The COVID-19 pandemic turbocharged an already creeping realization within the sustainable development and open data communities that the same data that could be used to support the attainment of development outcomes (for e.g. call records and location data) and more open government, could also result in the suppression of people’s rights. Partly as a result of the pandemic, initiatives at global, regional, national and hyper-local levels took off between 2019-2022 to identify ways in which data governance could be made more accountable.

Over the last couple of years, there has been a flurry of activity across stakeholder groups and geographies to figure out what accountable data governance means for them, and how to implement it in practice.

As stakeholders across the UN, government, donor community, transnational implementing NGOs, and local CSOs all grapple with the realities of trying to translate what ‘accountable data governance’ means in practice; what can they teach each other about what works and what doesn’t?

This peer exchange session will see speakers from across stakeholder groups and geographies to share insights into what good and bad governance look like, and what risks exist when building accountable data governance models.

Speaking will be:

• Diana Ramírez Roa, Leader, Data Infrastructure Team, National Planning Dept, Government of Colombia
• Fernanda Scovino, Co-founder & Executive Director, Base dos Dados
• Agustina Pérez Mirianco, Data-Pop Alliance
• Nati Carfi, CEO, Open Data Charter
• Julieth Solano,Directora Técnica de Regulación, Planeación, Estandarización y Normalización, DANE, Government of Colombia
• Josh Powell, CEO, Development Gateway 
• Chris Maloney, Program Officer, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
• Friederike Schueuer, Chief of Data Governance and Strategy, UNICEF 
• Al Kags, CEO, Open Institute
• Tom Orrell, Managing Director, DataReady / Strategic Adviser, Development Gateway (Moderator)