Data sharing underpins effective governance and public finance, yet many countries struggle to realize its full potential. Information is often fragmented across institutions, constrained by legal uncertainty, institutional silos, and limited trust between agencies. As a result, governments face greater challenges in mobilizing domestic resources, tackling illicit financial flows, delivering public services, and making informed policy decisions.    

Data sharing is not simply a technical or legal issue – it is a governance challenge. Effective data sharing requires institutions to coordinate, clarify mandates, balance transparency with privacy, and establish trusted rules for how information is accessed and used. When these governance foundations are in place, data becomes a strategic public asset that strengthens accountability, improves public finance, supports evidence-based policymaking, and creates better conditions for sustainable development.  

At the Global Policy Centre for Governance, we examine how governance arrangements enable effective and trusted data sharing. We work with governments and partners to develop policy options that strengthen institutional coordination, improve domestic resource mobilization, and connect country experience to global discussions on governance, financing for development, and data systems.