Who We Are
The UNWDF Commitment to Data Governance Fit for Children (Data Governance for Children commitment) unites a diverse group of organizations and young leaders to advocate for children’s rights in the rapidly evolving world of data and AI. Launched under the auspices of the UN World Data Forum’s Commit to Data Campaign, we are a collaborative force driving systemic change in how the world collects, processes, analyzes, and (re)uses data for and about children and youth.
Our Purpose
The purpose of the Data Governance for Children commitment is to ensure that children and youth’s rights are safeguarded, prioritized, and actively upheld amid changes in data and AI governance. We redefine data governance as a tool for empowerment and trust-building, a tool to avoid and overcome data exploitation and exclusion.
Our Motivation
Children and young people are growing up in a world shaped by data and artificial intelligence — technologies that hold both great opportunities and serious risks. Yet, their rights, needs, and voices are often overlooked in decisions about how data is governed.
Therefore, we are motivated by this shared urgency: to protect children from harm, empower them as digital citizens, and ensure they are not just passive subjects of data systems but active participants in shaping them. We believe that by centering children and youth in data governance, we can build more inclusive, equitable, and accountable systems for everyone.
Our Values
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Child-Centered Impact: We strive for outcomes that are genuinely aligned with children’s best interests, grounded in their lived realities.
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Recognition for Agency: Children and adolescents are not just beneficiaries; their perspectives are vital to driving meaningful change.
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Equity and Inclusion: Every child and young person deserves the opportunity to be heard, regardless of geography, disability, or circumstances.
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Collaboration for Sustainable Impact: Solutions are stronger when forged across generations and stakeholders around the world.
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Integrity and Responsibility: Protecting children’s and youth’s data rights demands open, ethical frameworks that enforce accountability and inspire trust.
As this commitment evolves, we look forward to working together across generations, sectors, and geographies to turn these values into meaningful action.
Our Champions
The Data Governance for Children commitment brings together:
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Youth representatives—from Generation Unlimited's Young People’s Action Team, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data’s Data Values Advocates, Office of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Youth Envoy’s Young Leaders for the SDGs, UNICEF Colombia’s Red Nacional de Participación Adolescentes en Movimiento por sus Derechos—to amplify youth perspectives and co-create solutions for positive change.
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UNICEF’s Data Governance Fit for Children Programme to advocate for programmes, policies and systems that are grounded in child and youth rights.
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The Governance Lab to empower children by ensuring data and technology are used to make more effective, equitable, and legitimate decisions that solve public problems.
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Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority to promote responsible government AI systems that prioritize child wellbeing needs and provide a data driven perspective to decision making.
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Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data to amplify youth voices and empower young people to engage meaningfully in data governance, strengthening their ability to lead impactful, multi-stakeholder collaborations.
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The Datasphere Initiative to empower diverse youth communities by equipping them with knowledge and tools to amplify their participation in data governance and AI policy discussions.
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Highway Child to ensure that children’s voices are authentically represented and that the information they share through in creative content is safeguarded.
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DevelopMetrics to integrate ethical AI, supervised machine learning, and fine-tuned large language models in collaboration with youth at the onset of AI development.