Following the announcement that China-bound travelers are no longer required to quarantine, the United Nations World Data Forum 2023 (UNWDF 2023) is reconfirmed to take place from 24 to 27 April 2023 in Hangzhou, China. The Forum’s purpose is to create a space for those interested in data and statistics to exchange ideas, showcase innovations, identify solutions, discuss future strategies, and provide mutual learning opportunities on a wide variety of topics organized across the Programme. Participants will have the opportunity to view and interact in about 80 sessions online and more than 100 at the Hangzhou International Expo Center, including high-level plenaries, parallel sessions, learning labs, demonstrations, and other types of exhibits.
The Forum welcomes participants interested in data from a diverse range of backgrounds: governments, civil society, the private sector, donor and philanthropic bodies, international and regional agencies, the geospatial community, the media, academia, and professional bodies. This webinar will share with you further information on this year’s Forum from a range of speakers representing the host country, the Programme Committee, the Forum secretariat and allow you to ask them questions. The following key topics will be covered:
- Logistics for travelling and staying in Hangzhou, including registration and visa process
- Highlights from the programme, including high-level events
- Outreach and communications around the Forum
- Virtual participation in Forum events
Participants can share their questions either through the webinar’s registration form or through the live chat feature during the webinar. To present and answer your questions, the following members of the Programme Committee, the host country and secretariat will feature:
- Shaida Badiee, Co-founder and Managing Director, Open Data Watch (ODW) and co-chair of the UNWDF2023 Programme Committee
- Representative from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS-China) [to be confirmed]
- Francesca Perucci, Assistant Director, United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD-DESA)
- Claudia Wells, Director of Data Use, Development Initiatives (DI)
- Dilek Fraisl, Research Scholar, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
- Nnenna Nwakanma, Chief Web Advocate, World Wide Web Foundation (WWWF)
- Rachael Beaven, Director, Statistics Division, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)