Building innovation and economic resilience through open data

Data powers every aspect of modern security and prosperity, but only if people can actually use it. In Europe alone, the economic impact of open data was projected to jump from EUR 184 billion in 2019 to around EUR 334 billion by 2025, a rate of growth no government, business, or civil society actor can afford to ignore.

Yet raw numbers are only part of the picture. 

Transparency doesn't build trust by existing on a government server. It builds trust when a journalist uses procurement data to expose corruption. When an entrepreneur uses data to launch or scale up a business. When a civil society organization uses environmental data to hold polluters accountable. 

The difference between data as policy rhetoric and data as real change comes down to one thing: empowerment. Across the OSCE region, from Vancouver to Vladivostok, the question is not simply whether governments publish data: it's whether anyone can turn these data into action.

This is where the OSCE’s comprehensive approach to security, which mobilizes the whole of society, comes in. 

Turning data into impact

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Trust and transparency begin with empowerment. That is why we strengthen data literacy and digital skills across governments, civil society, media, and the private sector. Through hands-on workshops, practical tools, and tailored technical assistance, we help stakeholders move from spreadsheets to stories, from raw numbers to real accountability. This is how trust is built; this is how open data becomes a practical instrument for accountability and development rather than an abstract policy objective.

The results we see are tangible. Governments can improve not only the transparency, but the integrity and the quality of the services they deliver. They can also be held accountable as civil society strengthen evidence-based monitoring and journalists investigate public spending, using the skills they acquired through our courses focused on data visualization, analytics and storytelling.

Businesses and entrepreneurs can innovate, scale, and compete. For example, in Ukraine, one OSCE-supported team helps investors and policymakers make evidence-based decisions by turning open data into clear and efficient regional investment indicators.

Fighting corruption and unlocking innovation through digital strategies

Corruption erodes trust, weakens economies, and undermines our security. Open data and digital tools, when embedded in broader reform strategies, can help reverse this trend.

The OSCE works with participating States to design and implement anti-corruption and digitalization strategies that promote transparency, fair competition, and open access to information. We place a strong emphasis on empowering entrepreneurs and innovators, including through support to local incubators and innovation ecosystems. 

By linking anti-corruption and digital reforms with entrepreneurship, we help ensure that open data fuels economic opportunity, strengthening economic resilience. 

Supporting regional open data ecosystems that deliver 

No country can tackle digital transformation alone. That is why regional dialogue is at the heart of our approach. The OSCE brings together governments, civil society, media, academia, and the private sector to exchange experiences, align standards, and build trusted networks.

These regional platforms help strengthen open data ecosystems, promote interoperability and data security, and accelerate learning across borders. Most importantly, they create momentum, networks expand, and the collective impact of open data multiplies, turning isolated initiatives into shared progress.

Join us in building what’s next

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Open data and digitalization are not merely technical or economic tools; they are cornerstones of comprehensive security. Realizing its potential requires collective engagement, with regional co-operation remaining a priority. Governments, civil society, media, academia, and the private sector each have a vital role to play. The more actors who are equipped to use data responsibly and creatively, the stronger and more resilient our societies become.

We invite stakeholders across sectors to join us in strengthening open data ecosystems, advancing integrity and innovation, and building more transparent, secure, and prosperous societies across the OSCE region. Contact us via pm-oceea@osce.org  to explore how we can support your work. 

Now is the time to turn transparency into impact, and data into real change for people across the OSCE region.