From June 2–5, more than 1,300 attendees gathered in Nairobi for the Global Data Festival and Kenya Space Expo & Conference, a four-day global conversation on data, space technology, and building a more resilient future.

Participants came from every sector, joined by high-level government representatives, including H.E. Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya, Prof. Kithure Kindiki.

The breadth of media coverage, across national and international outlets, reflected the significance of the discussions taking place. Read the stories below. 

(Based on the press release published by the United Nations Guatemala office)

On June 10, 2026, the Government of Guatemala, together with agencies of the United Nations System in Guatemala, presented the Power of Data initiative to strengthen the country's capacity for evidence-based decision-making.

At a time of rapid technological change, shifting geopolitics, and shrinking development budgets, governments, practitioners, and development partners will gather in Nairobi for a global conversation about the future of data and space technology for a more resilient future.

Global Data Festival and Kenya Space Expo & Conference
When: June 2–5, 2026
Where: The Edge Convention Centre, Nairobi, Kenya
Details: www.gdfksec2026.org 

The Inclusion Pavilion opens at the Global Data Festival and Kenya Space Expo & Conference in Nairobi on June 2, bringing together practitioners, advocates, and policymakers around a shared question: what does it actually take to build data systems that count everyone? The Pavilion, sponsored by Sightsavers and Equality Insights, runs across all four days of the Festival as an open, interactive space that brings inclusive data to life.

Kenya has been a committed Inclusive Data Charter Champion since 2018, when the government signed the charter at the Global Disability Summit, pledging to ensure that the most marginalized people would not be invisible in national data systems. That commitment took concrete form in the IDC Action Plan 2021–2025, a structured programme coordinated by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection's Directorate of Social Development to strengthen the collection, analysis, and use of disability-disaggregated data across government.

On 9 April 2026, Cabo Verde held a landmark technical workshop on disability data systems strengthening, convened by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) and supported by the IDC Secretariat and the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data.

On Thursday, March 12, Paraguay's National Institute of Statistics (INE) and the National Secretariat for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SENADIS) presented the Technical Guidance Document for the harmonization of variables on disability data. The workshop, and the process to develop the guidance, was supported by the Global Partnership through the Inclusive Data Charter (IDC) initiative. 

On March 10, 2026, Kenya's key media outlets gathered for a press event hosted by the Kenya Space Agency (KSA), the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), and the Global Partnership to highlight the importance and opportunities of the upcoming joint event hosted by the Government of Kenya: the Global Data Festival and Kenya Space Expo & Conference. 

Malawi has taken the next step in its journey as an Inclusive Data Charter (IDC) Champion with the recent high-level event and workshop during 17-19 February, convened by the National Planning Commission and the National Statistical Office of Malawi to commence the development of its IDC action plan.