The Open Data Charter (ODC) is navigating its sixth year. Our advocacy and outreach continues to make headway with policy makers, civil society organisations and others in an extensive global network. While continuing our focus on the benefits of open data, we also began an important step to forge a new consensus which sees openness and privacy as two sides of the same coin. During the pandemic, we worked with governments and partners to capture lessons and increase global awareness of the importance of using data. Our expertise and approaches will be equally critical in the next phase.