development Initiatives with funding from the UK Department for International Development to improve the sharing and use of data as evidence for development in Nepal.
‘Nepal In Data’ currently holds a collection of 1700 relevant data and statistics covering 12 different sections of society, daily infographics, news and resources on data and statistics.
