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Commit to Data on the Road to Riyadh

Commit to Data on the Road to Riyadh

As part of the Road to Riyadh leading up to the 2026 UN World Data Forum, the General Authority for Statistics Saudi Arabia (GASTAT), Open Data Watch, and PARIS21 co-hosted a webinar highlighting the Commit to Data initiative.  

Available in English and Arabic, the webinar opened with high-level reflections from H.E. Dr. Fahad Aldossari, President of GASTAT, and Shantanu Mukherjee, Acting Director of the UN Statistics Division (UNSD), underscoring the importance of sustained partnership, trust, and collective follow-through as the data community charts the Road to Riyadh. 

The session brought together senior leaders and commitment makers from across the data community to share progress updates, announce new commitments, and reflect on how Commit to Data is helping turn ambition into concrete action between global convenings. 

 

Progress updates from existing commitments 

I COUNT! A coalition for inclusion and ambition in the Post-2030 Indicator Framework 

Amelia Greaves, Senior Program Manager for Equality Insights and the International Women’s Development Agency, representing the iCount Coalition, discussed how iCount has engaged the wider data and development community since its launch. The Coalition has contributed to shaping the Post-2030 Indicator Framework, hosted events at major UN forums including CSW, the HLPF, and the UN Statistical Commission, and is co-chairing the Inclusive Data Working Group for the Women Deliver 2026 Conference, where it will also host a pre-conference event on data advocacy and storytelling. 
 

Enhancing production and use of citizen data 

Cyrus Darpoh from Ghana Statistical Service, representing the Collaborative on Citizen Data, shared the progress the Collaborative has already made in use and recognition of citizen data. Since the 2024 UNWDF, the UN Statistical Commission has officially endorsed the Copenhagen Framework on Citizen Data, signaling that citizen data belongs in national data ecosystems. The Collaborative has been providing guidance on topics such as citizen engagement, intersectionality, and data quality, and is currently developing national implementation toolkits for NSOs. Darpoh shared that in Ghana, five citizen data projects have already been implemented, and two of those have been turned into impact stories. 

New commitments announced  

Three commitments from the African Centre for Statistics at UNECA 

Professor Samuel Annim, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), announced three commitments from the African Centre for Statistics (ACS) at UNECA: 

  1. AI Readiness of NSOs: In collaboration with PARIS21, ACS will be involved in capacity building for NSOs across Africa. This builds off the work in PARIS21’s white paper, and will assist NSOs, including with self-assessments using the SPEED framework (State, Policy, Expertise, Engine, and Delivery).  
  2. Time Use Surveys: ACS committed to ensuring that Time Use Surveys are not merely conducted, but valued and utilized, so that data and statistics on time use are used as a policy design instrument rather than a monitoring instrument. 
  3. Moving from statistical silos to statistical blocks: Annim emphasized that good data communication is crucial for data use for decision-making. The ACS committed to campaigning for NSSs to shift away from presenting data on demographic and geographic variables but rather based on the policy inputs that lead to the desired outcome.  

SESRIC commits to strengthening trusted, open, and well-governed official statistics  

Mr. Onur Çağlar, Director of Statistics and Information at the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), announced a commitment to support more open, trusted, and well-governed official statistics across OIC member countries. 

The commitment will focus on: 

  • strengthening statistical governance and legislation aligned with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, and 
  • supporting practical integration of open data principles into official statistics processes. 

Planned activities include a capacity-building workshop on modernizing statistical legislation reforms this year, followed by a regional webinar to share experiences and best practices. SESRIC will also facilitate peer learning exchanges and trainings in between. 

What’s next 

The Road to Riyadh will continue through a series of moments in 2026 that convene partners, elevate progress, and expand the community of commitment makers.