IGF 2021 WS #162
Data governance in developing world: New Policy Directions

Organizer 1: Ranja Sengupta, Third World Network
Organizer 2: Parminder Jeet Singh, Just Net Coalition and IT for Change

Speaker 1: Yoke-Ling Chee, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 2: Parminder Jeet Singh, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 3: Sarah Ganter, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4: Vahini Naidu, Government, African Group

Moderator

Parminder Jeet Singh, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group

Online Moderator

Parminder Jeet Singh, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group

Rapporteur

Parminder Jeet Singh, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group

Format

Panel - Auditorium - 90 Min

Policy Question(s)

Data governance and trust, globally and locally: What is needed to ensure that existing and future national and international data governance frameworks are effective in mandating the responsible and trustworthy use of data, with respect for privacy and other human rights?
Data transfers, trade, cooperation and trust: What is the role of local and international norms and principles in facilitating trustworthy international data transfers for trade and cooperation?

The proposed workshop will look at the new initiatives on economic governance of data in developing countries, inviting some people who have been associated with them. The effort is to develop an initial sketch of the landscape of economic governance of data, especially from developing countries’ point of view, so that the countries which are interested to understand how they can leverage their data for their own development can pick up some useful policy lessons.

SDGs

9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure


Targets: As all sectors get datafied and digitalised, progress towards meeting each and every of SDG’s will depend on how data is used in its regard, and whether access to and distributions of benefits from data in the concerned sector is equitable. It is in this manner that our workshop, and its follow-up activities, will contribute a lot towards achieving all these SGD targets.

Description:

Data is at the heart of the digital economy and society. Data governance therefore is a key aspect of successfully governing our emergent social, cultural and political systems. Data governance till now has almost exclusively been about privacy and security, what may be called as negative rights, and civil and political rights. Access to and control over the resource of data, and the ability to transform it into digital intelligence will determine the winners and losers in a digital economy and society, as control over mechanical power and industry, did in the past 2 centuries. Developing countries, and other digital laggards like the EU, are in this respect very concerned about developing their own data-based and digital industry, to rival the power of US and Chinese global digital behemoths.

In this regard, data governance becomes equally important in terms of economic rights, digital industrialisation and distributive justice. This concern has informed a second generation of data governance and policies focussed on economic issues. The EU has come up with a draft Data Governance Act and draft Digital Market Acts, which are both important contributions in this regard. India has set up a committee to develop a report on how data sharing can take place to maximise its economic value. South Africa has also come up with a data policy, focussing on economic issues and national development.

The proposed workshop will look at these new initiatives on economic governance of data, inviting some people who have been associated with them. The effort is to develop an initial sketch of the landscape of economic governance of data, especially from developing countries’ point of view, on how the countries which are interested to understand how they can leverage their data for their own development can pick up some useful policy lessons.

Expected Outcomes

We expect the workshop to come out with some clear set of policy options about economic governance of data for developing countries. We expect to use this output document to undertake follow-up workshops at forums like UNCTAD and South Centre to further discuss and debate this subject in the context of differential needs of different developing counties. We will also be exploring a research network in this area, being already in contact with some academics, some of whom will be invited to the workshop.

We will first ask the panelists associated with new policy development in this area to very breifly describe them, but with a focus for what lessons can developing countries learn to use their data for social and economic development. We will then pick a few questions from the audience, prioritising developing country policy makers, about what issues and explanations they would like to listen to more. We then go back to the panelists to provide details as required, before going to an open questions and discussion session. Both the first set of policy makers related questions taking, and the second open session will give equal oppurtunity to online and offline participants.

Online Participation



Usage of IGF Official Tool.