Decoding the UN CSTD Working Group on Data Governance online series

The online event, orgnised by the Open Knowledge Foundation, Diplo and the Geneva Internet Platform, will discuss the recently established Multi-Stakeholder Working Group on Data Governance.

Speakers will provide an overview of the group’s mandate, discuss the main outcomes of its first meeting, and the expected next steps. In particular, they will assess the potential contribution of the WG to the establishment of a community and public-good centred data governance regime.

The Multi-Stakeholder Working Group on Data Governance was established by the UN General Assembly as a follow-up to the Pact for the Future, adopted at the 2024 Summit of the Future. The Pact includes the Global Digital Compact (GDC), which for the first time formally places data governance on the UN’s global agenda. Recognising the importance of data for sustainable development and the need for inclusive, rights-based governance frameworks, the Assembly tasked the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) with creating a dedicated working group to explore data governance at all levels, especially in ways that support development.