IATI Virtual Community Exchange 3

Across the world, governments and other development stakeholders are systematically making
more (and more relevant) data open and accessible, providing a valuable asset for social and
economic transformation. The belief that data collected and shared by these stakeholders can
support positive development outcomes by enhancing service delivery, prioritising scarce
resources, holding governments accountable and empowering individual citizens is increasingly
predominant in evidence-based decision-making by development and humanitarian
stakeholders. Over the past several years, a growing number of actors, including bilateral
donors, multilateral organisations, civil society, the private sector and governments of
developing economies, have been adopting open data plans, implementing policies, and
publishing datasets that previously remained locked away in closed databases. This move
toward “open data” is part of a broader global trend toward more data-driven policymaking for
development — the 'data revolution'.

As the availability and value of open data has increased over the last decade, along with a tremendous potential for good, the IATI community has also been confronted with situations in which open data could potentially be used for harm. In the wake of recent global and geopolitical events, open data that was meant to promote transparency now risks potentially falling into the wrong hands and presenting safety risks to staff, partners, beneficiaries, and ongoing activities operating in often restrictive environments.

Building on the current discussion in IATI Connect, this roundtable session will feature perspectives from a range of data publishers and data users, focusing on several of the complex issues at hand: How should publishers approach redacting or protecting sensitive data? What are the implications and responsibilities for third party sites that ingest and republish IATI data? What, if any, should be the role of IATI? What is the impact of redactions on data users? Finally, how do these situations affect data traceability?

Please note the link to access this session: https://undp.zoom.us/j/86503043452