Representatives of governments, international organisations, and civil society organisations highlighted the critical importance of detailed and comprehensive data in shaping effective anti-corruption policies. They reviewed innovations and lessons learned from the experiences of countries such as Kenya, Ghana, and Nigeria in strengthening governance environments, and called for the development of more co-ordinated and inclusive data at both the national and international levels. This took place during the session on harnessing data for inclusive and effective anti-corruption efforts, held as part of the 11th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption, hosted by Doha from Dec 15-19. In this context, senior governance specialist at the World Bank Jens Kristensen affirmed that there is growing global recognition that reliable, comprehensive, and detailed data constitute the cornerstone of any effective anti-corruption system. He said that for years, aggregate indicators have dominated international discussions, such as the Worldwide Governance Indicators, which attract broad attention despite the debates and criticism surrounding them, due to their role in directing attention and stimulating dialogue. He added that the world is now witnessing a growing shift toward reliance on granular data, driven by the data revolution and rapid technological developments. According to him, this shift reflects a deeper understanding of the importance of precise data in designing more targeted and effective anti-corruption policies. For her part, Ghana’s Permanent Representative to the UN ambassador Matilda Aku said that her country has realised that ensuring integrity without data is like building a house without a solid foundation. Data, she noted, was increasingly serving as a benchmark for assessing successes and failures, and for formulating informed policy options and decisions. She emphasised that effective anti-corruption efforts ultimately depend on the quality of the data on which they are based. She explained that moving beyond perception-based measurements and investing in indicators of governance, integrity, and equality makes it possible to gain a clearer picture of how corruption actually operates within public systems and how it affects different segments of society. She added that aggregated data, disaggregated by gender, age, income, disability, geographic location, and other characteristics, help identify areas most vulnerable to corruption and reveal patterns of discriminatory corruption that might otherwise remain hidden. Winston Kongo of Kenya’s Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission said that anti-corruption efforts in Kenya are fundamentally data-driven. He noted that Kenya has clearly defined its objectives and goals in ways that help track progress, measure results, and guide strategic anti-corruption interventions in both prevention and law enforcement. For this purpose, he noted, the commission has established key partnerships with stakeholders at the national and international levels to generate and manage data for anti-corruption purposes.He added that over the past two decades, Kenya has developed effective tools and gained valuable experience in conducting national anti-corruption surveys, with a focus on households, the business sector, and public servants. (QNA) Page 2