First Meeting of the UN Working Group on Data Governance Successfully Held | WDTA Serves as Co-Chair Institution

2025-05-02 17:48:00

From May 1 to 2, 2025, the two-day inaugural meeting of the UN Working Group on Data Governance was successfully held at the Palace of Nations, UN Geneva Headquarters. Hosted by the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development (UNCSTD), the UN CSTD Multi-Stakeholder Working Group on Data Governance at All Levels (hereinafter referred to as the UN Working Group on Data Governance) was officially launched. H.E. Peter Major, former multiple-term Chair of UNCSTD and Founding President of the World Digital Academy (WDTA), presided over the meeting. A total of 165 participants from 54 member institutions and over 30 observer institutions attended.

In September 2024, United Nations General Assembly Resolution 79/1 (with the Global Digital Compact as an annex) explicitly mandated UNCSTD to establish a dedicated working group to conduct comprehensive and inclusive multi-stakeholder dialogues on data governance at all levels. The group is tasked with reporting follow-up recommendations on fair and interoperable data governance arrangements to the 81st UN General Assembly in 2026, covering:

1.Fundamental principles for data governance at all levels relevant to development;

2.Proposals to support interoperability between national, regional and international data systems;

3.Considerations for sharing data benefits;

4.Options to enhance safe, reliable and trustworthy data flows, including cross-border data flows related to development.

Peter Major was appointed Chair of the Working Group by the UN. He nominated H.E. Muhammadou Kah, Chair of UNCSTD and Vice Chair of WDTA Education Committee, as Vice Chair, and invited Academician Yale Li, Executive Director of WDTA, to serve as Chair Advisor. With strong support from WDTA, the UN Working Group on Data Governance completed its formation and was officially launched.

Bureau Members

Chair: Peter Major (Hungary), First Vice Chair of UNCSTD, Founding President of WDTA

Vice Chair: Muhammadou Kah (Gambia), Chair of UNCSTD, Vice Chair of WDTA Education Committee

Chair Advisor: Yale Li (United States), Advisor to the Chair of UNCSTD, Executive Director of WDTA

Secretariat: UNCSTD Secretariat

Member List

Government Entities (27)

Africa Region (7 countries): Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Djibouti, Egypt, Gambia, Rwanda, Tanzania

Asia-Pacific Region (6 countries): China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Oman, Philippines

Eastern Europe Region (3 countries): Estonia, Hungary, Romania

Latin America and Caribbean Region (5 countries): Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia

Western Europe and Other Regions (6 countries): Austria, Canada, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, United States

Non-Governmental Entities (27)

Academia (7): Cornell University, Data & Society Research Institute, University of Lausanne, Tilburg University, Dartmouth College, University of Southampton, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Business Sector (8): Zalando, AGW, Microsoft, APESOFT, Alibaba, Weblock, APCO Worldwide, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)

Civil Society Organizations (8): IT for Change, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD), Lawyers Hub Africa, Datasphere Initiative, African Digital Rights Network (ADRN), Open Data Charter, Open Knowledge Foundation, Digital Impact Alliance

Technical Community (4): Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Internet Society (ISOC), World Data System, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

List of Observer International Organizations (30+)

1. African Union Commission (AUC)

2. Caribbean Community (CARICOM)

3. Commonwealth of Nations

4. Council of Europe (CoE)

5. European Commission (EC)

6. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

7. International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

8. International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

9. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

10. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

11. United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL)

12. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

13. United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UN ECLAC)

14. United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP)

15. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

16. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

17. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

18. United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)

19. United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)

20. United Nations Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies (ODET)

21. United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)

22. United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA)

23. United Nations Statistical Commission (StatCom)

24. United Nations University (UNU)

25. World Bank

26. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

27. World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

28. World Trade Organization (WTO)

29. Cloud Security Alliance Greater China Region

30. International Data Space Association