The UN Secretary General on HXL

[David Megginson]

UN Secretary General António Guterres talked a bit about HXL this morning during his speech opening the new Centre for Humanitarian Data in The Hague. Thanks to the many, many of you who have contributed to HXL in different ways over the past few years:

«I was fascinated to learn that the Humanitarian Data Exchange also has its own language: the Humanitarian Exchange Language. This is becoming a standard across the sector, enabling organizations to communicate more quickly and smoothly.

«The idea of “a simple standard for messy data” will appeal to anyone like me, who has worked with humanitarian statistics (and not always very able to understand them).

«And the promise of minimizing extra work by maximizing the value of shared information will find favour with our hardworking staff on the front lines.

«Faster data leads to better decisions and to better outcomes.

«It also makes it easier to measure and monitor progress. Which in turn will help aid agencies to analyse their effectiveness, improve their performance and be accountable for their results.»

All the best, David