Where to Find Open Data Watch at the 57th United Nations Statistical Commission
by the Open Data Watch Team
01 March 2026
With the title “Better Data, Better Lives,” the 57th session of the United Nations Statistical Commission (StatCom) is taking place in New York from 3 to 6 March 2026. Bringing together Chief Statisticians from member countries, international organizations, civil society, and other stakeholders, the Commission is the highest body of the global statistical system. It sets standards, develops methods, shares experiences with meeting challenges, and guides overall international statistical work.
Throughout the week, a range of topical side events will take place alongside formal discussions. Open Data Watch will again be active this year, co-hosting events on citizen data, time use data, and the current crisis facing data systems due to deep cuts in development financing, rapid technological change like AI, and rising expectations for more inclusive and participatory data.
If you will be attending the UNSC, we invite you to attend the sessions that ODW is hosting:
Integrating Citizen Data into Official Statistics: Pathways to Practice
Monday, 2 March 2026: 6:15–7:45 pm
Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice (320 E. 43rd St, New York, NY 10017, USA)
This session will highlight existing mechanisms used to measure national statistical and gender data capacity, including the Gender Data Compass (ODW), the forthcoming Gender Data Outlook (UN Women and PARIS21), and the Gender Statistical Performance Indicators (World Bank). The discussion will be centered on how these measures can support statistical systems to develop a compressive understanding of gender data capacity and its impact in improving policymaking. Participants will also have a chance to hear about case studies and participate in an interactive problem-solving exercise.
Data Systems at a Crossroads: Official Statistics for a New Era
Tuesday 3 March 2026: 7:30-9:30AM
Millenium Hilton New York One UN Plaza, 26th Floor
Co-hosted by Open Data Watch and PARIS21, this high-level, interactive session will bring together leaders from National Statistical Offices, UN agencies, regional institutions, and development partners to examine the growing pressures facing official statistics and explore the safeguards needed to ensure data systems can endure and evolve. A forthcoming paper will form the basis for the events discussion and debate and be shared ahead of the meeting.
Time for Growth: Making Time Use Data Work for Economic Decision-Making
Wednesday 4 March 2026: 7:30-9:30AM
UN Women Headquarters, 19th floor
Co-hosted by Open Data Watch, UN Women, the Gates Foundation, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, and Kenya State Department of Economic Planning, this interactive panel will bring together policymakers, National Statistical Offices, and data experts to examine how time-use data can be more effectively translated into macroeconomic and sectoral policy decisions. The discussion will also build on the Nairobi Action Plan on the Value of Time-Use Data in Informing Policy, with a focus on practical pathways for implementation.
