information and communication technologies

A nurse shows a Palestinian refugee in Jordan a health app on her smart phone.
© UNRWA/George Awwad

Ensure digital technologies are 'a force for good', Guterres says in message for International Day

17 May 2021
SDGs

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digital transformation across the planet, millions worldwide still lack Internet access, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday, highlighting why information and communication technologies (ICTs) must be “a force for good.”

Digital connectivity is indispensable to overcome the pandemic, and for a sustainable and inclusive recovery.
United Nations/Chetan Soni

Bridging Asia-Pacific ‘digital divide’ vital to realize tech benefits

18 August 2020
SDGs

Countries across Asia and the Pacific are using new technologies to contain the global pandemic and mitigate its impact, the UN’s regional socio-economic development arm has said, as governments and experts work together to identify ways to innovate further, and build back better, after COVID-19.

Namibian high school girls, who participated in the 'African Girls Can Code' programme, pay a visit to UN House in Windhoek to start their journey of putting their coding skills into action.
UN Namibia

Coding in Namibia: UN supports young women’s computing career dreams

30 January 2020
Women

Six young women from Namibia are on the path to a career in the field of information and communications technology (ICT), with the support of the UN office in the country. 

Young students from a robotics team showcase robots at a technology event at the UN. (12 June 2019)
UN News/Paulina Greer

Young New Yorkers bring robots, and a glimpse of the future, to UN Headquarters

12 June 2019
SDGs

Tiny balls moved along a series of automated Lego robots, as young students from New York explained to United Nations staff the inner-workings of simple motors and engineering. 

Nine-year-old Masha (left), a refugee from Ukraine, designs computer games at a programming class in Minsk, Belarus, part of the eKIDS programme, an innovative tech project sponsored by UNHCR and EPAM Systems.
UNHCR/Egor Dubrovsky

In tech-driven 21st century, achieving global development goals requires closing digital gender divide

15 March 2019
Women

Bridging the ‘gender digital divide’ is about more than ensuring that women and girls have basic access to the Internet and cell phones; it means providing training so they have the skills to use information and communications technologies (ICTs) to their benefit, and taking active measures to boost the numbers of women in ICT leadership positions, including in academia and entrepreneurship.

Humanitarian aid workers help fight cholera in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
OCHA/J-L. Mbalivoto

UN centre improving lives by linking people and humanitarian data

22 December 2017
Interviews

Access to data is crucial for humanitarians responding to various crises worldwide.

For example, aid workers feeding hungry people in Nigeria use a mobile-based platform to monitor the price of rice and other staples to know when costs increase.

Audio -
4'30"
Photo: ITU
ITU

Next gen, 'lightning' fast global communication network on track for 2020 entry – UN agency

23 February 2017
Economic Development

A working group of the United Nations agency which coordinates telecommunication services throughout the world completed today a cycle of studies on key performance requirements of the next generation mobile networks (5G) for the International Mobile Telecommunications-2020 systems.