High-Level Launch of UNCTAD flagship Digital Economy Report 2021

Bertrand de La Chapelle, Executive Director and Co-founder of the Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network and Chief Vision Officer at the Datasphere Initiative spoke at the High-Level Launch of United Nations Commission for Trade and Development (UNCTAD) flagship Digital Economy Report 2021.

Bertrand de La Chapelle congratulated the report’s authoring team for a very detailed, evidence-based and nuanced contribution to the necessary global debate about data governance and underscored that achieving every sustainability development goal requires data to understand the situation, to measure progress and to develop solutions. “We deeply believe that how we govern the Datasphere will determine the future of human society in the 21st century and our ability to deal with global challenges” he said.

The UNCTAD Digital Economy Report 2021 takes a deep dive into the development and policy implications of cross-border data flows. It examines recent global developments in the digital economy, and reviews existing data governance approaches at national, regional and multilateral levels.

Mr. de La Chapelle joined speakers from the African Union Commission and the European Commission to discuss the multiple dimensions of data and the implications for sustainable development. Mr. de La Chapelle highlighted key findings from the report We Need to Talk About Data: Framing the Debate Around the Free Flow of Data and Data and offered suggestions for how to approach global governance of data.

Learn more about the High-level launch of the UNCTAD Digital Economy Report 2021 here.