Open Forum #22 Citizen Data to Advance Human Rights and Inclusion in the Di

Summary

This discussion focused on the importance of citizen data in fostering inclusive digital environments and promoting human rights. Experts from various fields shared insights on engaging marginalized communities in data governance and digital transformation processes.

The panel emphasized the need for meaningful citizen participation across the entire data value chain to ensure digital systems and policies reflect diverse experiences and priorities. They highlighted tools and frameworks, such as the Copenhagen Framework and the Digital Rights Check, designed to promote responsible use of citizen-generated data and assess human rights risks in digital projects.

Participants stressed the importance of involving women, girls, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups in data governance practices. Examples were shared of how citizen data initiatives have improved accessibility and representation for these communities in digital spaces and policy-making processes.

The discussion also touched on the role of national statistical offices in integrating citizen-generated data into official data systems, particularly for addressing data gaps in areas like gender-based violence and disaster impact assessment. Ethical concerns and potential risks associated with data collection and sharing were addressed, with emphasis on the need for safeguards and standards.

Collaboration between civil society, government bodies, human rights institutions, and the private sector was identified as crucial for maximizing the impact of citizen data initiatives. The panel concluded by highlighting the need for increased investment in inclusive citizen participation in digital spaces and the importance of capturing and communicating the real-world impact of citizen data projects to garner further support and resources.

Keypoints

Major discussion points:

– The importance of citizen-generated data for inclusive digital transformation

– Tools and frameworks for ensuring human rights and ethics in digital data collection

– Involving marginalized groups like women, persons with disabilities, and children in data governance

– Challenges and opportunities for national statistical offices to incorporate citizen data

– The role of public-private partnerships in advancing citizen data initiatives

The overall purpose of the discussion was to explore how citizen-generated data can foster inclusion and human rights in public services and policies in the digital age. The panelists shared experiences and insights on involving citizens, especially marginalized groups, in data production and governance processes.

The tone of the discussion was collaborative and solution-oriented. Panelists spoke enthusiastically about the potential of citizen data while also acknowledging challenges. There was a sense of urgency about the need to make digital spaces and data processes more inclusive. The tone remained positive and constructive throughout, with panelists building on each other’s points and offering concrete suggestions for advancing the field of citizen data.

Speakers

– Papa Seck: Chief of the Research and Data Section at UN Women, member of the Steering Committee of the Collaborative on Citizen Data

– Dr. Hem Raj Regmi: Deputy Statistician in the Nepal National Statistical Office

– Joseph Hassine: AI for Social Good, Google.org

– Line Gamrath Rasmussen: Senior Advisor on Human Rights and Tech at the Danish Institute for Human Rights

– Bonnita Nyamwire: Research Director at Pollicy

– Elizabeth Lockwood: Representative of the UN Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities for Sustainable Development, member of the Steering Committee of the Collaborative on Citizen Data

Additional speakers:

– Howie Chen: Works at the UN Statistics Division

– Dina: Audience member from Brazil

Expanded Summary of Discussion on Citizen Data for Inclusive Digital Transformation

This discussion brought together experts from various fields to explore the importance of citizen-generated data in fostering inclusive digital environments and promoting human rights. The panel focused on engaging marginalized communities in data governance and digital transformation processes, emphasizing the need for meaningful citizen participation across the entire data value chain.

Opening Statements and Key Themes:

1. Importance of Citizen Data for Inclusive Digital Transformation

Panelists strongly agreed on the critical role of citizen-generated data in creating inclusive digital environments. Papa Seck, Chief of the Research and Data Section at UN Women, emphasized that citizen data is essential for fostering inclusive digital spaces. Bonnita Nyamwire, Research Director at PoliSea, argued that citizen data helps identify and address systemic biases, highlighting her work with women politicians and women in media through PoliSea’s programs. Joseph Hassine from Google.org stressed its importance for accurately understanding world challenges and informed policymaking. Elizabeth Lockwood, representing the UN Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities, highlighted how citizen data can fill critical gaps in information about marginalized groups, citing an example of how such data helped address barriers for persons with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Hem Raj Regmi, Deputy Statistician in the Nepal National Statistical Office, viewed citizen data as an alternative source for areas with data gaps, noting its potential cost-effectiveness and representativeness compared to traditional data sources.

2. Ensuring Human Rights and Ethical Standards in Citizen Data

Line Gamrath Rasmussen, Senior Advisor at the Danish Institute for Human Rights, stressed the importance of a human rights-based approach throughout the data collection process. She introduced tools such as the Copenhagen Framework and the Digital Rights Check, designed to promote responsible use of citizen-generated data and assess human rights risks in digital projects. Elizabeth Lockwood highlighted the importance of data confidentiality and protection, while also discussing the Digital Accessibility Rights Evaluation Index, which assesses digital accessibility across countries. Joseph Hassine addressed the need to consider potential harms from data sharing and misuse, emphasizing the importance of data validation and standardization.

3. Meaningful Participation of Marginalized Groups

Panelists agreed on the crucial importance of involving marginalized groups in data governance and collection processes. Bonnita Nyamwire emphasized the need to involve women and girls in data governance practices. Elizabeth Lockwood stressed the importance of ensuring accessibility for persons with disabilities, arguing that organizations of persons with disabilities should lead or co-lead citizen data initiatives. Dr. Hem Raj Regmi highlighted the focus on marginalized communities and population groups in Nepal’s efforts to incorporate citizen data, mentioning Nepal’s new statistics act from 2022 and plans to implement citizen-generated data for violence and disaster impact measurement.

4. Collaboration and Capacity Building

The discussion underscored the importance of cross-sector collaboration and capacity building to advance citizen data initiatives. Bonnita Nyamwire emphasized the need for collaboration between government, civil society, and the private sector. Elizabeth Lockwood called for strengthening capacity for inclusive citizen data, while Dr. Hem Raj Regmi suggested starting with small-scale pilots at municipal or district levels before national implementation. Joseph Hassine stressed the importance of capturing and communicating the impact of citizen data initiatives to attract more resources and support, highlighting Google.org’s focus on data for informed policymaking and more accurate/inclusive AI tooling.

5. Challenges and Opportunities for National Statistical Offices

Dr. Hem Raj Regmi provided insights into the challenges and opportunities for national statistical offices in incorporating citizen data, highlighting its potential as a cost-effective and potentially more representative alternative to traditional data sources.

6. Role of Public-Private Partnerships

Joseph Hassine provided perspectives on how private sector entities like Google.org can contribute to AI for social good and support citizen data projects.

Closing Recommendations:

In a final “lightning round,” panelists offered key recommendations:

– Line Gamrath Rasmussen: Promote and encourage adoption of the Copenhagen Framework on citizen data

– Bonnita Nyamwire: Develop and promote tools to ensure compliance with ethical and human rights standards in data collection

– Elizabeth Lockwood: Strengthen capacity and increase investments in inclusive citizen participation in digital spaces

– Dr. Hem Raj Regmi: Engage in monitoring and implementation of the Global Digital Compact

– Joseph Hassine: Capture and communicate the impact of citizen data initiatives to attract more resources and support

Unresolved Issues and Audience Questions:

Several issues remained unresolved, including strategies for including children and older adults in data initiatives, balancing data confidentiality with openness and accessibility, and addressing the digital divide to ensure offline alternatives for data participation.

Closing Remarks:

Howie Chen, representing the UN Statistics Division, provided closing remarks, emphasizing the importance of the discussion in advancing inclusive digital transformation.

The overall tone of the discussion was collaborative and solution-oriented, with panelists building on each other’s points and offering concrete suggestions for advancing the field of citizen data. The discussion concluded by highlighting the need for increased investment in inclusive citizen participation in digital spaces and the importance of capturing and communicating the real-world impact of citizen data projects to garner further support and resources.

Papa Seck: Papasek and I’m the Chief of the Research and Data Section at UN Women. I’m also wearing another hat today as a member of the Steering Committee of the Collaborative on Citizen Data. The Collaborative was established last year to foster partnerships, build capacity and promote the responsible use of citizen-generated data for inclusive and sustainable development. UN Women was the inaugural chair of the Collaborative, together with the UN Statistics Division, and we’re really happy to organise this session today. Colleagues, in the digital era, the participation of citizens in data-driven processes is essential for fostering inclusive, equitable digital environments that can serve the diverse needs of all communities and community members. Since Sunday, day zero of this forum, we’ve heard repeatedly the reasons why the data that feeds AI algorithms, for example, needs to be representative, but also needs to be scrutinised, and this absolutely necessitates citizens’ inclusion and engagement. The newly adopted Global Digital Compact considers inclusivity as a cornerstone for a fair and equitable digital future. Meaningfully engaging all citizens in the data production and use is important to ensure that digital systems and policies reflect their unique experiences and priorities, and this paves the way, of course, for more inclusive digital transformation. If we put that another way, there will be no transformation without inclusion and diversity, and this panel today really reflects that. So we have distinguished speakers from civil society, the Human Rights Institute, the National Statistical Office and the private sector. who will share with us their experiences today on the ways citizen data, the citizen data movement can really help foster inclusion and human rights in public services and policies in the digital age. So the session will also explore how the recently launched UN collaborative on citizen data and the Copenhagen framework on citizen data could support marginalized individuals and communities in this endeavor. So we have five distinguished speakers today. We have Lynn Garaf Rasmussen, who’s the senior advisor on human rights and tech at the Danish Institute for Human Rights. Joining me in the room is Bonita Namwari, who’s the research director of policy. And online again, we have Elisabeth Lockwood, who’s the representative of the UN, of the stakeholder group of persons with disabilities for sustainable development. We have Dr. Hemraj Regmi, who’s the deputy statistician in the Nepal National Statistical Office. And last but not least, Mr. Joseph Hassan, who’s at google.org and is AI for social goods at google.org. So let me first start with, Lynne, let me start with you. We will start with a round of just two questions, one question for each of the panelists. And what I ask you is, can you really please briefly describe for us your experience on citizen data, human rights and digital transformation? How does this come across in your work? It will be the same question for all of you, and I kindly ask each of you to stick to the time allocated of two minutes. So Lynne, let me start with you. Okay, so while we sort that out, Bonita, I’ll go to you then. Thank you so much.

Bonnita Nyamwire: So at PoliSea, where I work, we are based in Kampala in Uganda, and our team is spread across the African continent. So our work is deeply rooted in empowering citizens through data. We’ve led initiatives that leverage citizen-generated data to advocate for improved digital services, inclusivity, and accountability. And by integrating data-driven approaches, we’ve explored the intersection of human rights and digital transformation, ensuring that marginalized voices, especially women and girls, are heard in policy-making processes. So our work mostly focuses on improving digital technology services for women and girls across the African continent. And so a significant focus of our work has been ensuring that digital transformation does not exacerbate inequalities, especially gender inequalities, but rather create opportunities for more inclusive and equitable societies. This therefore includes extensive research that we have done as PoliSea in various African countries on issues like technology-facilitated gender-based violence and the need for safer digital ecosystems, and other research on citizen engagement in data governance processes, as well as application of gender data in data governance.

Papa Seck: Thank you. Papa, back to you. Great. Thank you very much, Bonita. Linek, should we try again? or whether you’ve been able to unmute. We still cannot hear you, but let me see if we could try to fix it with the technician in the room. So, in the meantime, let me go to you, Elizabeth. Sorry, Elizabeth, are you speaking? I am. Now I can unmute. Apologies. I couldn’t unmute.

Elizabeth Lockwood: Thank you so much. Apologies. Thank you so much, Papa. I, along with Papa, I’m also one of the Steering Committee members of the Collaborative on Citizen Data, so I’ll speak to that and then I’ll speak to my other role. One of the key outputs of the Collaborative is our Copenhagen Framework, which highlights the importance of meaningful citizen participation across the entire data value chain. It outlines principles for citizen data and the necessary enabling environment. And a central objective of the framework is to integrate citizens’ perspectives into broader discussions with the national data ecosystem, including topics such as digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and data governance. The human rights-based approach of data is also central to the framework, ensuring open, transparent, inclusive, participatory, confidential, ethical, and other approaches. As the stakeholder group of persons with disabilities, we really focus on data led by organizations of persons with disabilities, citizen data in particular, to fill critical data gaps, to provide evidence, to influence policies, and ensure data reflect reality. This includes data to address the increasing digital divide that disproportionately affects persons with disabilities who live in, 80% live in the Global South, and of that group, 90% do not have sufficient access to assistive technologies that they require. And I’ll talk about that a bit more. Thank you, Papa.

Papa Seck: Great. Thank you very much, Elizabeth. Lina, shall we try again? Yes, I hope you can hear me now. Yes, now it’s good. Thank you. Perfect. Thank you so much, and thank you for waiting.

Line Gamrath Rasmussen: Yeah, so working in this space of technology and human rights, there’s always this dual relationship where tech creates these wonderful opportunities for promoting and protecting human rights, but it also creates, can cause serious harm to human rights. So at the Danish Institute, we obviously take a human rights-based approach, so that means we work on the responsibilities of states and businesses to use and deploy technology in a way that’s human rights compliant. But I find that sometimes we forget ourselves as human rights professionals that when we use technology, we also have to think about how we make sure that it’s happening in a way that is not causing harm to human rights. So that’s why we’re working with this human rights impact assessment methodology where you actually try and assess the risks and the impacts that the technology will have on the users involved in your projects. And that’s why we made a few toolkits on human rights impact assessment in the digital space, and also a tool called the Digital Rights Check that we’ll talk about a little bit more later. Thank you. Great. Thank you very much.

Papa Seck: Over to you, Dr. Hem.

Dr. Hem Raj Regmi: Thank you, Chair, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. Good evening to everyone. Yes, we all know that these data are required for almost everyone from individuals to the governments, policy makers to the decision makers, researchers to the business people. We also know that these data do not come automatically. We need to invest a lot in the production of the data. Some data can be produced with a little bit less efforts like managing administrative data or MIS, management information system. But the data outside the system are quite costly, particularly the censuses or surveys or even the studies. Even the governments like Nepal have not been able to fund sufficiently to produce sufficient amount of the data to monitor national plans as well as to report for the SDG indicators which are the international obligations agreed by the governments. So we are looking for the alternative data sources which may be a little bit cost effective, which may be more reliable, which may be more representative. These non-traditional data sources may be different types, for example, big data may be there supported by the AI and then all these computers and then with high velocities. But the capacity is always limited to manage this big data. That is why the best alternative data source that we assume may be the citizen generated data. Given these constraints, the citizen generated data may be the best alternatives for the data production, for the data users, not only for the governments, even for the broad population. data user society that is why we have collaborated with the UN citizen data, data generated group to focus to produce some data not all maybe some data particularly on the social side for example the violence, the household level violence, even the gender based violence which are quite common then to report that type of the information or maybe the disaster related information if disaster occurs in any place for example Nepal is prone to many types of the disasters and in that situation if we can develop some mechanism to report these data from the citizens or the issues that we are discussing over here like human rights violation or maybe the issues related with the human rights then these data sources may be invaluable for the governments even for the national statistics office so that we can claim that we have been able to provide the data to the data users, the national data users, the global data users as well as the those who are living behind as per the theme of the SDG that is why we are collaborating with the citizen data forum or the trying to advocate this Copenhagen framework a little bit issues are already there in the statistics sector of Nepal so yes I can go later on Papa thank you yeah exactly thank you very much sorry we’re a little bit limited in time so but I’ll come back to you with the second question so last but not least over to you Joseph.

Joseph Hassine: Thank you, thanks for having me today I’m grateful to participate and so in my role at google.org I look at this from the lens of a funder and external partner where from Google’s philanthropy I’m responsible for helping non-profit organizations and civil society leverage AI and technology toward digital transformation and ultimately toward more positive societal outcomes. Specifically, my team funds nonprofits to build with AI in fields like health, where AI can accelerate diagnostics, education, where it can be a supportive tool for teachers, or food security, where AI can help predict famine to enable earlier, more effective response, just as a few examples. All of this work requires data, data that is accurate, accessible, inclusive, and thus we also fund work to encourage a more open data ecosystem as a whole, such as through our partnership with the UN statistics division to build UN data, which is a tool that uses Google’s data commons to build an open source platform for understanding vast amounts of UN data in a single interface with natural language search functionality. So these types of projects are really all towards that goal of a more open data ecosystem that provides us a more clear and accurate understanding of the world and the challenges we’re facing. So I’m looking forward to talking more about about this work and how it connects to the work that some others have mentioned by the collaborative on citizen data as well. Thank you for having me. Great.

Papa Seck: Thank you. Thank you very much, Joseph. And thanks to all of you. I think, you know, again, each of you has highlighted really one area, just as examples of, you know, why the work on citizen data is really so, so rich. So for the second round of questions, I’ll have specific questions for each of you. And in five minutes, Lena, can you can you tell us a little bit more about, you know, deeper about what what you’ve shared with us? You’ve touched upon some of the tools that the Danish human rights institution offers to institute offers to prevent and mitigate human rights risks related to digital projects and solutions in the citizen data context. Can your tools be used to assess whether data collection uses mobile using mobile apps or the development of platforms to showcase data? are in risk of violating human rights. Over to you. Yes, sorry for that small recess.

Line Gamrath Rasmussen: Yeah, definitely, indeed. We do develop these tools. I shared in the chat a link to what we call the digital rights check. It’s something we developed together with the GI set to really have a tool for digital for development projects where they could, you know, where the staff involved in these projects could have a sort of risk management guide for what will be the human rights risk or impacts of this particular project. So the tool gives you several entry points. You can enter as technical development corporation, as an investor or others, and it allows you to… It’s an online questionnaire that helps you identify these potential issues and some corresponding actions that can help you rectify or mitigate the risks that you identify. So it will help the users consider technology-specific risks, application-specific risks. So what kind of technology are you using? Is it AI? Is it cloud services, et cetera? And then also the context-specific risk as relates to, for example, data protection regulation in the context or country where you are deploying this technology. It also, as a human rights-based tool, has attention to vulnerable and marginalized groups and makes you consider also accessibility issues. So it really gets you around the whole process of identifying the different risks and also makes you consider stakeholder engagement and how you think about transparency and accountability. It also gives you these case studies and further readings that you can link to and then in the end you get this final results page with the risk identified and a sort of human rights action plan that you can use to follow up and really react on the risk that you have identified. This is an open source tool that is open to everybody so if anybody would like to adapt it to their own context, their own projects that’s perfectly feasible and in the true spirit of privacy by design the data is also not stored so it will be deleted as soon as you finish the questionnaire. So I would welcome you to explore it and also give us feedback if there’s anything you would like to see in the tool and I hope it can be useful for many of your projects. Thank you.

Papa Seck: Thank you very much and thank you also for sharing the tool and I’ve looked at it myself and it’s really I think an excellent product so I encourage all of you to do so. So now over to you Bonita. You’ve extensively researched the intersection of women, girls and technology. Could you please share your insights on why it is essential to involve women and girls in data governance practices? In what way can they be meaningfully involved?

Bonnita Nyamwire: Thank you so much Papa. So involving women and girls in data governance is essential because their perspectives, their needs, their experiences are oftentimes overlooked in decision making and yet they are very important. And so as policy our research that we have conducted with women and girls shows for instance that they are disproportionately affected by issues like online gender-based violence or technology-facilitated GBV. data privacy breaches and other kinds of online injustices and discrimination. So we’ve done a research and looked at women in politics, women in the media, women human rights defenders across several countries on the African continent. And so why they need to be involved in these processes is one, involved in game, it then helps to identify and address systemic biases, ensuring fairer systems and policies, including their perspectives also ensures that they are unique challenges such as the ones I’ve already mentioned, TFGBV, algorithmic discrimination are not overlooked but rather prioritized in governance practices as well as safeguards developed for them. And then involving women and girls also ensures fair representation in the digital age because as data becomes central to governance and development, excluding women and girls perpetuates their marginalization. Their inclusion therefore is vital for achieving gender parity in leadership, in decision-making roles in the digital era, but also to achieve on sustainable development goal five. And so how do we involve the women and girls in a meaningful way? So meaningful participation for women and girls can take various forms, ranging from involving them in participatory workshops where women could design as data governance, stakeholders on data governance policies, ensuring that solutions are truly reflective of their realities. And we have done this as policy with women politicians, with women. women in the media on our different programs. We have a program for women politicians called Vote Women that we have implemented in Uganda, in Tanzania and in Senegal. And we have seen their involvement help to, you know, protect them online, but also improve their wellbeing in digital spaces. We also have had another program, which is still running, Future of Work for Women in the Media. Where we are also creating their resilience in online platforms, but also to see that their voices are amplified. Then the other one on meaningful involvement of women is need to invest in digital literacy programs to improve their digital skills. Because our research also has shown, different researches we’ve done, that women lack digital skills. So involving them through capacity building, especially on digital literacy and skills building initiatives, will enable their participation in any online programs. Then also the other one is to ensure that their representation in data policy boards and leadership and decision-making bodies is also improved, which will further ensure that they are key stakeholders in decision-making processes, whether at community level, national or global level. So it is important that women and girls are also involved in the decision-making processes at different levels. Then the other one is to create safe spaces for dialogue, where their voices can influence both national and global data governance policies. And these are some of the spaces for dialogue, like here where we are at IGF and several others. And so, you know, and we have seen involvement of women in these spaces actually improve their participation and amplifying their voices in data governance. And then meaningful involvement also requires removing barriers to participation by embedding gender and intersectionality lenses in every stage of policy development and digital transformation. Very important is this point on embedding intersectional lens at every stage of data governance process so that no one is left behind. Then lastly, it is also important to foster collaboration and accountability in the tech ecosystem to prioritize the needs and rights of women and girls. And so this will involve collaboration with the women and girls rights networks and organizations, as well as government departments that work on gender issues. Thank you very much.

Papa Seck: Great. Thank you very much, Bonita. At UN Women, and this was tasked by the UN Statistical Commission to several agencies recently, we are developing a new framework for the measurement of technology-facilitated violence. And I’m increasingly convinced that citizen data has to be central to this because it takes so many different forms. And I think at this IGF, we’ve heard several examples of that where measurement becomes really tricky if you don’t have inclusion. So thank you very much. And I will definitely be looking at some of the tools and some of the work that you’ve done in this area, because I think this again has to be part of our global efforts to develop meaningful measurement of this phenomenon. So Elizabeth, we turn to you. With your work on disability statistics, could you give us an example on how citizen data help to ensure that the digital tools are inclusive?

Elizabeth Lockwood: Yes, thank you, Papa. I have three brief examples from partners. First, during the COVID pandemic, we had very little data on persons with disabilities and their experiences during the pandemic globally. So, as a result, NGOs, Organizations of Persons with Disabilities gathered data themselves using citizen data to understand the barriers and solutions for persons with disabilities. And the findings that the stakeholder group of persons with disabilities collected indicated that persons with disabilities face barriers in accessing digital technology in many vital areas, and this was critical for their survival in many cases, actually. And this included lack of access to fast internet connection, lack of financial means to purchase data packages for devices, and lack of captions and sign language interpretation for those daily news briefings that we had. And what happened, since governments really weren’t supporting this, organizations of persons with disabilities came in and they supported their members, they shared the information, and they advocated to their governments. And in the case of deaf organizations, captions were added, national sign language was added in many cases, and still continue today in emergency settings. This isn’t universal, and there are still many hurdles to jump for this, but it’s important to recognize this. And then another thing that’s interesting is digital platforms such as Zoom increased for persons with disabilities in terms of accessibility, but when the pandemic lessened, this actually got worse, because it wasn’t a priority for the general population. So it’s an interesting point to add. My second example is a large-scale example. It’s called the Digital Accessibility Rights Evaluation Index. It’s a benchmarking tool developed by the Global Initiative for Inclusive Technologies for advocates, governments, civil society, and others to trace ICT that’s accessible in different countries around the world. The data collection is based on a set of questionnaires and was done in cooperation with Disabled Peoples International and along with other organizations of persons with disabilities. It has been documented in 137 countries in 8 regions in the world, representing 90% of the world. Their findings from 2018 and most recently 2020. And if you look at the index score, the very nice platform online, you can see global and regional ranking, peer economic development group ranking and implementation ranking. And for many countries, you can compare 2018 to 2020. Most countries have improved, but not all. And so that’s something I really recommend you look at. And then my final example is from the European Blind Union that has done significant advocacy around accessible voting. Feedback was collected from blind and partially sighted members, individuals on their barriers using digital voting systems and election materials. So this turned into advocacy campaigns. And as a result, this advocacy has included improved compatibility with screen readers and other accessibility enhancements in voting in the European region. And in closing, it’s only by ensuring that organizations of persons with disabilities are leading or co-leading citizen data initiatives that digital tools will be inclusive, reflecting the reality and needs of the communities themselves. Thank you.

Papa Seck: Thank you very much, Elizabeth. Great work. I’ve followed this and I think you and I have also had conversations on some of the work that we are doing, because I think, you know, in the space of statistics, there’s still more that can be done. particularly on disability. And we’ve had several of these conversations and I think the collaborative is definitely well-placed to enrich that work. So, Dr. Hem, over to you.

Dr. Hem Raj Regmi: You are considering, as you mentioned, the use of digital tools to collect data on gender-based violence, as an example. Could you please let us know how you plan to engage with the communities to ensure that the tools are inclusive? But also, I would add, in this space, obviously there are lots of ethical concerns when it comes to collection of data on gender-based violence and how do you aim to address those concerns? Thank you, Papa, once again. The statistical system in most of the countries has been governed by the fundamental principle of official statistics since last many years. The statistics act, rules and regulations, they are particularly based on those principles which were promulgated by the UN last 20, 30 years ago. Now the situation is getting changed and then we need to change our statistical system to include other dimensions, particularly the citizen-generated data, for example. Luckily, in Nepal, we promulgated a new statistics act in 2022, almost two years ago, and then there are a few provisions where we can use such type of the data as an alternative data source, though it’s not yet streamlined, but it can be an alternative, what we are producing right now by different censuses, surveys, and studies. There is a provision of the data, like survey clearance system, called survey clearance system, which is almost similar to that Copenhagen framework where the different modalities have been suggested to produce the data by the… led by the CSOs, the civil society organizations or in collaboration with the NSO and CSO or even led by the NSO, these formalities are over there, these frameworks are over there and similar, not exactly similar, but up to similar modalities are there in the Statistics Act of Nepal that was promulgated in 2022. We plan to use, we plan to use those modalities to generate the data in the future. For example, the data of the marginalized people, the data for the sector where there is a data gap exists. If there is a data gap and then the national level surveys or the studies, they are not able to produce the data at that level for those marginalized people that we are discussing over here. So, for those areas which are quite remote or for that particular segment of the society which are marginalized, then in that situation, we plan to use that Copenhagen framework to produce the data of the different sectors. And then recently, we did one national level workshop to implement this citizen-generated data and we have decided these two areas that I mentioned in my previous statement also. One is on the violence, particularly the gender-based violence, the domestic violence and the other one is the disaster, particularly the impact of the disaster, not on the hazards and risks. When that disaster occurs, then the economic impact or the impact on the livelihood and the impact on the life of the people or even crop livestock or infrastructures, these two areas may be like piloting on the implementation of that Copenhagen framework in Nepal. If the confidence, if the reliability of the data can be raised with these pilot activities, then we hope that in the future, we can take these citizen-generated data as an alternative data source. which may be the major part of the official data system. Like the Census Survey and officially MIS has been the major part of the official data system right now. The citizen-generated data may be the another source of the data systems, which can help us particularly for the marginalized people, for the women, children, displaced people, people affected by the disasters. Yes, that’s the plan. Great. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Papa Seck: I really look forward to seeing this work. I think maybe one piece of advice I can also offer is that there’s a lot of work on citizen data and violence that has been done in Ghana in particular. I would definitely advise you to also talk to them and also learn about their experiences. I’d be happy to make the connection. Joseph, again, all our gratitude for the strong support to the work of the collaborative on citizen data. My question to you is, what motivated you to invest in this space? What social challenges in the context of technological innovation do you hope to address through your investments in citizen data? Thank you. We’re thrilled to be able to support, so grateful to be part of this work in a small way.

Joseph Hassine: I can zoom out a little bit. Google.org’s work on data has historically focused on two things, data that enables more informed policymaking or decision-making, and data that enables more accurate and inclusive AI tooling, sometimes both. The funds that we provide might be used to build a new data analysis platform, create advocacy tools that allow folks to communicate with policymakers on critical issues. or collect data in different languages and contexts in order to improve the accessibility of AI models. Citizen-generated data in particular is foundational to all of these efforts because at the end of the day it helps give us a more inclusive and accurate picture of the world around us, which is critical for any tooling that is built upon that data. At the same time, the data is only helpful if it’s used to inform some action through new understanding of a community or a problem and in order to make data useful, from my perspective, there’s some amount of validation and standardization that’s critical in order to ensure that these individual small or large-scale citizen data efforts are seen as trustworthy and usable and ultimately able to spur positive change. I think it’s not dissimilar to the digital rights check, for example, that a colleague mentioned of needing kind of an expert in this space to create a set of standards that others can follow when building so that we can look at data that’s produced by these entities and know that it meets some amount of benchmarks. And so that type of work is part of what makes us excited to support the collaborative on citizen data because I think the collaborative is filling that critical role through the Copenhagen framework, through pilot efforts to ensure that there’s reliability in this citizen data ecosystem that continues to grow. So we view that kind of central leadership as really critical to build capacity and create standards in the space and thrilled to be able to support the collaborative to continue to build upon that. Great, thank you very much and again, thanks for your strong support.

Papa Seck: So we still have some time and I would like to now open up for questions, both from those in the room, but also online. Yes, please and please introduce yourself. Hello, everyone. I’m Dina. I’m from Brazil. And first of all, thank you for this amazing meeting and other information shared. And my question is, how can data-driven human rights initiatives also include children and older adults? Because it was mentioned about women and people with disabilities. But I would like to also know about these initiatives. And it would be amazing if you can also mention inspired examples regarding these communities.

Joseph Hassine: Thank you. I also had a question. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for that discussion.

Audince: That was actually really helpful. So I had a slightly different question. When you build talking about having really high quality, good value data sets that are used for better policymaking and you can use for citizens’ good, there’s also a lot of, I think, harm you can do with these kind of data sets. Because when you have these data sets and you’re essentially maybe sharing them with the aim of doing public good, if you’re sharing them widely, or actually if it’s anywhere out that’s accessible, there’s nothing to stop maybe a company or any other actor from using this data to exploit, say, certain kinds of societal problems or any sort of a divide to make things worse. You already have political consultancies that do this when it comes to elections. So sharing public data, yes, it could lead to public good, but there’s also, I think, potential for public harm, especially now with so many AI systems being deployed. So how would you prevent against that? How would you ensure that all of this data collection is only being used for good? Thank you. Um, how are you? Do we have any questions online? Not at this moment. Great.

Papa Seck: Thanks. Um, uh, does any of you want to take the Do any of you want to take the questions that were asked? I can go on. Yes, please. Go ahead. Yeah, I can go on the Children one. So I know that one is, um, that is what I talked about using the intersectional lens

Bonnita Nyamwire: in citizens gathering citizens data. Because when you do things using the intersectional lens, then you’re able to see who has been left out, who has been included, even the different categories. Because if you’re focusing on Children, they also have different categories, you know, and the same applies to women and girls and also the adults that you talked about. I know that there are some organizations that are doing work on Children being online. I know that Plan International is doing work on that. They have done research on, uh, gender on on on cyberbullying online for young girls. I know that UNICEF is also doing a lot of work on that one. I know that also Child Fund, the different offices of Child Fund Globally, they’re also doing work around Children’s rights online. Yes, thank you. Great. Thank

Papa Seck: you. Um, anyone else for the second question on the harm? I can go ahead. This is Elizabeth. Yes, please go ahead. They just just briefly in the Copenhagen framework, we do have principles

Elizabeth Lockwood: that guard human rights. So it is the central core theme of the framework. So this can be something that can be used to apply to address the very good question that was asked in the audience. And I also think that it’s important that this, that we need to be, data need to be confidential and protected, but also in other cases, be open and accessible. So I think we also need that balance. And it’s really important to look at that balance and monitor and retain that balance. Thank you. Thank you.

Papa Seck: And Dina, just to add to your question, as part of the collaborative, we have various organizations working on different issues. So obviously, gender, women and girls is an important dimension of it, but it’s not the only one. There are other organizations that are working on various different dimensions. And I think that’s really what makes also the collaborative really rich. Papa, if I may, I would just add. Yes, please go ahead Joseph.

Joseph Hassine: Just one point to the second question. I think there’s some organizations doing really interesting work in ensuring that data collection efforts are equitable and fair. I think in particular areas that I’ve seen, such as for example, indigenous language, these are areas where indigenous communities can benefit from leveraging AI tools, but they’re often not available in native languages. At the same time, AI could be a tool for preserving native language, many of which are unfortunately becoming extinct in the US and elsewhere. But of course that has really meaningful risks associated with ownership of that data, whether these communities want their data ingested by systems. So I think these questions take place at a large scale, but also at a more issue specific scale, where it’s how do we make the data appropriate and safe in this particular instance? And I’ve spoken to some organizations who are, for example, leading efforts on, if you’re collecting indigenous data, here’s kind of a charter and a constitution of how that data can be used, how communities should be compensated, how they should be included in the process. and what ownership they should have of data moving forward. And I think work like that is really critical to that second question of how we avoid some of the risks here. Great, thank you. Thank you very much, Joseph. So we have time for just one final lightning round for all the panelists.

Papa Seck: And just I think in no more than a minute, what would you advise the collaborative to do to enrich its work in the digital space? Just a piece of advice for the collaborative that we can take into consideration.

Line Gamrath Rasmussen: So let’s start with Lene. Yes, thank you. One piece of advice, that’s hard, but I think one thing we have to realize is not just consider the end result. So we might have great citizen data that’s inclusive and that really reflects the society we’re in, but we also have to get it in a way, the process has to be human rights-based as well. And that means that we have to think about the human rights-based principles of participation, accountability, non-discrimination, empowerment, and legality. And also remember that this human rights due diligence, if you wanna call it, is ongoing. It’s not something you do once and then you’re sorted and then the rest you do for the next five years is fine. You have to keep doing and keep assessing who might be harmed by the products or services that you’re using and how you’re using. And then one final thing is maybe also this thing about considering offline alternatives as maybe the only option for some people to participate in and be empowered by this, that we cannot just, even if we have like universal access, even if it’s affordable, there will be people that we cannot reach online. So we have to think about and be serious about offline alternatives as well. Thank you. Yeah, thank you. The point about the digital divide is actually, I think, quite central to I think all of the discussions in order to make sure that we don’t leave anyone behind. Bonita, can I go to you?

Bonnita Nyamwire: Thank you, Papa. So for me, my final, I think, one piece of advice would be that all key stakeholders within doing work in the digital ecosystem, looking at all these issues, should not work in silos. They should work together, because you find government is doing this, the same thing civil society is also doing, the same thing that private sector is also doing, but instead would all work together, leverage on each other’s efforts, leverage on the structures and the systems that each of those stakeholders have to be able to address some of these issues. For instance, the safety issues that one of the participants has asked about, you know, it would be looking at what does government have, what does the tech companies, what does civil society have, and then working together to sort most of these issues, and then also to ensure that we do not leave anyone behind, because working in silos, we may forget some people, but working together, we will not leave anyone behind, plus all the categories that have been talked about, the women, the girls, the children, the adults, the persons with disabilities. Thank you. Great, thank you very much. Elizabeth, over to you.

Elizabeth Lockwood: Thank you, Papa. I think the collaborative needs to be in the conversation. We need to be part of this work, and meaningfully part of this work. One way is to engage in the monitoring and implementation of the Global Digital Compact. I think that’s a very, very good way that we can really be part of this as a collaborative. strengthen the capacity and invest in inclusive citizen data and participation in the digital

Papa Seck: space, especially for marginalized groups which we’ve been talking about. And I also echo that we should work cohesively and collaboratively instead of in silos. Thank you. Great, thank you very much. Dr. Ham. Thank you, Papa. Yes, according to my understanding, the citizen data are not

Dr. Hem Raj Regmi: going to replace the existing official data quite immediately, but in the future we can think about it. So, the focus should be on those areas where there is a data gap. Since COVID, the data collection system for the official data has already been changed. We have already transferred from PAPI, the paper-based approach, to the CAPI, computer-based approach, and even the telephone service has become quite common where we can link those information with the digital world. My idea is that let’s start from a small area, maybe from a municipality or with a small theme, or maybe for a district or maximum for a province. Let’s not focus at the national level immediately that citizen-generated data can fill the gap at the national level. Let’s start from the municipality or let’s start from some marginalized areas, from marginalized communities, from some societal segments of particular caste, ethnicity, or women, children, or elderly. Then we can integrate this data with the national data system. Then they will be available digitally and then in different forms. Yes, that’s my opinion.

Papa Seck: Great. Thank you very much, Dr. Hamm. Joseph, over to you. Thank you. I think I view this through a lens of how do we get more resources to the collaborative?

Joseph Hassine: And to that end, I think the work that’s been done already to pilot some of these efforts is critical. And a critical next step that we often miss in the data space is like, how do we capture the impact that that is having and tell that story? Because I think that we’ll ultimately need those throughlines of what data an organization created, what decision that ultimately led to, and what impact that ultimately had on a community of people. And the better that we can get at capturing and telling those stories, the more we’ll be able to find support for this work and continue to scale it.

Papa Seck: Great. Thank you very much. And this wasn’t part of the plan, but I will make it as a prerogative to as a chair’s prerogative. So I would like to put on the spot, Ms. Howie Chen, who’s at the UN Statistics Division and who’s really been, I think, at the forefront of this work and including driving this session. So I don’t think we can close without giving you the floor, Howie. Please, over to you.

Speaker: Thank you, Papa, for putting me on the spot. No, it’s really great session. Thank you so much, first of all, Papa, for being such a great moderator and to all the speakers. And great to see you over there, Bonita, and all the speakers. And without all the help from you, that would not be possible. Thanks to Francesca and her team to make it happen, the interpretations. And of course, the collaborative is a collaborative. We all work together. So really grateful for all the great work that we’ve done together. And thank you, Papa, for co-leading the collaborative with us. And we look forward to continue the conversation. Great. Thank you very much, Howie. And really, again, thanks to all of you for a rich conversation.

Papa Seck: There are many takeaways and, you know, obviously I won’t summarize, but I think, you know, for me, just some of the key points that came up really are around meaningful citizen participation in the data value chain and ensuring that digital systems and policies address the diverse needs of marginalized and underrepresented communities. We also need to foster inclusivity and equity in the digital era. Human data initiatives, as we’ve heard, such as the Copenhagen Framework, are vital for integrating citizens’ perspectives into digital transformation. We also need them for promoting transparency and safeguarding human rights in data governance processes. We’ve heard, you know, really, I think, you know, how and seen also how partnerships between civil society, national statistical offices, human rights institutes and institutions, academia and the private sector can really help to identify, amplify the effectiveness of citizen data in creating innovative policy and solutions, policy solutions. And here, you know, again, I think given the richness of the work in this area, I think, you know, the sky is really the limit. In terms of action points, three of them I noted. One is promoting and encouraging the adoption and implementation of the Copenhagen Framework and citizen data to ensure meaningful citizen participation and integration of marginalized communities in data governance. We need to develop and promote tools such as those that were highlighted here today and include really relevant stakeholders to ensure both compliance with ethical and human rights standards, but also data standards as well. We need to strengthen capacity and increase also increase investments in inclusive citizen participation in data. digital spaces. And you know, again, this needs to be, we need to ensure that marginalized communities and population groups are also included. So with that, we’ll close here. And thank you very much to all of you for a great session. you you you you you

Agreement Points

Importance of citizen data for inclusive digital transformation

Papa Seck

Bonnita Nyamwire

Joseph Hassine

Elizabeth Lockwood

Dr. Hem Raj Regmi

Citizen data essential for fostering inclusive digital environments

Citizen data helps identify and address systemic biases

Citizen data critical for accurate understanding of world challenges

Citizen data can fill critical data gaps on marginalized groups

Citizen data as alternative source for areas with data gaps

All speakers emphasized the crucial role of citizen data in creating inclusive digital environments, addressing systemic biases, and filling data gaps, particularly for marginalized groups.

Meaningful participation of marginalized groups

Bonnita Nyamwire

Elizabeth Lockwood

Dr. Hem Raj Regmi

Involving women and girls in data governance practices

Ensuring accessibility for persons with disabilities

Focusing on marginalized communities and population groups

Speakers agreed on the importance of involving marginalized groups, including women, girls, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented communities, in data governance and collection processes.

Ensuring human rights and ethical standards in citizen data

Line Gamrath Rasmussen

Elizabeth Lockwood

Joseph Hassine

Tools needed to assess human rights risks in digital projects

Need for human rights-based approach in data collection process

Importance of data confidentiality and protection

Addressing potential harms from data sharing and misuse

Speakers emphasized the need for tools and approaches to assess and mitigate human rights risks in digital projects, ensure ethical data collection processes, and address potential harms from data sharing and misuse.

Similar Viewpoints

Both speakers emphasized the importance of collaboration and effectively communicating the impact of citizen data initiatives to garner support and scale efforts.

Bonnita Nyamwire

Joseph Hassine

Importance of cross-sector collaboration

Capturing and communicating impact of citizen data initiatives

Both speakers advocated for building capacity and starting with smaller-scale initiatives before expanding to larger implementations of citizen data projects.

Elizabeth Lockwood

Dr. Hem Raj Regmi

Need to strengthen capacity for inclusive citizen data

Starting with small-scale pilots before national implementation

Unexpected Consensus

Inclusion of offline alternatives in digital initiatives

Line Gamrath Rasmussen

Need for human rights-based approach in data collection process

While most speakers focused on digital solutions, Rasmussen unexpectedly emphasized the importance of considering offline alternatives for those who cannot be reached online, highlighting a unique perspective on inclusivity.

Overall Assessment

Summary

The speakers largely agreed on the importance of citizen data for inclusive digital transformation, the need for meaningful participation of marginalized groups, and the importance of ensuring human rights and ethical standards in data collection and use.

Consensus level

High level of consensus among speakers, with strong agreement on core principles. This suggests a unified approach to promoting inclusive citizen data initiatives, which could lead to more effective implementation and policy development in this area.

Different Viewpoints

Approach to implementing citizen data initiatives

Dr. Hem Raj Regmi

Joseph Hassine

Starting with small-scale pilots before national implementation

Capturing and communicating impact of citizen data initiatives

Regmi advocates for starting with small-scale pilots at municipal or district levels, while Hassine emphasizes the importance of capturing and communicating the impact of initiatives to scale efforts.

Unexpected Differences

Overall Assessment

summary

The main areas of disagreement were minor and primarily focused on implementation strategies rather than fundamental principles.

difference_level

The level of disagreement among speakers was low. Most speakers agreed on the importance of citizen data for inclusive digital transformation and the need to ensure human rights and ethical standards. The minor differences in approach do not significantly impact the overall consensus on the topic’s importance and general direction.

Partial Agreements

Both speakers agree on the importance of protecting rights in data collection, but Rasmussen focuses on a continuous human rights-based approach throughout the process, while Lockwood emphasizes the need for balance between confidentiality and accessibility.

Line Gamrath Rasmussen

Elizabeth Lockwood

Need for human rights-based approach in data collection process

Importance of data confidentiality and protection

Similar Viewpoints

Both speakers emphasized the importance of collaboration and effectively communicating the impact of citizen data initiatives to garner support and scale efforts.

Bonnita Nyamwire

Joseph Hassine

Importance of cross-sector collaboration

Capturing and communicating impact of citizen data initiatives

Both speakers advocated for building capacity and starting with smaller-scale initiatives before expanding to larger implementations of citizen data projects.

Elizabeth Lockwood

Dr. Hem Raj Regmi

Need to strengthen capacity for inclusive citizen data

Starting with small-scale pilots before national implementation

Key Takeaways

Citizen data is essential for fostering inclusive digital environments and addressing systemic biases

Human rights and ethical standards must be ensured when collecting and using citizen data

Meaningful participation of marginalized groups (women, persons with disabilities, children, etc.) is crucial in data governance

Cross-sector collaboration and capacity building are needed to advance citizen data initiatives

The Copenhagen Framework provides important principles for citizen data collection and use

Resolutions and Action Items

Promote and encourage adoption of the Copenhagen Framework on citizen data

Develop and promote tools to ensure compliance with ethical and human rights standards in data collection

Strengthen capacity and increase investments in inclusive citizen participation in digital spaces

Engage in monitoring and implementation of the Global Digital Compact

Capture and communicate the impact of citizen data initiatives to attract more resources and support

Unresolved Issues

How to fully prevent potential harms from data sharing and misuse

Specific strategies for including children and older adults in data initiatives

How to balance data confidentiality/protection with openness and accessibility

Addressing the digital divide to ensure offline alternatives for data participation

Suggested Compromises

Start with small-scale pilots (e.g. at municipality level) before national implementation of citizen data initiatives

Focus citizen data efforts on areas with existing data gaps rather than replacing all official data sources

Develop charters or constitutions for data use when working with specific communities (e.g. indigenous groups) to address ownership and compensation concerns

We are looking for the alternative data sources which may be a little bit cost effective, which may be more reliable, which may be more representative. These non-traditional data sources may be different types, for example, big data may be there supported by the AI and then all these computers and then with high velocities. But the capacity is always limited to manage this big data. That is why the best alternative data source that we assume may be the citizen generated data.

speaker

Dr. Hem Raj Regmi

reason

This comment introduces the idea of citizen-generated data as a cost-effective and potentially more representative alternative to traditional data sources, highlighting a key advantage of this approach.

impact

This set the stage for much of the subsequent discussion about the potential and challenges of citizen-generated data, framing it as a promising solution to data gaps.

Involving women and girls in data governance is essential because their perspectives, their needs, their experiences are oftentimes overlooked in decision making and yet they are very important.

speaker

Bonnita Nyamwire

reason

This comment highlights the importance of inclusivity in data governance, specifically focusing on the often-overlooked perspectives of women and girls.

impact

It shifted the conversation to focus more explicitly on issues of inclusivity and representation in data collection and governance, leading to further discussion of marginalized groups.

It’s only by ensuring that organizations of persons with disabilities are leading or co-leading citizen data initiatives that digital tools will be inclusive, reflecting the reality and needs of the communities themselves.

speaker

Elizabeth Lockwood

reason

This comment emphasizes the critical importance of having marginalized communities lead data initiatives about themselves, rather than just being subjects of data collection.

impact

It deepened the conversation about inclusivity by suggesting a more active role for marginalized communities in the data collection process, moving beyond just representation to leadership.

We might have great citizen data that’s inclusive and that really reflects the society we’re in, but we also have to get it in a way, the process has to be human rights-based as well. And that means that we have to think about the human rights-based principles of participation, accountability, non-discrimination, empowerment, and legality.

speaker

Line Gamrath Rasmussen

reason

This comment introduces the important perspective that the process of data collection itself must be rights-based, not just the end result.

impact

It added complexity to the discussion by highlighting that ethical considerations need to be integrated throughout the entire data collection process, not just in how the data is used.

Overall Assessment

These key comments shaped the discussion by progressively broadening and deepening the conversation around citizen-generated data. The discussion moved from identifying citizen data as a potential solution to data gaps, to exploring how to make such data truly inclusive and representative, to considering the ethical implications of the entire data collection process. This progression reflects a nuanced and multifaceted approach to the topic, considering practical, ethical, and rights-based perspectives.

How can data-driven human rights initiatives include children and older adults?

speaker

Dina (audience member)

explanation

The discussion focused on women and people with disabilities, but including children and older adults is important for comprehensive human rights initiatives.

How can we prevent the misuse of public data sets by malicious actors?

speaker

Audience member

explanation

While data sets can be used for public good, there’s potential for exploitation. Safeguards are needed to ensure data is only used for beneficial purposes.

How can we balance the need for data confidentiality and protection with the need for open and accessible data?

speaker

Elizabeth Lockwood

explanation

This balance is crucial for maintaining data integrity while also ensuring its usefulness and accessibility.

How can we ensure equitable and fair data collection efforts, particularly for indigenous communities?

speaker

Joseph Hassine

explanation

There are unique challenges and risks associated with collecting data from indigenous communities, requiring special considerations for data ownership and use.

How can we develop offline alternatives for data collection to include those who cannot be reached online?

speaker

Line Gamrath Rasmussen

explanation

Even with universal access, some people may not be reachable online, making offline alternatives crucial for inclusive data collection.

How can different stakeholders in the digital ecosystem work together more effectively instead of in silos?

speaker

Bonnita Nyamwire

explanation

Collaboration between government, civil society, and private sector is necessary to address digital issues comprehensively and ensure no one is left behind.

How can the Collaborative on Citizen Data engage in monitoring and implementing the Global Digital Compact?

speaker

Elizabeth Lockwood

explanation

This engagement could be a significant way for the Collaborative to be meaningfully involved in shaping digital policies and practices.

How can we start implementing citizen-generated data at smaller scales (e.g., municipality level) before scaling to national levels?

speaker

Dr. Hem Raj Regmi

explanation

Starting small could be an effective way to integrate citizen-generated data into national data systems gradually.

How can we better capture and communicate the impact of citizen data initiatives?

speaker

Joseph Hassine

explanation

Demonstrating the real-world impact of citizen data projects is crucial for attracting more resources and support for this work.