Bern 2021 and a forward look at the UN World Data Forum

February 18 2021, 9:00 – 10:15 AM (EST)

United Nations Dataforum

Concept note and tentative agenda

Following the success of the 2020 virtual UN World Data Forum, planning is underway for the third Forum to take place in Bern, Switzerland from 3 to 6 October 2021 (Bern 2021). The virtual Forum saw an expansion in the size and diversity of the audience interested in the importance of data for sustainable development; this meant diverse participation from a wider range of countries and a younger generation engaged. Bern 2021 is an important opportunity to continue this dialogue and showcase the rapid transformation of data and statistical systems following the unprecedented demands placed on these systems throughout the Covid-19 pandemic

Bern 2021 will seek to combine the benefits of open access provided by the virtual format with the more interpersonal nature of holding an in-person event. This webinar will therefore cover:

  • A stocktake of where the Forum community stands since the first forum in Cape Town in 2017;
  • Some early indications of how we expect to conduct Bern 2021;
  • What themes and areas Bern 2021 will be seeking to advance and events leading up to Bern 2021;
  • Discuss the future role of the Forum and how it helps to continue to build and grow a community across the global data and statistical community
    • Ways to increase diversity and inclusion of untapped regions, demographics, and communities by leveraging virtual elements;
    • The role of various actors in making the Forum a success.
Agenda

Part 1 – Stocktaking and what to expect in Bern 2021

  • Opening by moderator: Sarah Lucas, Program Officer, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

  • Keynote address by: Adrian Hauri, Deputy Permanent Representative at the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations

  • Stefan Schweinfest, Director, United Nations Statistics Division

  • Georges-Simon Ulrich, Director General, Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) and Host of Bern 2021

  • Shaida Baidee, Co-founder and Managing Director, Open Data Watch

  • Youth documentary


Part 2 – Panel discussion on the future role of the Forum in helping grow the global data and statistical community

  • Philipp Schönrock, Director, Cepei

  • Ola Awad, President, Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS)

  • Claudia Wells, Director of Data Use, Development Initiatives

  • Al Kags, Founder, the Open Institute

  • Q&A from the live audience

Closing remarks by Gabriella Vukovich, President, Hungarian Central Statistical Office and Chair of the Programme Committee

Speakers' bios