Data is instrumental to monitor progress of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), however, lack of data globally remains a substantial obstacle to SDG achievement. Currently, more than half of the required data to monitor SDG progress is missing across the world.

The public sector increasingly recognizes the private sector as a key player in SDG achievement, particularly given its invaluable data assets. Collaboration between the public and private sectors on data sharing enables governments to blend insights and set policy directions beyond traditional GDP and economic topics. Most importantly, data-sharing partnerships enable evidence-based policymaking. These insights can be used to improve overall national performance against the SDGs. This paper explores key enablers for expanding public–private data-sharing partnerships to support the UAE’s SDG reporting and monitoring efforts to achieve the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. By strengthening public–private sector collaboration on data sharing, the UAE can not only accelerate its excellent performance on advancing the SDGs, but also lead the way toward a stronger, more cohesive framework for sustainability for the entire region.