Following up on the outcomes of the 2024 Summit of the Future (SoF), the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) – a subsidiary body of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) – has announced the establishment of the UN CSTD Multi-Stakeholder Working Group on Data Governance at All Levels. The Working Group will include 27 state members and 27 non-state members.
In its resolution A/RES/79/1 titled, ‘The Pact for the Future,’ the UN General Assembly (UNGA) requested the CSTD to establish a dedicated working group to engage in a comprehensive and inclusive multi-stakeholder dialogue on data governance at all levels as relevant for development (Paragraph 48 of the Global Digital Compact annexed to the Pact for the Future).
By the text, the working group will report on its progress to the UNGA, by no later than its 81st session, including on follow-up recommendations towards equitable and interoperable data governance arrangements, which may include:
- Fundamental principles of data governance at all levels as relevant for development;
- Proposals to support interoperability between national, regional, and international data systems;
- Considerations of sharing the benefits of data; and
- Options to facilitate safe, secure, and trusted data flows, including cross-border data flows as relevant for development (all SDGs).
On 17 March 2025, the CSTD Bureau decided that the UN CSTD Multi-Stakeholder Working Group on Data Governance at All Levels will comprise 27 state members and 27 non-state members.
Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Djibouti, Egypt, the Gambia, Rwanda, and Tanzania represent the African Regional Group.
Members from the Asia-Pacific Regional Group include China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Oman, and the Philippines.
The Eastern European Regional Group is represented by Estonia, Hungary, and Romania.
Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, and Peru represent the Latin America and Caribbean Regional Group, with one seat currently vacant.
Members from the Western Europe and Other States Regional Group are Austria, Canada, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, and the US.
Non-governmental stakeholders include representatives from academia, the business community, civil society, the technical community, and intergovernmental and international organizations.
The first meeting of the Working Group will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 1-2 May 2025. It is expected to determine the Working Group’s agenda and methods of work, discuss the tasks outlined in the Global Digital Compact, and agree on topics and dates for subsequent meetings. The meeting will also confirm the selection of a vice-chair representing governmental stakeholders and a vice-chair representing non-governmental stakeholders. [Working Group on Data Governance at All Levels] [Membership Note]