The Datasphere Initiative is pleased to announce that the United Nations Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UN ECLAC) has joined the Datasphere Initiative as an Institutional Partner.
The partnership will further enhance the collaboration between these organizations and the engagement of stakeholders from the Latin America and the Caribbean region in the network of the Datasphere Initiative and amplify the experiences of the global south in policy debates on data. This collaboration will also support discussions in the region regarding data governance for the digital single market and regional cooperation for digital transformation.
“Digital transformation is fast evolving in Latin America and the Caribbean, with the ambition of the creation of a digital single market. But there is a risk to leave people behind if this transformation is not supported by holistic and inclusive data governance as well as innovative approaches to cross-border data sharing. This partnership builds on the extensive collaboration with the Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network and will help channel the important and diverse voices of this region in efforts to responsibly unlock the value of data for all” said Martin Hullin, Deputy Executive Director, Datasphere Initiative.
Since June 2021, the Datasphere Initiative has been collaborating with UN ECLAC on a School on Digital Transformation and Innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean for policymakers in the region to equip government officials with the necessary knowledge and skills in handling the range of data policy challenges related to the digital society. On subjects ranging from artificial intelligence, open data, security, and fostering human rights, the Datasphere Initiative has provided expertise and knowledge capacity on course materials and delivery of workshops.
As an Institutional Partner, UN ECLAC will support the engagement of policymakers from the region in Datasphere Initiative activities including the organization of regional dialogues to raise awareness of the data governance innovations and initiatives coming out of the Latin America and the Caribbean region.
“For ECLAC, to promote the public and private sector dialogue is a key issue to identify shared values and build consensus on aspects like the harmonization of standards, regulations, and norms that support regional and global digital governance i.e. the use and abuse of data; or limiting data flows (barriers to access), which raises technical issues to face. Therefore, this partnership ECLAC – Datasphere Initiative is an excellent framework to advance on those issues,” said UN ECLAC.
- Read more about UN ECLAC here
- Read more about the Datasphere Initiative here
