On 3 April 2025, we co-organised with the International Civil Society Centre a Digital Dialogue that explored how civil society can steward the reuse of data to create public value. Among the panellists, Paulina Behluli from our team shared her insights on data stewardship as a function alongside experts from the Norwegian Refugee Council and Tanzania Data Lab. The discussion highlighted the importance of responsible data reuse and the crucial role of civil society in shaping its future.

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Data Stewardship: Facilitating Collaboration for Public Impact
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Data stewardship is more than just managing data—it’s about enabling responsible and collaborative use across sectors to generate public value. By promoting responsible, inclusive and sustainable data sharing, data stewards play a vital role in ensuring that data is used to address societal challenges. Through their work, they bridge the gap between the demand for data, its availability and its potential to improve lives.

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The Role of Civil Society in Data Governance
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Civil society organisations are essential in advocating for and facilitating cross-sector collaboration. They create spaces where diverse stakeholders—governments, private sector, academia and others—can share data responsibly to solve pressing societal issues. By ensuring that data sharing aligns with the public good, civil society helps unlock the full potential of data for everyone, especially in times of crisis or urgent need.

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Training the Next Generation of Data Stewards
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At The Data Tank, we’re focused on empowering the next generation of data stewards through our bootcamps. These training programmes equip individuals with the skills needed to facilitate data access, ensure ethical use, and advocate for policies that support data reuse. With over 100 trained data stewards globally, we continue to build a network of professionals who are driving responsible data governance and collaboration worldwide.

You can watch the recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO92jXduUQs