Expert meeting on data governance in Asia-Pacific
5-7 September 2023 
Bangkok, Thailand
UNESCAP 
DOSM Representative: Ms. Nazaria Baharudin
Lesson Learnt: Day 1 (5 September 2023)
Yet to have the definition of data governance.
World Café discussion on five topics: Data governance and big data initiatives by ESCAP; Data governance and big data initiatives by ASEAN; ECE Task Force on Data Stewardship; The UNSC Working Group on Data Stewardship and Data Governance; and UNFPOS. Among the lessons learned are:
Functions of NSOs beyond traditional data collection and dissemination of official statistics, services extended to providing services such as technical knowhow and analysis for agencies, consultancies, enhancing data assets, etc.; considering new sources of data beyond surveys and censuses such as administrative and big data for official statistics; data sharing- others shared to NSOs while NSOs were not allowed to share, and this is concerning UNFPOS on confidentiality and trust as well as existing legislation; legislation governing NSOs - is it sufficient or beyond i.e. engagements; meaning and level of stewardship.
Plenary sessions – 1 core presentation from the UN regarding Principles of Governance and Statistical Systems and 3 practices from Nepal and China. Among the lessons learned are: Taking cognizance of ‘coordination” in UNFPOS; General Assembly Resolution of SDG Indicator Framework; COVID-19 Call of the 75th Session of General Assembly; Advantage of sound governance & synergy, which include efficiency and effectiveness; effectiveness, quality, coherence and comparability, and trust; National data ecosystem is broader than NSOs and Stewardship encompasses elements of leadership, fostering collaboration, leadership in authority, and coordination- the hub of excellence. Impediments would be a lack of leadership, data literacy, and infrastructure.
Presentation by Neil Jackson, ESCAP Consultant: We need to define data governance and start with the definition provided by Mr. Paul Cheung- Only eight countries have provided feedback, and we need more responses from other countries Legislation, policies, rules, and institutions that govern data management practice To understand the difference between data custodians vis a vis data stewards Elements of data sharing, data accessibility, and Data Integration
World café discussion of data governance of countries that have submitted data governance framework with outcomes to be presented on the second day. Malaysia and New Zealand presented to Group 2, which comprised New Zealand, Malaysia, Fiji, Samoa, and Brunei. Lesson Learnt: Day 2 (6 September 2023) Similarities across 10 countries with data governance include shared vision/ move to digitalisation/ e-government towards enhanced efficiency. NSOs played a permanent role/ being the lead/ actively involved; there was a need for enhanced data sharing; NSOs functioned as data stewards and were stats data hubs. Differences include stronger legislation, a data ethics agency; a data privacy commissioner; 5 safe approach in terms of governance and maturity, a centralised government data center, and good data security/ policy. World Café discussion on five topics and lessons learned as follows: Data interoperability- data steward versus data governance—stressed the need to have data governance where framework and policies are in place with clear roles, i.e. chief data officer, data steward, as well as compliance with metadata; StatsNZ 5 Safes-People, Project, savings, data, and output; Australia Virtual Data Lab using scanner data and banks’ transactions for CPI and economic indicators. Building relationships and partnerships; UN Regional Data Hub in Indonesia with four focus areas namely collaboration and partnership; sharing knowledge; support from international organisation and training; and Data Steward for Big Data – focusing on how to access privately held data and how to negotiate for the data Presentation by Neil Jackson, ESCAP Consultant – Among the lessons learned are: NSOs operating in challenging data environments data ecosystem to support better government and a digital economy; big data potentials; better presentation or information on people data governance considerations when using big data for official statistics include legislation; privacy and confidentiality (i.e., the 5 Safes; data ethics and trust; partnership and data sharing, and accessibility and data integrity. World Café discussion and lessons learned are as follows: Telco data is difficult to obtain, and solutions include offering partnerships or packages that will benefit Telco. Alternatives include web scraping and using AI. It is important to establish trust. Data privacy, confidentiality, ethics, and trusts – Confidentiality becomes more important for data suppliers; it goes beyond privacy; recognize data is knowledge and knowledge is money; communication, communication, and communication; MOUs are tools for building trust; ethics are stipulated, i.e., in the code of practice; communicate to the public as well as the supplier; it's beyond privacy; recognise data is knowledge and knowledge is money; communication, communication, and communication; MOUs are tools for building trust; ethics stipulated, i.e. in code of practice; communicate with the public as well as suppliers, including when there is a breach; NSO being model for data privacy and confidentiality; code of ethics that is all-inclusive and includes all partners, i.e holding National data forum involving all stakeholders; partnership model and data sharing, need for transparency; maintaining trust with data providers; and NSS affected should other producers breaches; Partnerships, sharing, accessibility, and integration—the need to motivate people to gain access to data and stress the benefits of reciprocity arrangements with data suppliers; partnerships are big investments, and resources at NSOs are limited; NSOs need to be clear and use the whole of government approach; initiate with low hanging fruit; recognize the role and skills of NSOs; establish partnerships beyond legislatures as well as beyond nations; and need guidance from the international organisation Lesson Learnt: Day 3 (7 September 2023) Reflections from the day 2 session include the following: Rapidly changing role and scope from data producer to data steward; Importance of relationships and reciprocity, which require new skills, i.e. communications; Seeing how data governance works under different NSS; Recognize different challenges and opportunities for big data use; and Reputation and recognition of NSS, stepping up, and greater trust to encourage data sharing World Café discussion for Session 5; Where to Next for Asia and the Pacific on Session 5; and Lessons Learned as follows: Development of data governance profilesi. a compendium should be developed to include all countries present in the expert group;
ii. the one-page summary of data governance is useful; and
iii. a compendium structured by the model of centralised, decentralised and less clear vision.
Use of data governance i. use profiles as stocktake and a way to learn from each other;
ii. add country context and contact information to the profile; and
iii. use profiles for advocacy, awareness, and to identify new ideas.
Future of Big Data information Brief: i. avoid duplications;
ii. ensure data data governance and data stewardship are included; and
iii. complement the brief with other mediums and communicate the latest developments.
Future expert dialogues i. share country governance profiles for each subregion and Asia Pacific Stats Café;
ii. role of Chief Statistician, including how they build relationships and share data; and
iii. share experience in building capacity with line ministries and at various levels of government.
Any other ideas? i. Roadmap towards more effective data governance;
ii. Regional platform of experience and expertise; and
iii. New skills: communicator, negotiator, and AI/IIT.
Stay tuned for the next programmes!
