Cross-Border Data Flows: Harmonizing trust through interoperability mechanisms

The UNCTAD eWeek 2023 was held on December 4 – 8, 2023, in Geneva, Switzerland under the theme ‘Shaping the future of the digital economy’. The event explored key policy areas that must be addressed to build an inclusive and sustainable digitalization at the national, regional, and global levels with the involvement of all relevant stakeholders.

The Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), Bahrain Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications, & the Datasphere Initiative hosted an in-person session called “Cross-Border Data Flows: Harmonizing trust through interoperability mechanisms” on December 4, 2023, at 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm CET / 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm UTC.

Data is foundational for the digital economy and crucial for digital trade. International trade and investments rely on cross-border data flows to enable e-commerce, enhance supply chains, and improve business efficiency.

This session discussed the importance of developing ‘interoperability mechanisms’ amongst the prevailing national and regional data governance regimes and explored ways to enable cross-border data flows with trust, without compromising the national regulatory autonomy.