Strengthening Health Data Governance Legislative Frameworks: The Foundation of Trusted Digital Health and AI
The health sector is undergoing rapid transformation driven by artificial intelligence and other digital technologies, which are now integral to health system delivery. Data underpins these systems and must be governed responsibly and equitably through strong legislative frameworks that improve health outcomes while protecting rights and upholding data sovereignty. Effective governance is essential to ensure transparency, accountability, and public trust in digital and AI-enabled health systems. Government action is crucial to strengthen national legal and regulatory frameworks governing health data. At the same time, regional and global cooperation is essential to promote coherence through shared standards and frameworks. Collaboration would also support cross-country learning and coherence, fostering responsible data sharing within and across borders.
Organized by Transform Health, this session at WSIS Forum 2026 will look at health data governance in the digital age, including how AI is changing the game. It will explore the need for urgent action to strengthen national, health-specific legal and regulatory frameworks, as well as the need for regional and global frameworks to support more secure, ethical, and equitable data and AI use and foster responsible cross-border data sharing. It will showcase recent tools and initiatives to advance this agenda (including the health data governance principles and legislative blueprint/model law – https://healthdatagovernance.org), progress on regional frameworks (such as the Africa Continental Framework on Health Data Governance), as well as global discussions through the World Health Assembly.