Are You Data Ready? Come Join Us at the OICT Symposium: The Future of Data at the UN

Does the word data make you feel inspired? Frustrated? Anxious? Confused? Do you wish that your team had more access to data, or ever wondered if data used in other parts of the United Nations could help your work?

If you answered yes to any of the above, come join the dialogue at the OICT Symposium: The future of data at the UN, to be held on 08 October.

Data is growing exponentially, and the Secretary-General has stressed the importance of creating a data-driven organization capable of effectively serving the world in the 21st century. Research, however, suggests that organizations worldwide feel that successfully managing data and leveraging analytics are serious challenges.

In this context, OICT’s Policy, Strategy and Governance Division (PSGD) is hosting a multidisciplinary symposium titled “The Future of Data at the UN” where we will look at how the UN could create an effective data ecosystem across the Secretariat. To tackle this topic, experts from diverse professional backgrounds have been invited to share their perspectives. The event will include:

Opening remarks by Atefeh Riazi, Assistant Secretary-General and Chief Information Technology Officer in OICT;
Staff voices on data, including from Simeon Renoldner, Regional Team Leader in the Joint Operations Center of MINUSCA, in the Central African Republic.
Panel discussion, moderated by OICT PSGD Director Salem Avan, will include:

Francesca Perucci, Chief of Statistical Services Branch in DESA, who is an expert on the reporting and analysis of the Sustainable Development Goals;
Lydia Clougherty Jones, Analyst and Research Director of the Data and Analytics Group at Gartner and Adjunct Professor of Law at Boston University and Vanderbilt University, who covers, inter alia, issues around data value, data strategy, data privacy, and blockchain smart contracts.

Dr. Sreekar Krishna, Managing Director of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence at KPMG, who specializes in machine learning and natural language interaction of unstructured big data;
Jordan Morrow, Data and Analytics Executive at Qlik who is an international advisor on data literacy programmes for the non-technical workforce;
And more...

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear diverse minds speak about the future of data, and to share your views on this increasingly important topic. We believe that the involvement of substantive teams is crucial for the development of an effective data ecosystem. As such, non-technical colleagues are especially encouraged to join us in this Symposium.

Date: Tuesday 08 October, 10 am - 12:30 pm

Location: UN Secretariat Building, ECOSOC Chamber (note: this is the new location)

Live Streaming: The event will be live streamed via UN Web TV for staff away from UNHQ. There is no need to register for live stream viewing.

Questions? Email us at oict-bi@un.org.