Building a fairer digital future starts with trusted data: A governance assessment framework for digital public infrastructure

November 3, 2025

Market stall: woman in orange apron sits at a wooden table cutting meat. — UNDP/Zoe Cox

Authors: Alena Klatte, Data Capability Lead, UNDP; Navya Alam, Data Exchange Specialist, UNDP; Mazen Gharzeddine, Policy Specialist, UNDP; Siddharth Peter de Souza, Data Exchange Research Consultant, UNDP; Emrys Schoemaker, Senior Advisor, UNDP and Senior Director of Advisory, Caribou Digital

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) supports countries in advancing their digital transformation journeys. Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) serves as a critical enabler of this transformation, with data exchange systems constituting an essential part of DPI. Well-governed data exchange systems enable secure and interoperable data sharing across government, private sector, and civil society – making the promise of digital transformation tangible for everyone.

UNDP has launched the Governance Assessment Framework for Data Exchange Systems to help ensure data exchange systems reflect core governance principles and universal safeguards. The framework enables countries to assess how effectively their data exchange systems support inclusive public service delivery, identify practical steps to enable efficient and representative data sharing, mitigate risks of misuse, and function as digital public goods. Through the framework, UNDP aims to put integrity and public trust at the core of unlocking the full potential of data as a driver of equitable, efficient, secure and rights-based data exchange systems.

Explore the Governance Assessment Framework for Data Exchange Systems here.

Data exchanges are the backbone of equitable digital transformation and responsible AI systems.

Government-led digital transformation relies on data as a foundational component. When data is of high-quality, it becomes increasingly valuable - surfacing insights, improving informed decision-making and becoming a powerful driver for innovation and evidence-based policymaking.

Yet, countries face two common constraints in leveraging data for the public good. First, siloed digital systems, amplified by ambiguous institutional roles and inconsistent governance, limit the ability of governments to access relevant data and deliver integrated and people-centric services. These gaps can exacerbate the barriers that marginalized communities often face while accessing services or exercising their digital rights. Second, the quality of data is often insufficient, resulting in ineffective public services, poor decision-making, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems that fail to deliver equitable outcomes, thereby undermining trust and reinforcing existing social inequalities.

The experience of Indonesia illustrates this challenge. Between the 2010s and early 2020s, people were required to navigate around 27,400 digital applications to access public services. Whilst well intended to improve access to public services, this led to duplicated efforts in data collection, rising maintenance costs, and overall inefficiency. Indonesia is not unique. Countries with weak institutional coordination, limited accountability, and inequitable public service design often struggle to deliver value. In contrast, countries like Estonia demonstrate that well-governed and interoperable data systems, such as its X-Road platform, where people submit data only once improves efficiency and public trust.

Developing countries are increasingly optimistic about using AI and digital technologies for public service delivery, improving efficiency, and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, for these digital transformation initiatives to succeed, governance mechanisms needed to ensure that these technologies serve people equitably cannot be overlooked. Many of these systems are being deployed in areas that directly affect people’s lives—including social protection eligibility, loan approvals, and access to health and education. Therefore, ensuring that data sharing is inclusive, ethical, and transparent is critical for maintaining trust, promoting equity, and safeguarding human rights.

Responsible governance of data exchanges can address these systemic challenges by breaking data silos and ensuring high-quality data for public service delivery and AI development.

Well-governed data exchanges can create high-quality, country-specific, and consent-based datasets at scale. These datasets enable coordination across ministries, enhance service delivery, and make data reusable across use cases. In doing so, countries move beyond siloed e-government systems towards a DPI approach. DPI approaches focus on creating shared, secure, and interoperable systems that can be reused across multiple use cases. Situating the data exchanges within the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework ensures that data sharing upholds privacy, consent, and accountability – while enabling broad stakeholder participation.

However, governments often face challenges in adopting a rights-based approach to data exchanges. In the absence of strong safeguards, data exchanges can amplify the very risks they aim to mitigate — including threats to privacy or discrimination based on race, gender, or community identity.

Data exchanges systems enable data to be shared and managed across government ministries, sectors and with public or private entities. They can carry risks to privacy or equality, but when governed equitably and safely, they ensure high-quality consent-based datasets and support people-centric digital services.

Safe and inclusive governance of data exchanges is key to maintaining public trust and promoting equality.

Safe and inclusive governance of data exchanges can help achieve two key objectives. First, such governance strengthens the overall digital transformation of public services by enabling people-centric systems that improve efficiency, equity, and trust. Second, it enhances evidence-based decision-making and supports the development of responsible AI systems by facilitating access to high-quality, reliable datasets — thereby reducing risks of misuse and bias.

Ultimately, robust governance transforms data exchange systems into a public good. Digital transformation will only promote equity and institutional legitimacy if countries adopt interoperable and accountable approaches to managing data.

What are data exchanges?

You can think of a data exchange like a public library system. Each library holds its own collection of books, just as different ministries, private organizations, and civil society groups maintain their own datasets. These libraries are connected through a shared catalogue that lists available resources, manages circulation, and facilitates access.

Readers represent authorized users who can access or learn from specific books based on permissions. The books themselves remain safely in their libraries, while the shared catalogue enables the controlled flow of knowledge and insights across the system. The common catalogue and borrowing rules act as the standards, protocols, and safeguards that make this exchange possible. Since every library follows the same rules, readers can move smoothly and securely between them, ensuring interoperability and trust.

The chief librarian sets and enforces the rules that keep the system fair and responsible. These rules ensure that libraries protect their collections, that access is transparent, and that materials are used ethically. When managed well, this system allows knowledge to flow safely and equitably, empowering communities and improving services. However, when governance weakens, books are lost, access becomes unequal, and trust in the system erodes.

Effective governance of data exchanges is therefore essential to ensure people benefit from safe and inclusive digital public infrastructure.

UNDP has designed a model governance assessment tool for equitable, safe and inclusive data exchange.

UNDP held consultations with a few of its country offices and government partners, as well as engaged experts across dedicated advisory groups, to develop a model governance assessment tool to support equitable, safe, and inclusive data exchange systems.

The tool is anchored around three core pillars:

Circular data governance diagram with central hub labeled At a Glance and surrounding segments.

Pillar 1: Policy – Inclusive and rights-based data-sharing

Data must be shared in a way that promotes inclusive economic growth, protects individual human rights, furthers the collective benefit of communities, and ensures a safe and inclusive society.

The outcomes of the assessment encourage measures such as protecting against discrimination, making institutions more people-centred, and ensuring the right to redressal of grievances.

Key insights from the consultations:

Evaluating the existing data exchange infrastructure is key to inclusive data-sharing. Important questions include how gaps in data availability – for example, those caused by limited network connectivity between participating organizations – are identified. It is also important to assess whether there are adequate data storage and warehousing infrastructure to protect information and maintain business continuity in the event of a major disruption.
Centring perspectives from vulnerable groups (e.g., migrants, Indigenous communities, women and children) is critical for the governance of data exchanges and to ensure that individual rights and collective rights are secured.
‘Inclusive’ data-sharing means that institutions and individuals need to see which organizations have access to their data and can identify if any decisions or practices are unfair or discriminatory.

Pillar 2: Institutions – Fair and trusted stakeholder relationships

Relations between public, private sector and civil society, as well as between institutions and people should be founded on trust and accountability. This encourages democratic participation, fosters fair market competition and ensures that stakeholders act in the public interest for the common good.

The assessment includes considerations such as reliable and consistent regulation, independent oversight and public participation.

Key insights from the consultations:

Conduct a needs assessment to identify what incentives are required for meaningful participation – particularly at the last mile.
Evaluate public goods such as open data portals and standards for effectiveness, usage patterns, and accessibility.
Strengthen regulatory frameworks and independent oversight mechanisms to ensure trust and accountability between institutions and people.
Encourage mechanisms for transparent public participation to monitor stakeholder actions and uphold the public interest.

Pillar 3: Data, datasets and data configuration – Safe and efficient data management

To enable data to be used across multiple domains, it must be high-quality, secure and accessible. Data must be managed with care, through responsible data stewardship. Appropriate technical features should be in place to enable privacy, data protection and security by design.

The assessment includes considerations such as open technical standards, data (re-) use, and capacity-building for data.

Key insights from the consultations:

Assess interoperability in a holistic manner; technical and governance frameworks should work together to ensure seamless cross-domain data use.
Clarify data ownership, sharing, and reuse conditions, and implement clear accountability mechanisms for all data transactions.
Establish robust consent and privacy management practices to protect individual and collective rights.
Integrate ethical guidelines into data reuse practices to guide responsible stewardship.
Build institutional capacity and adopt open technical standards to ensure data is high-quality, secure, and accessible.

Next steps: Where to go from here?

Explore the Governance Assessment Framework for Data Exchange Systems here.

UNDP is deploying the framework across countries in collaboration with the Universal DPI Safeguards Initiative. As part of this process, UNDP is consolidating governance insights from country implementations to directly inform updates to the framework. The goal is to ensure that the framework remains practical, adaptive, and aligned with evolving policy and governance priorities.

For more information, please contact digital.support@undp.org.