Data Advocacy Day starts tomorrow

Hotel Europe will host the conference dedicated to promoting the work on opening the public data in the Western Balkans region, tomorrow from 10am. This conference is the Data Advocacy Day, a part of the POINT 4.0.

The conference is organized by regional network for accountability, technology and institutional opennes (ACTION SEE). Member organizations of this network are CA Why not (Zašto ne – BiH), Center for Democratic Transition (CDT – Montenegro), Center for Research Transparency and Accountability (CRTA – Serbia) and Metamorphosis (Macedonia). On this conference, ACTION SEE will also, for the first time, present the regional government openness index, which will become the regional index for measuring institutional openness, and their comparison.

Throught good practices and examples from all over the world, Data Advocacy Day will try to send a message that openness of public data, including the development of strategies for public insitututions and application of positive policies from this area, is extremly important for future development.

Experts from the field of application of open data databases will whare their own experiences in working with public institutions on opening of their data.

The conference will be opened by Stefanie Altman-Winans  from American Embassy in BiH, Christine McNeill , from British Embassy in BiH and Željko Bogut Secretary to the Ministry of Justice in BiH. The keynote will be given by Eleanor Stewart, Head of Transparency at Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the British Government.

Data Advocacy Day will feature two panel discussions. First panel, titled „Open Government and Open Data: From Individual Champions to Standards“ will host members of CSO who deal with the process of opening the data in the region: Marko Rakar (Windmill – Croatia), Milica Kovačević (CDT – Montenegro), Georges Labrèche (Open Data – Kosovo), Lejla Ibranović (Transparency International – BiH) and Anna Kuliberda (Ca Why not – BiH).

Second panel titled „Open Data process in the Balkans region“ will host representatives of the institutions from countries of the region which are responsible for implementing the Open Data Standards: Marija Kujačić (Directorate for eGovernment of Republc of Serbia), Srđan Kusovac (Chief of the OGP operational group and Chief of Public Relations Bureau for Government of Montenegro), Goran Kučera (Ministry of Justice of BiH), Sandra Pernar (Office for cooperation with NGOs for Government of Croatia), Ruzhdi Jashari (Agency for Protection of Personal Data of Republic of Kosovo). The panel will be moderated by Raša Nedeljkov (CRTA – Serbia).