Data Governance

A key enabler of advanced technologies like AI and IoT is Big Data, which is now produced in an unfathomable volume at an unthinkable rate. The importance of data for technological developments ushered in a range of policy issues arising from its effects on personal freedom and agency to its economic values. As countries begin to consider data as a national asset, the flow and storage of data are now a part of geopolitical concerns.  

How we govern data – if it is governable – is a key question many International Geneva actors are attempting to tackle. The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) recognises the critical role of data in the digital economy and analyses the relationship between cross-border data flows and development in their Digital Economy Reports. The UNCTADstat data centre is a great example of enabling economic development via open-source data platforms. The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) produces guidelines and reports on managing cross-border data flow in Europe and the world, while the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) works with the EU on implementing a single data market. Organisations like the Group on Earth Observations, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the World Health Organization (WHO) discuss data governance tailored to their respective issue areas, be it environmental, humanitarian, or health.