If you have any questions about the call or submission process please email: dataforum@un.org.
If you have any questions about the call or submission process please email: dataforum@un.org.
On behalf of the Programme Committee for the UN World Data Forum to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between 9 and 12 November 2026 (UNWDF 2026) and the UN Statistical Commission’s High-level Group for Partnership, Coordination and Capacity-Building for statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (HLG-PCCB), we are pleased to announce the opening of the Call for Programme Proposals.
The aim of the UN World Data Forum is to spur data innovation, nurture partnerships, mobilize high-level political and financial support for data, and build a pathway to better data for sustainable development. Since the first Forum in January 2017, the audience for the Forum has grown from 2,000 people to active stakeholder group of over 20,000. The UNWDF 2026 will bring together data leaders from a diverse range of stakeholders such as governments, civil society, the private sector, donor and philanthropic bodies, international and regional agencies, the geospatial community, the media, academia (including students), and professional bodies; to exchange ideas, showcase innovations, share solutions, discuss future strategies, and provide mutual learning opportunities on a wide variety of topics organized across four Thematic Areas and evolving list of programme tracks
The Programme Committee aims to have imaginative programme proposals that address issues of interest to our broad community, incorporate innovative approaches to data and statistics and include concrete recommendations or announce new initiatives. Over the course of the three-day Forum, there will be opportunities to engage in a programme that focuses on the opportunities and challenges in data production and use in a changing data landscape and sharing ideas for solutions and strategies for the way forward.
We welcome proposals that cover different interactive formats in the programme. The Programme Committee welcomes announcements, panel discussions and other open discussion formats that demonstrate collaboration and joint work among a mixed group of data communities. The Committee is also interested in receiving more specialised and focused proposals from the wider user and producer community to feature on the programme as short talks, demonstrations and learning labs.
This will be an in-person event to enable more creative formats and ensure high levels of engagement and networking at the venue. Due to the limited capacity at the venue and expected number of submissions, not all proposals will be accepted. There will be approximately seventy 60-minute time slots in the programme to accommodate the different types of formats. To maximise the number of highly rated proposals accepted into the programme, the Programme Committee makes significant efforts to combine or merge proposals with complimentary content into each time slot. Further details of the accepted formats and their different expected durations can be found in this section [Insert link].
The UN World Data Forum in 2026 will promote four main Thematic Areas (TAs) including a set of sub-themes and priorities to act as descriptions. The TAs individually contain the important issues and pressing actions expressed by the global data and statistical community to serve as a rallying call for programme proposals with innovative solutions and hands-on experiences on these issues. Your contributions to this call will help ensure that members of the data and statistical community once more come together under the Forum with a determined resolve to do their part on the implementation of 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. The four themes are (see more details here):
The UN World Data Forum in 2026 will feature a set of programme tracks designed to translate the Forum’s thematic areas into action-oriented discussions. These tracks will be refined and finalised based on the proposals received. The eventual list of programme tracks shown in the programme will be decided to maintain focus on the most significant and timely issues. The programme tracks serve as dynamic pathways to complement the broader, more enduring themes represented by Thematic Areas. For illustrative purposes at this moment, the following tracks are currently being considered by the Programme Committee:
Urbanization, Climate Change, Artificial Intelligence, Data Governance, Future of Official Statistics, Crisis in the world of data and statistics, Fit-for-purpose organizations, Inclusivity, Sustainable development by 2030 and beyond, Misinformation, Financing for data and statistics.
There are six types of formats currently offered on the programme. Please read carefully their descriptions below to understand the expectations and constraints in organising each format:
| Panel discussions | This format consists of a moderator who in 60 minutes will introduce and ask a recommended panel size of between 2 and 5 speakers to make some brief remarks or conduct a debate followed by a Question & Answer (Q&A) session. A single panel rather than multiple panels in the time provided is encouraged. The Q&A can use questions collected from the in-person audience or through the chat/Q&A feature in the online event platform. A polling feature could also be used to engage with the audience, subject to availability in the online event platform. The moderator will summarize the key points from the discussion at the end. |
| Open discussion format (please specify details) | This format consists of any non-panel open discussion format where in 60 minutes the audience participation takes up more than two-thirds of the time and this participation is encouraged by sub-dividing the audience or arranging them into smaller groups such as in a beehive or fishbowl format or holding bilateral conversations. Please provide exact details of the proposed format in this answer. |
| Announcement or launch | This format will be conducted for between 20 – 30 minutes in a dedicated area of the Forum venue and may be grouped within a time slot with others of the same format. They can be announcements or press style launch and can include book readings by authors, short presentations on newly released reports and static demonstrations of knowledge sharing platforms. |
| Demonstration or interactive exhibit | This format will be conducted for between 15 and 20 minutes in a dedicated area of the Forum venue and may be grouped within a time slot with others of the same format. They can be demonstrations of data visualizations or show other audio-visual displays such as a short film or documentary on data use and innovation to transforms lives. These displays should be a creative combination of art, data science and storytelling while also functional and able to communicate important data or information clearly and effectively to the audience. They can be an outcome of a documentary competition organized and concluded prior to the Forum. |
| Short ignite/lightning talks | This format consists of a SINGLE speaker giving a short talk of between 12 and 15 minutes on a key idea or topic. Up to 5 talks will feature in a full-length session slot on the programme. There will be no extra time given to take questions from the audience, but speakers can respond to questions posted on the chat/Q&A feature in the online event platform either before or after the talk. |
| Interactive learning activity | This format will be conducted for up to 60 minutes in a dedicated area of the Forum venue with a limited capacity participation in workshops, data labs or competitions to promote new skills or offer collaboration on a new data initiative. These activities will be facilitated by organizers based on a set of presentations and/or training modules and hands-on exercises and participants would bring their own devices as appropriate to fully participate. The format can include participants voting on preferred solutions or use of a panel of judges. This format may require the provision of some funds from a specific entity. |
The Programme Committee evaluate proposals according to five criteria to ensure the highest quality proposals are accepted onto the programme:
| No. | Criteria | Description | Evaluative evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Relevant and impactful content | the programme proposal is relevant to the themes, sub-themes and priorities of the Forum and makes an impact on the overall aims and objectives of the Forum | Clear purpose and outcomes contributing to the use of data and statistics for sustainable development. |
| 2 | Demonstrates innovation | the programme proposal demonstrates an innovative approach through the combined use of data sources, methods and partnerships | Demonstrates clear use of one or more of the following: new sources, innovative methods, effective partnerships and uses |
| 3 | Concrete and practical experience | the programme proposal showcases concrete experiences with data production and data use and offers concrete recommendations or the launch of new initiatives and partnerships | Well defined solution that is easy to understand and communicate to a global non-expert audience |
| 4 | Diverse and inclusive discussion | the programme proposal has a speaker panel with a mix of data communities, different geographical regions and balanced gender representation is required; where an emphasis on engagement with policy makers and the inclusion of high-level speakers will be considered an asset. | Diversity and balance in speaker characteristics: different organisations, community representation, gender and regional location. |
| 5 | Creative presentation | the programme proposal shows a creative design in the panel discussion to foster better engagement/ interaction with the audience and for the Forum to be as participatory as possible. | Shows additional thought beyond assembling a group of speakers to talk on the subject |
Please note: Incomplete submissions/ forms will not be considered. If you have any questions about the call or submission process please email dataforum@un.org.
Please follow all guidance given in this announcement when submitting a proposal. More information can be found in the Programme section of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the Forum website.
| Question | Information request | Fields (validation) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Submitter details | Name, email, alternate email, affiliation and number of organisations supporting the proposal choose between 0 and 7+. Note: this information will be used as primary contact for future correspondence. |
| 2 | Organiser(s) a. Number b. Details |
For each organizer provide their (1) organisation name, (2) primary email contact, (3) organisation type, and (4) country or area location. The submission form allows up to 6 organizers to be recorded including the submitting organisation./td> |
| 3 | Proposal title | Provide a succinct and meaningful title for the proposal (maximum 50 characters) |
| 4 | Short abstract | Provide a short description of your proposal (maximum 300 characters). |
| 5 | Long abstract | Provide a long description of your proposal (maximum 1,400 characters) based on the selection criteria, see proposal selection criteria for more details. |
| 6 | Content labels a. Domain (sector) b. Data application (activity) c. Data type d. Social focus characteristic |
Select ONE option from each list below, see the sample submission form for the full list of labels. This list is adapted from the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 1-17). This list relates to important ways in which data and statistics are used or applied such as in domains 6 and 7 of the Classification of Statistical Activities. This list relates to traditional sources used by official statistics and alternate sources illustrated by the work of the UN Committee of Experts on Big Data and Data Science for Official Statistics. This list relates to the disaggregation categories mentioned in the UN General Assembly resolution on the SDGs. A complete list of values available under each content label can be found here |
| 7 | Format | Select ONE option from a list of formats, see section on proposal formats available above for the full list and detailed description of each format. |
| 8 | Outcome links a. Connection to themes and tracks b. Commit to data c. Commitment |
Provide a short description of how your proposal connects to the themes of the Forum and provisional tracks of the programme (maximum 500 characters). Indicate if the proposal is part of the commitment to data campaign Indicate if you consider making a commitment for the Forum |
| 9 | Speaker list a. Number b. Details |
Number of speakers includes the chair, moderator and/or facilitator (assume only ONE speaker if Short ignite/lightning talks chosen in format question 7) For each speaker: Please confirm their willingness and availability to attend the Forum to participate in your proposal before providing their (1) full name, (2) job title (3) affiliation/ organisation name, (4) email contact, (5) type of organisation, (6) gender, (7) country or area of residence, (8) anticipation to attend in-person and (9) whether they have any accessibility requirements. The submission form allows up to 7 speakers to be recorded. |
| 10 | Additional support request | Provide details (maximum 1,000 characters) of any additional logistical or other types of support needed to deliver the proposal, including the IT requirements and room setup. |
| Date/ deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| Monday, 24 November 2025 | Open of the call for programme proposals |
| Monday, 26 January 2026 | Close of the call for programme proposals |
| Wednesday, 6 May 2026 | Inform proposers of the status of their submission with initial acceptance decisions |
| Wednesday, 28 May 2026 | Deadline to submit finalised proposal details: reconfirm title, provide short description and speaker list, adjusted for any feedback from the Programme Committee |
| June 2026 | Final decision communicated prior to announcement of the UNWDF 2026 Programme |
| July 2026 | Organisers to submit final confirmation of proposals details (including adjustments requested):
|
| September 2026 | Organisers to submit presentation files and other media. |
| Monday, 9 November 2026 | Opening ceremony of the UN World Data Forum |
Decisions about the inclusion of a proposal in the UNWDF 2026 programme will be based on its content and composition assessed against the evaluation criteria, described above, while also ensuring a balance across the programme in terms of topics, formats and speaker representation. Initial acceptance decisions will be communicated based on the Programme Committee’s evaluation. Final decisions will be made once the finalized proposal details are submitted and the final programme is approved by the UN Statistical Commission’s High-level Group for Partnership, Coordination and Capacity-Building for statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (HLG-PCCB).
In the initial acceptance decision, the Programme Committee or the HLG-PCCB may request revisions to the proposal or have proposals with similar content and/or with the same speakers be combined or at least matched with a stronger proposal. These revised proposals are subject to the approval of the Programme Committee and/or HLG-PCCB. Following final acceptance, if significant changes are made to the proposals, the Programme Committee and/or HLG-PCCB reserve the right to cancel sessions. While creative formats of delivery are encouraged to ensure that the Forum is as participatory and interactive as possible, the venue might not be able to accommodate all proposed formats, or, in case they require particular logistical arrangements, they can only be accommodated at the organisers own cost.
As an organiser whose proposal is selected, you will be responsible for:
Neither the Programme Committee nor the United Nations offer supporting funds to facilitate the travel and participation of organisers, speakers or other participants. Their involvement must therefore by completely self-financed, including travel, accommodation and any other related expenses. There are no registration fees to be a participant or speaker at the Forum.