As the world increasingly relies on data to feed algorithms and artificial intelligence, drive national and international services trade, and inform the delivery of public services, the need for a normative foundation for data governance becomes ever more urgent. To this aim, the United Nations System Chief Executives Board (CEB) recently adopted the “Proposed Normative Foundations for International Data Governance,” seeking to guide responsible data use across the UN system and support global cooperation on data governance.
The document highlights Digital Self-Determination (DSD) as an emerging foundation for equitable data practices. This acknowledgment reflects a growing awareness of the importance of individuals and communities having agency over their data and of global governance structures prioritizing human rights.
A Brief Look at the UN’s Data Governance Framework
This effort began with the High-Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP)’s approval of the 2023 paper "International Data Governance – Pathways to Progress," which called for a multistakeholder approach to responsibly unlock data's value while addressing human rights and sustainable development concerns across diverse global contexts. Following this, the HLCP commissioned a Working Group to draft a set of principles for international data governance. The result was the October 2023 paper, "Proposed Normative Foundations for an International Data Governance Framework: Goals and Principles," presented during the HLCP's 46th session. The draft introduced Value, Trust, and Equity as overarching goals and received widespread support from the Committee, setting the stage for broader consultations.
The UN’s framework establishes three foundational goals: Value, Trust, and Equity, and a series of principles to achieve these goals. In the document, the goals outline the broad objectives of the international data governance framework, describing the desired outcomes it aims to achieve across contexts. The principles, on the other hand, translate these objectives into operational guidelines to ensure the goals are effectively realized in diverse settings.
-
Value: The framework emphasizes maximizing data’s value for the public good, sustainable development, and human rights. It advocates for responsible data sharing, interoperability, and collaboration to ensure data contributes meaningfully across sectors and borders. Principles supporting this include fostering responsible data sharing to unlock its full potential, promoting interoperability through standardized formats and taxonomies to enable seamless data exchange across systems, and encouraging collaborative efforts that ensure data is meaningfully applied across sectors and borders.
-
Trust: Building trust in the digital ecosystem requires secure, transparent practices that protect individuals and communities from data misuse. The framework prioritizes transparency, data quality, accountability, and privacy to create a trusted environment for data use. Principles to achieve this goal include ensuring high data quality through context-aware practices, maintaining accountability via clear oversight and mechanisms for redress, safeguarding privacy with robust protections, and adopting transparent processes to inspire confidence in data governance.
-
Equity: Ensuring equitable access to data’s benefits is central to the framework, focusing on reducing bias and supporting diverse, context-sensitive data practices. This goal stresses fair treatment of all communities, particularly marginalized groups, to prevent data-driven inequality. The Equity goal explicitly calls for the recognition of DSD as a guiding principle, empowering individuals and communities to make informed decisions regarding the data about them and its uses. DSD aims to give individuals and communities a voice to shape the ways data impacts their lives—from shaping services they rely on to influencing policies that affect their communities. This principle is particularly crucial for marginalized and underrepresented groups, who often have limited say in digital decisions yet bear significant consequences. Indeed, DSD helps ensure these communities are not only protected but also included as active participants in the digital ecosystem. To achieve Equity, the framework also stresses fairness and non-discrimination in data practices, reducing bias and inequality, and supporting participatory approaches that amplify the voices of marginalized communities.
Moving Toward a More Inclusive Data Future
As international data governance frameworks take shape, mentions of concepts like Digital Self-Determination signify a step forward in advancing the conversation around individual and collective agency in data governance. Through the recognition of the importance of DSD, the UN framework points to the importance of empowering individuals and communities with greater agency over their data, fostering a more equitable and trustworthy digital ecosystem. While DSD’s full integration into global governance may be an ongoing process, this framework represents a promising step toward ensuring that data practices respect and uplift all individuals and communities in the digital age.
The cover image of this blog was made using Dall-E.