The writer is chair of the UN Statistical Commission

When the UN created a Statistical Commission in 1946, the world was still recovering from the devastation of the second world war. Then, there was broad consensus that only reliable, internationally comparable data could prevent conflict, combat poverty and anchor global co-operation. Nearly 80 years later, this insight remains just as relevant, but the context has changed dramatically.

The world now faces geopolitical and environmental crises as well as a profound digital transformation. Data has become a strategic asset. Controlling it today means influence over the future. The rapid rise of AI, powered by vast volumes of data, presents the UN with a daunting challenge: those who control data today will shape AI tomorrow — and with it, the narratives that define public life. As the influence of commercial platforms and algorithmic systems grows, public institutions are falling behind. National statistical offices — the backbone of independent data production — are under severe financial pressure.