Opening data for inclusive practices in migration, public contracting, and combatting gender-based violence

In Latin America, the increased release of open government data aims to strengthen the transparency and accountability of governments, build new business opportunities, and improve services for citizens. This project will explore innovative approaches for using and understanding public data to promote more inclusive government services and policies, address rights and disinformation challenges, and enhance gender equality. It will focus on three major areas: gender-based violence, assistance to migrants, and emergency procurement. To address the challenge of gender-based violence in Latin America, notably femicides, the project will examine how newly released official government data can be used to end violence against women through innovative approaches. With respect to migrants, growing civic unrest and massive economic disparities have led to a major increase in irregular migration in some countries. The project will begin to explore the challenges of taking a data-focused approach to supporting the needs of migrants and displaced peoples. This research will emphasize human rights, combatting misinformation and xenophobia, and facilitating better services for communities in need. Finally, the pandemic has caused an enormous increase in emergency procurement, which, when poorly managed, can negatively impact the delivery of crucial services and goods. The Open Contracting Partnership will support action research to make emergency procurement more inclusive, effective, and efficient in the context of COVID-19. Further, since only an estimated 1% of public contracts go to women-owned businesses, the research will explore key barriers and gaps for this group in bidding for public contracts. This project is part of the Open Data for Development (OD4D) program, a global network using data to promote social good. The OD4D network is funded by IDRC, Global Affairs Canada, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.