Originally posted on the Global Data Festival Blog.
Open Data Watch is Taking Three of the Hardest Data Conversations to Nairobi this June
By Raquel Santos Fontes
Research, Policy, and Advocacy Analyst
Open Data Watch
19 May 2026
Data systems face major challenges. Can they evolve without losing sight of the people they are meant to serve? The advent of artificial intelligence systems (AI) is increasing pressure on statistical systems, reshaping how data are produced, shared, and used. As governments, researchers, and organizations navigate new technologies alongside shrinking resources and growing demands for more inclusive data, important questions emerge around ethics, accountability, and participation. Addressing these challenges matters because strong data systems are not just about producing more data; they are about building trust, enabling civic participation, and ensuring data are used to drive equitable and lasting change.
The promise that data offer is simple. Better information should lead to better decisions. But keeping that promise requires more than new tools and more datasets. It requires systems that remain accountable to the people they are meant to serve. How do we use AI responsibly in citizen data initiatives? How do we build peer networks that make progress sustainable? And what does it take to strengthen data systems under growing global pressure? These are the questions we are bringing to the Global Data Festival and Kenya Space Expo and Conference 2026 (GDF-KSEC 2026) in Nairobi this June, across three sessions:
Innovations in Citizen Data: AI Tools, Ethics, and Impact (June 3, 11:00 am –12:30 pm)
In this training and lab session, organized by the Collaborative on Citizen Data, co-chaired by the UN Statistics Division and Open Data Watch, attendees will engage in hands-on activities to critically reflect on how citizen data actors can help shape more inclusive, accountable, and equitable AI systems. Based on the Collaborative on Citizen Data‘s AI and Citizen Data Background Paper (forthcoming), participants will exchange experiences, identify priorities, and contribute ideas to inform future work within the citizen data community.
The Missing Infrastructure: Why Data Systems Need Peer Networks (June 4, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm)
This lightning talk showcases how the Gender Data Network has helped practitioners move from isolated work to collective problem-solving through a trusted peer community. In this short presentation, participants will hear how countries are learning from each other by adapting indicators, exchanging tools, and addressing implementation challenges to strengthen national statistical systems and accelerate progress on gender data.
Data Systems at a Crossroads: Debating the Data Crisis (June 4, 08:00 am – 09:30 am)
Our catalytic conversation, organized in partnership with PARIS21 and Development Gateway: An IREX Venture, explores the pressures facing statistical systems, including shrinking development financing, declining trust in institutions, and growing capacity gaps. Through breakout discussions, participants will move beyond assessing challenges to identifying practical actions across sectors and stakeholders needed to strengthen data systems worldwide.
Our overarching goal across all three sessions is to move beyond abstract conversations toward practical tools, shared learning, creative problem-solving, and collective action.
A Community for Impact
Over the last decade, we have seen what happens when data communities stop working in silos. From national statistical offices to civil society organizations, progress accelerates when knowledge and practices are shared across sectors and countries, helping to strengthen evidence, address challenges, and inform decision-making. These experiences teach us that stronger and more resilient data systems are not built by institutions alone; they are built through collaboration, shared ownership, and the inclusion of more voices in shaping how data are produced and used.
That knowledge is what brings us to Nairobi. And it is what makes these conversations worth having.
