Sustainable development

University of Geneva

With almost 18,000 students of 150+ nationalities, the University of Geneva is one of the largest universities in Switzerland. It offers 194 study programmes (103 Bachelor and Master programmes; 91 doctoral programmes) and 372 continuing education programmes covering an extremely wide variety of fields: exact sciences, medicine, humanities, social sciences, law, etc.

Digital activities

The University of Geneva (UNIGE) places great emphasis on digital research and education, recognising the impact of digital technologies and AI across all disciplines and in preparing students for their professional life. The Computer Science Department and the Centre Universitaire d’Informatique (CUI) conduct cutting-edge research in key areas such as digital imaging, multimedia, high-performance computing, distributed systems, AI, bioinformatics, software engineering, and theoretical computing. They also conduct Interdisciplinary research, with collaborations in fields like biology, psychology, linguistics, physics, medicine, economics, and finance. These research activities are reflected in teaching at all levels, as researchers bring their expertise, methodologies, and results into basic and advanced academic programmes as well as continuing education.

UNIGE is one of the few universities to have a Vice-Rector dedicated to digital transformation and artificial intelligence, reflecting the strategic importance of these fields. In addition, the University is strongly engaged in maintaining and developing digital infrastructures, tools, and services. At the same time, it actively supports its community in adopting and effectively using digital tools, and offers specialised training programmes and workshops to equip students, academic staff and administrative personnel with essential and advanced digital skills. Finally, UNIGE is committed to promoting responsible digital practices and ensuring the security of its digital infrastructures. 

In the field of artificial intelligence, the University leverages AI to enhance teaching methods and support research. At the same time, UNIGE acknowledges the ethical challenges posed by AI. It addresses these concerns through a thoughtful, critical approach to the development and use of AI, ensuring that these technologies are implemented responsibly and ethically.

Digital policy issues

Artificial intelligence

The University has published an official statement on the use of AI, based on principles of legality, academic integrity, transparency, economy, and ecology. According to a recent survey by the Observatory of Student Life, 56% of UNIGE student respondents have already used generative AI text tools in their studies, primarily to better understand subjects (81%), rephrase content (45%), and for translation (31%).

To support AI adoption, UNIGE has developed several resources, including a dedicated web portal for AI, a practical guide on AI use, ‘Pedagogical Lunches’ focused on AI and continuing education courses on AI. The University library has also issued a practical guide for referencing AI in academic work.  

UNIGE is participating in the ‘Young AI Leaders’ programme launched by the ITU’s ’AI for Good’ initiative. A Geneva Hub for this programme has been created, led by a doctoral student in sociology at UNIGE. The programme encourages young people (18-30 years old) to develop AI skills while contributing to the SDGs.

The University of Geneva is part of the Swiss AI Research Overview Platform (SAIROP), a joint initiative launched by ten Swiss partner organisations and coordinated by the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences. The platform provides a detailed overview of the AI research landscape in Switzerland and aims to encourage the exchange of knowledge between disciplines and fields, while helping to initiate future innovation projects.

As a research-intensive university, UNIGE integrates AI across various disciplines. AI enhances research by enabling advanced analysis and modelling, accelerating discoveries, and opening new perspectives in most academic domains, such as drug development, physics research, environmental science, medicine, neuroscience and linguistics, to name just a few.

Capacity development

As part of its core educational mission, UNIGE offers several Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD programs focused on or related to digital technologies. In particular, the Computer Science Department of the Science Faculty provides several Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD programmes. Other faculties or institutes have also recently developed academic programmes integrating digital science. For instance, the Faculty of Humanities offers a Bachelor’s and a Master’s programme in Computer Science for the Humanities, while the Global Studies Institute (GSI) has launched a Bachelor’s degree in Computational Sciences and International Relations, a unique interdisciplinary programme in Switzerland.

Beyond its academic programmes focused on or related to digital technologies, UNIGE seeks to enhance digital literacy across its entire community by implementing a series of measures to meet the needs of its students, researchers, administrative staff, and other community members. For example, the University offers an optional transversal course called ‘Comprendre le numérique’ (‘Understanding digital technologies’) which covers the technical, social, ethical, cultural, economic, and legal aspects of digital technologies. Additionally, the University provides a self-assessment tool for its community, allowing students and teachers to test their digital skills, view their digital profile and receive personalised training suggestions. Another example of capacity development is the UNIGE ‘Take Over’ initiative, a week of digital training sessions provided by and for students. Student trainers are compensated and receive certificates, while participants receive attestations for the new skills they have acquired. 

The University also offers continuing education courses on digital technologies, including topics such as data science, machine learning, AI and ethics, legal issues of generative AI, digital innovation in humanitarian action, digital health, data privacy, etc. It also offers a range of MOOCs (massive open online courses) open to everyone, covering subjects such as human rights, global health, water resources management, human rights, political citizenship, internationalisation of education, language and diversity, international organisations for interpreters, water cooperation and diplomacy, migration, etc.

Together with ETH Zurich, UNIGE recently created a Lab for Science in Diplomacy (SiDLab). As part of this initiative, it created two professorships in Computational Diplomacy, developed jointly by the Global Studies Institute (GSI) and the Department of Computer Science of the Faculty of Science. 

When students are positioned as partners in university communities, they become active participants with valuable expertise to contribute to shaping the process of digital transformation. The Partnership Projects Program (P3) and Hackademia hackathons are two initiatives that allow students, alongside academic and professional staff, to bring forward their ideas to improve the digital tools and services at the University. Students and staff collaborate on projects they designed, working together towards the shared goal of learning from their partners and developing solutions that meet the University’s needs. 

The students of the University also serve as partners for local businesses and organisations. Through the ‘Adopt a Skill’ programme, an initiative of the Centre Universitaire d’informatique (CUI), students are connected with regional companies to collaborate based on shared interests, in exchange for a monthly payment.

Sustainable development

The University participates in several initiatives that promote the responsible use of digital technologies. For instance, UNIGE takes part in the ‘D-Tox numérique’ (Digital Detox) Day, which is part of the international ‘Digital Cleanup Day’ initiative aimed at reducing digital data and extending the lifespan of computing devices. This event is organised with 17 public and private partners, including the Canton and City of Geneva. UNIGE also hosts once a year the ‘Journée du numérique responsable’ (Responsible Digital Day) with the Canton of Geneva, HES-SO Genève, and the Graduate Institute. This event aims to raise awareness and engagement among the UNIGE community on issues of digital sustainability, sovereignty, accessibility and inclusion.

Digital tools

UNIGE maintains an IT Service Catalogue where students and staff members can access all digital tools the university provides, such as the UNIGE Mobile App, Moodle, UNIGE’s data storage system, Mediaserver, and many others.

Digital tools for teaching and learning

Digital tools are an integral part of learning and teaching. These include tools for designing courses, supervising students, teaching remotely, assessing students, conducting exams, fostering interactivity, as well as storing and sharing educational content.

Research tools and infrastructures

Thanks to funding from the Canton of Geneva, the university was able to establish new infrastructures and services to address the growing needs of research. This includes the creation of a Data Repository for the preservation and archiving of research data (Yareta) and the provision of facilities for high-performance computing, designed to support increasingly complex computational needs.

Conferencing technologies

UNIGE events are places where experts can meet and exchange ideas, where knowledge and information can be passed on to the university community and society at large. They are living pillars of UNIGE’s research, teaching and public service missions. Many UNIGE events are now being organised in a virtual or hybrid format. A dedicated website helps UNIGE community members willing to organise virtual or hybrid events.

Social media channels

Facebook @unigeneve

Instagram @unigeneve, @unigenumerique

LinkedIn @universite-de-geneve

Twitter @UNIGE_en, @unigenumerique

YouTube @Université de Genève

World Intellectual Property Organization

WIPO is a UN agency functioning as the global forum for intellectual property (IP) related services (patents, copyright, trademarks, and designs), policy, information, and cooperation. The organisation was established in 1967. It currently has 193 member states and over 200 observers representing non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and intergovernmental organisations. WIPO leads the development of a balanced and effective global IP ecosystem to promote innovation and creativity for a better and more sustainable future.

Digital activities

WIPO runs several online registration systems for patents and trademarks. There are also numerous databases available for use by stakeholders on the same subjects.

Digital policy issues

Frontier technologies including artificial intelligence

WIPO pays particular attention to the interplay between frontier technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) and IP.

The WIPO Conversation on IP and Frontier Technologies provides an open, inclusive forum to engage with and facilitate discussion and knowledge-building among the widest possible set of stakeholders. It leads the global discourse on the impact of frontier technologies on IP, in this fast-moving, complex space. Each year, WIPO usually holds two sessions of the Conversation covering both the uses and applications of frontier technologies to assist IP Offices and IP owners as well as more conceptual policy-based discussions to ensure that the IP systems continue to foster innovation. The five sessions of the WIPO Conversation to date have focused on AI, data, and frontier technologies in IP administration.

WIPO has prepared a paper exploring the (potential) impact of AI on IP policies in areas such as copyright and related rights, patents, trademarks, designs, and overall IP administration. It also maintains an AI and IP strategy clearing house, which collates government instruments (strategies, regulations, etc.) that are relevant to AI, data, and IP.

WIPO is also developing and deploying AI solutions in the context of various activities; relevant examples are WIPO Translate and the WIPO Brand Image Search, which use AI for automated translation and image recognition. The WIPO Index of AI Initiatives in IP Offices seeks to foster information sharing and collaboration between national IP Offices working on similar projects.

Alternative dispute resolution and critical internet resources

WIPO’sactivitiesregarding the Domain Name System(DNS) revolve around the protection of trademarks and related rights in the context of domain names. It developed the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Under this policy, WIPO’s Arbitration and Mediation Center provides dispute resolution services for second-level domain name registrations under generic top-level domains (gTLDs) to which the UDPR applies. The Center also administers disputes under specific policies adopted by some gTLD registries (e.g. .aero, .asia, .travel). In addition, it offers domain name dispute resolution services for over 70 country code top-level domains (ccTLDs). WIPO has developed a ccTLD Program to provide advice to many ccTLD registries on the establishment of dispute resolution procedures. It also contributes to the work carried out within the framework of ICANN in regard to the strengthening of existing trademark rights protection mechanisms or the development of new such mechanisms.

Intellectual property rights

Trademarks

WIPO has long been involved in issues related to the protection of trademarks in the context of the DNS. The first phase of the WIPO Internet Domain Name Process, carried out in 1991, explored trademark abuse in second-level domain names, and led to the adoption, by ICANN, of the UDRP. WIPO has also contributed to the development of several trademark rights protection mechanisms applicable to gTLDs (such as legal rights objections, the Trademark Clearinghouse, and the uniform rapid suspension system). The WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center administers trademark-related dispute resolution cases for several gTLDs and ccTLDs.

Copyright

WIPO is actively contributing to international discussions on the opportunities offered by copyright in the digital environment, especially to developing economies, small and medium enterprises  (SMEs) and women entrepreneurs. The organisation administers the Internet Treaties and the Beijing Treaty, which clarify that existing copyright and related rights apply on the internet, and introduce new online rights, while also establishing international norms aimed at preventing unauthorised access to and use of creative works on the internet or other digital networks. The WIPO Accessible Books Consortium furthers the practical implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty to increase the number of books available worldwide in accessible digital formats. WIPO member states are considering topics related to copyright in the digital environment at the multilateral level. WIPO also carries out research and organises seminars and other meetings on aspects concerning challenges and possible solutions for taking advantage of the opportunities offered by copyright and related rights in the digital era.

Liability of intermediaries

Given WIPO’s concerns  regarding  the  protection of copyright and related rights on the internet, the organisation is exploring issues related to the roles and responsibilities of internet intermediaries when it comes to online copyright infringements. The organisation carries out or commissions research and publishes studies on the relationship between copyright and internet intermediaries (such as comparative analyses of national approaches to the liability of Internet intermediaries), and organises events (seminars, workshops, sessions at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum and Internet Governance Forum (IGF) meetings, etc.) aimed at facilitating multistakeholder discussions on the potential liability of internet intermediaries concerning copyright infringements.

  • Comparative analysis of national approaches of the liability of the internet intermediaries (I and II).

Sustainable development

WIPO is of the view that IP is a critical incentive for innovation and creativity, and, as such, a key to the success of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The organisation works to enable member states to use the IP system to drive the innovation, competitiveness, and creativity needed to achieve the SDGs. It does so, for instance, through supporting countries in their efforts to build an innovative IP ecosystem, providing legislative advice on updating national IP laws, and supporting judiciary systems in keeping up with technological innovation. WIPO’s contribution to the implementation of the Agenda 2030 is guided by its Development Agenda.

Climate change

WIPO’s Global Challenges programme brings together various stakeholders to explore issues related to green technologies and the environment. It hosts WIPO GREEN, a multistakeholder platform aimed to promote innovation and diffusion of green technologies, and it provides analysis of relevant IP issues to facilitate international policy dialogue. The WIPO GREEN platform includes a digital database of green technologies in sectors such as energy, water and transportation. In 2022, WIPO launched the Green Technology Book, a major digital publication to showcase concrete solutions related to climate change adaptation. The report will be fully integrated with the WIPO GREEN database, allowing for continuous additions by technology providers.

  • WIPO GREEN – online marketplace for sustainable/ green technologies

Digital tools

Here are some examples of the digital tools WIPO uses in relation to its services:

  • WIPO Online Case Administration Tools, including WIPO eADR (allowing parties in a dispute, mediators, arbitrators, and experts in a WIPO case to securely submit communications electronically into an online docket) and online facilities for meetings and hearings as part of WIPO cases.
  • WIPO GREEN – online marketplace for sustainable technologies.
  • WIPO Match – platform that matches seekers of specific IP-related development needs with potential providers offering resources.
  • WIPO Alert – platform to upload information on entities that infringed copyright at national level.
  • Madrid e-services – online tools and resources.
  • Electronic Forum – enables the electronic distribution and submission by email of comments concerning preliminary draft working documents and draft reports.
  • WIPO Academy – also includes an eLearning Centre.
  • WIPO Connect – enables collective management of copyright and related rights at local and central levels.
  • ABC Global Book Service – on-line catalogue that allows participating libraries for the blind and organisations serving people who are print disabled to obtain accessible content.
  • WIPO Knowledge Centre – hosts virtual exhibitions. Recent subjects have included geographical indications, and AI.

Social media channels

Facebook @WIPO

Flickr @WIPO

Instagram @wipo

LinkedIn @WIPO

Podcast @https://www.wipo.int/podcasts/en/

X @WIPO

YouTube @WIPO

World Health Organization

WHO is a specialised agency of the UN whose role is to direct and coordinate international health. 

Founded in 1948, WHO works with countries and partners to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable – so that everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health.

WHO assists countries in coordinating multi-sectoral efforts of governments and partners to attain their health objectives and support their national health policies and strategies.

Digital activities

WHO is harnessing the power of digital technologies and health innovation to accelerate global attainment of health and well-being. It uses digital technology intensively in its development of activities, ranging from building public health infrastructure in developing countries and immunisation to dealing with disease outbreaks.

WHO has strengthened its approach to data by ensuring this strategic asset has two divisions: (1) the Division of Data, Analytics, and Delivery for Impact. This has helped strengthen data governance by promoting sound data principles and accountability mechanisms, as well as ensuring that the necessary policies and tools are in place that can be used by all three levels of the organisation and can be adopted by member states. Digital health and innovation are high on WHO’s agenda; it is recognised for its role in strengthening health systems through the application of digital health technologies for consumers/ people and healthcare providers as part of achieving its vision of health for all. (2) WHO also established the new Department of Digital Health and Innovation in 2019 within its Science Division. Particular attention is paid to promoting global collaboration and advancing the transfer of knowledge on digital health; advancing the implementation of national digital health strategies; strengthening the governance for digital health at the global, regional, and national levels; and advocating for people-centred health systems enabled by digital health. 

The Division of Data Analytics and Delivery for Impact and the Department of Digital Health and Innovation work closely together to strengthen links between data and digital issues, as well as data governance efforts. Digital health technologies, standards, and protocols enable health systems to integrate the exchange of health data within the health system. Coupled with data governance, ethics, and public health data standards, digital health and innovation enable the generation of new evidence and knowledge through research and innovation and inform health policy through public health analysis.

Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated WHO’s digital response, collaboration, and innovation in emergencies. Some examples include collaborating to use AI and data science in analysing and delivering information in response to the COVID-19 ‘infodemic’ (i.e. overflow of information, including misinformation, in an acute health event, which prevents people from accessing reliable information about how to protect themselves); promoting cybersecurity in the health system, including hospitals and health facilities; learning from using AI, data science, digital health, and innovation in social science research, disease modelling, and simulations, as well as supporting the epidemiological response to the pandemic; and producing vaccines and preparing for the equitable allocation and distribution of vaccines.
To further its digital transformation, WHO established the WHO Academy, offering professional training modules (including AI ethics and cybersecurity), and the WHO Foundation, an independent grant-making organisation that supports innovative health initiatives worldwide.

Digital policy issues

WHO is a leader among Geneva-based international organisations in the use of social media, through its awareness-raising of health-related issues. It has more than 74 million followers on its social media platforms and has received recognition by the Geneva Engage Awards.

The WHO/International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Focus Group on Artificial Intelligence for Health (WHO/ITU FG-AI4H) works to establish a standardised assessment framework for the evaluation of AI-based methods for health, diagnosis, triage, or treatment decisions.

Data and artificial intelligence

The response to COVID-19 reinforced the centrality of data and AI for the health sector and WHO’s activities. Data and AI policies are covered by the following instruments:

WHO has established the Global Digital Health Certification Network (GDHCN), which allows countries to verify the authenticity of health information using the International Patient Summary (IPS) ISO standard. The GDHCN uses public key infrastructure (PKI) encryption to keep health credentials verifiable and secure across borders. This initiative enables people to carry internationally recognised health credentials for improved travel and healthcare access.

In 2024, WHO partnered with Saudi Arabia to implement a digital health card for Hajj pilgrims, built on the WHO Global Digital Health Certification Network’s infrastructure. Over 250,000 pilgrims from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Oman received Hajj health cards as part of a pilot program. The network now includes over 80 member states that can verify the authenticity of health information between countries.

WHO hosts the Global Initiative on Digital Health, a new global platform for international dialogue on digital health, and the Global Initiative on AI for Health, a tripartite platform with ITU and WIPO. These initiatives convene member states, industry, academia, and civil society to shape policies, share best practices, and foster responsible AI and digital tech adoption in healthcare.

Digital standards

Online gaming

Since 2018, gaming disorder has been included in WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD). While the negative impacts of online gaming on health are being increasingly addressed by national health policies, it has been recognised by some authorities, such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), that some game-based devices could have a therapeutic effect. Given the fast growth of online gaming and its benefits and disadvantages, the implications on health are expected to become more relevant.

The health top-level domain name

Health-related generic top-level domain (gTLD) names, in all languages, including ‘.health’, ‘.doctor’, and ‘.surgery’, should be operated in a way that protects public health and includes the prevention of further development of illicit markets of medicines, medical devices, and unauthorized health products and services. Resolution WHA66.24: eHealth Standardization and Interoperability (2013).

Net neutrality

The issue of net neutrality (the equal treatment of internet traffic) could affect bandwidth and the stability of digital connections, especially for high-risk activities such as online surgical interventions. Thus, health organisations may be granted exceptional provisions, as the EU has already done, where health and specialised services enjoy exceptions regarding the principle of net neutrality. Resolution WHA66.24: eHealth Standardization and Interoperability (2013).

WHO has dedicated cybersecurity focal points, who work with legal and licensing colleagues to provide frameworks for the organisation to not only protect WHO data from various cyber risks, but also provide technical advice to WHO and member states on the secure collection, storage, and dissemination of data. Health facilities and health data have always been the target of cybercriminals; however, the COVID-19 crisis has brought into sharp focus the cybersecurity aspects of digital health.

Ransomware attacks threaten the proper functioning of hospitals and other healthcare providers. The global Wannacry ransomware attack in May 2017 was the first major attack on hospitals and disrupted a significant part of the UK’s National Health System (NHS). Ransomware attacks on hospitals and health research facilities accelerated during the COVID-19 crisis.

A 2021 global survey found that over one-third of healthcare respondents reported at least one ransomware attack in the preceding year, with one-third of those paying a ransom. Even after payment, 31% did not regain access to their encrypted data. Security researchers identified vulnerabilities in at least 17 biomedical companies involved in COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing and therapeutics development, with additional attacks targeting clinical trial software vendors, laboratories, and pharmaceutical companies.

In December 2023, WHO convened experts in Geneva to develop strategies for addressing cybersecurity threats in resource-constrained settings. In January 2024, WHO published two reports in collaboration with INTERPOL, UNODC, and other partners on strengthening cybersecurity and countering disinformation. WHO is developing guidance on implementing and investing in cybersecurity and privacy protection for digital health interventions.

Considering that data is often the main target of cyberattacks, it should come as no surprise that most cybersecurity concerns regarding healthcare are centred on the protection of data. Encryption is thus crucial for the safety of health data: It both protects data from prying eyes and helps assuage the fears patients and consumers may have about sharing or storing sensitive information through the internet.

Data governance

The 2021 Health Data Governance Summit brought together experts to review best practices in data governance, sharing, and use. The result was a call to action to tackle the legal and ethical challenges of sharing data, ensure data is shared during both emergency and non-emergency situations, and encourage data and research stewardship that promotes tangible impact. Key WHO resources include WHO’s Data Sharing Policies, the UN Joint Statement on Data Protection and Privacy in the COVID-19 Response, and GATHER (Guidelines for Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting).

WHO’s SCORE technical package (Survey, Count, Optimize, Review, and Enable) identifies data gaps and provides countries with tools to precisely address them. SCORE has been developed in partnership with the Bloomberg Data for Health Initiative. As part of SCORE, WHO completed the first-ever global assessment of health information systems capacity in 133 countries, covering 87% of the world’s population.

The project Strengthening National Nutrition Information Systems operated in five countries in Africa and Asia – Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Laos, Uganda, and Zambia – for a period of four years (2020–2024). Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) and national nutrition surveys are the major sources of nutrition data for many countries, but they are complex and expensive undertakings that cannot be implemented with the required frequency. It is, therefore, critical to strengthen or establish integrated nutrition information systems (NIS) of countries to enhance the availability and use of routine nutrition data to better support policy development, programme design and monitoring.

Data-driven delivery approach

A data-driven delivery approach sharpens WHO’s focus to address gaps, close inequalities, and accelerate progress towards national and regional priorities from WHO regions. The WHO Regional Office for the Americas is working to create open data platforms for evidence-based decisions and policymaking. The Core Indicators Portal provides a dataset of around 200 health indicators for 49 countries across the region from 1995 to 2021. The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean is conducting harmonised health facility assessments and tracking 75 indicators through the Regional Health Observatory (RHO). The WHO Regional Office for Africa has prioritised investments in civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) and digital health. Its integrated African Health Observatory (iAHO) offers high-quality national and regional health data on a single platform and District Health Information Software (DHIS2) is now implemented in all but four African countries. The WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia is focused on promoting health equity through workshops that introduce member states to WHO’s Health Equity Assessment Toolkit (HEAT). High-quality data on health indicators is available on the Health Information Platform (HIP). The WHO Regional Office for Europe is prioritising support for countries’ national health information systems (HIS) through more robust data governance frameworks. Member states also have access to the European Health Information Gateway, a one-stop shop for health information and data visualisation. The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific has released a progress report on each member state’s journey to achieving universal health coverage (UHC). Additionally, the Western Pacific Health Data Platform provides a single destination where countries can easily monitor and compare their progress towards national and global health objectives.

Sustainable development

E-waste

WHO recognises e-waste as a growing global health threat, especially for children and pregnant women exposed to toxic substances in informal recycling. In 2021, WHO released its first global report on e-waste and child health, identifying serious risks from lead, mercury, and other pollutants. WHO’s ongoing E-waste and Child Health Initiative – active in Latin America and Africa – develops frameworks for safer recycling, regulatory compliance, and advocacy to protect vulnerable populations.

Strengthening health information systems for refugee- and migrant-sensitive healthcare

Health information and research findings can provide a platform for understanding and responding to the health needs of refugees and migrants and for aligning the efforts of other sectors and sources of international assistance. However, the systematic national data and evidence comparable across countries and over time available for policy- and decision-making on health of refugees and migrants from around the world are inadequate. The WHO Health and Migration Programme (PHM) supports the strengthening of member-state information systems, providing specialised technical assistance, response, and capacity building.

Human rights principles

Improving access to assistive technology

Assistive technology enables and promotes inclusion and participation, especially of persons with disability, ageing populations, and people with non-communicable diseases. The primary purpose of assistive products is to maintain or improve an individual’s functioning and independence, thereby promoting their well-being. Despite a growing number of people in need of assistive products in every country, only 5%–15%, or one in 10 people has access to assistive products. WHO coordinates the Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology (GATE) as a step towards realising the SDGs and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), and implementing resolution WHA71.8 on assistive technology. The GATE initiative has the goal to support countries in addressing challenges and improving access to assistive products within their context. To achieve this, the GATE initiative is focusing on five interlinked areas (5Ps): people, policy, products, provision, and personnel.

Content policy

Infodemics

An infodemic is an overflow of information, including misinformation, that prevents people from accessing reliable information and hampers the ability of people to know how to protect themselves in the context of health. Infodemics cannot be eliminated, but can be managed by producing engaging, reliable content and using digital, traditional media, and offline tools to disseminate it; engaging key stakeholder groups in cooperative content creation and dissemination; empowering communities to protect themselves; and promoting community and individual resilience against misinformation. Digital health technologies and data science can support these activities by analysing the information landscape and social dynamics in digital and analogue environments; delivering messages; supporting fact-checking and countering misinformation; promoting digital health, media, and health literacy; and optimising the effectiveness of messages and their delivery through real time monitoring and evaluation (M&E), among others.

At the Munich Security Conference 2020, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated: ‘We’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic.’ This translated into many WHO initiatives to counter the infodemic, such as working with the public and the scientific community to develop a framework for managing infodemics; bringing the scientific community together for the 1st WHO Infodemiology Conference; developing of a draft research agenda on managing infodemics, cooperating with UN agencies and the AI community; promoting reliable WHO information through a coordinated approach with Google, Facebook, Twitter, and other major tech platforms and services; and campaigning to counter misinformation.

WHO-trained infodemic managers, over 1,300 of them from 142 countries, are already making great strides in member states and together around the globe as a global community of practice. In Serbia, the Laboratory for Infodemiology and Infodemic Management has been established at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade. With the support of the WHO Country Office in Serbia, two infodemic managers working at the Institute of Social Medicine have gathered a multidisciplinary team that will be conducting research and supporting infodemic management in the country and the region.

Digital tools and initiatives

Interdisciplinary

Public health challenges are complex and cannot be effectively addressed by one sector alone. A holistic, multisectoral, multidisciplinary approach is needed for addressing gaps and advancing coordination for health emergency preparedness and health security and is essential for the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005.

  • WHO Classifications and Terminologies: operates a one-stop shop for WHO classifications and terminologies and delivers and scales use of terminologies and classifications. WHO maintains a portfolio of digital tools and methods for emergency preparedness and response, for example:
  • Go.Data is an outbreak investigation tool for field data collection during public health emergencies. The tool includes functionality for case investigation, contact follow-up, and visualisation of chains of transmission including secure data exchange and is designed for flexibility in the field, to adapt to the wide range of outbreak scenarios. The tool is targeted at any outbreak responder.
  • Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) is a unique collaboration between various public health stakeholders around the globe. It brings together new and existing initiatives, networks, and systems to create a unified all-hazards, One Health approach to early detection, verification, assessment, and communication of public health threats using publicly available information. Creating a community of practice for public health intelligence (PHI) that includes member states, international organisations,  research institutes, and other partners and collaborators is at the heart of the initiative; saving lives through early detection of threats and subsequent intervention is its ultimate goal. Since January 2022, the lead of the EIOS initiative is hosted within the new WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence. As one of the Hub’s flagship initiatives, EIOS is one of the main vehicles for building a strong PHI community of practice, as well as a multidisciplinary network supporting it.
  • Digital proximity tracking technologies have been identified as a potential tool to support contact tracing in outbreaks and epidemics. However, these technologies raise ethical and privacy concerns. The document Ethical Considerations to Guide the Use of Digital Proximity Tracking Technologies for COVID-19 Contact Tracing – provides policymakers and other stakeholders with guidance as to the ethical and appropriate use of digital proximity tracking technologies for COVID-19.
  • WHO Digital and Innovation for Health Online Community to Fight COVID-19 is a platform for discussion and sharing experiences and innovative responses related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The new Survey Count Optimize Review Enable (SCORE) for Health Data Technical Package was published during one of the most data-strained public health crisis responses ever – that of the COVID-19 pandemic. SCORE can guide countries to take action by providing a one-stop shop for best technical practices that strengthen health information systems, using universally accepted standards and tools.
  • WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence supports countries, and regional and global actors in addressing future pandemic and epidemic risks with better access to data, better analytical capacities, and better tools and insights for decision-making.
  • Digitalised health workforce education: an elicitation of research gaps and selection of case studies. The report outlines research gaps in utilising digital technology for healthcare worker education, employing a conceptual framework. It presents 63 research questions across six domains for guiding future studies and identifies evidence gaps in the literature for further research.

Health data

  • WHO Health Data Hub (WHDH) is a single repository of health data in WHO and establishes a data governance mechanism for member states.
  • Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) registers all births and deaths, issues birth and death certificates, and compiles and disseminates vital statistics, including cause of death information. It may also record marriages and divorces.
  • The open-access WHO Snakebite Envenoming Information and Data Platform is already working to shorten the time between a snakebite and receiving antivenom. It does this by mapping the distribution of venomous snakes, known antivenoms, and the proximity to health facilities that stock them.

Public health strategy, planning and monitoring

  • Global Benchmarking Tool is designed to benchmark the regulatory programmes of a variety of product types, including medicines, vaccines, blood products (including whole blood, blood component and plasma-derived products) and medical devices (including in vitro diagnostics). It is supported by a computerised platform to facilitate the benchmarking, including the calculation of maturity levels. The computerised GBT (cGBT) is available, upon request, to member states and organisations working with WHO under the Coalition of Interested Partners (CIP).
  • The organisation also integrates digital health interventions in its strategies for certain diseases. WHO’s Global Observatory for e-Health (GOe) aims to assist member states with information and guidance on practices and standards in the field of e-health.
  • The newly established Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Centre for Health enables spatial representation of data to support better public health planning and decision making.
  • The Health Equity Monitor is a platform for health inequality monitoring, which includes databases of disaggregated data, a handbook on health inequality monitoring, and step-by-step manuals for national health inequality monitoring (generally and specifically for immunisation inequality monitoring).
  • The Health Assessment Toolkit is a software application that facilitates the assessment of health inequalities in countries. Inequality data can be visualised through a variety of interactive graphs, maps, and tables. Results can be exported and used for priority-setting and policymaking.

Health facilities data

Digital health solutions

  • The Digital Health Atlas is a global registry of implemented digital health solutions. It is open and available to anyone to register and contribute information about digital implementations. The registry provides a consistent way to document digital solutions, and offers functionalities in a web platform to assist technologists, implementers, governments, and donors for inventory, planning, coordinating, and using digital systems for health. The Digital Health Atlas includes a special focus on listing digital technologies related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The repository of information is open to all users to register projects, download project information, and connect with digital health practitioners globally.
  • Be He@lthy, Be Mobile (BHBM) is helping millions of people quit tobacco, and control diabetes and cervical cancer. It helps people at risk of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and those who care for older people.
  • WHO has launched a women’s health chatbot with messaging on breast cancer. The new chatbot uses the Viber platform to deliver health information directly to subscribers’ mobile phones. People subscribing to the new chatbot will find information on how to reduce the risk of breast cancer, symptoms, and treatment options.
  • WHO’s prototype of a digital health promoter, S.A.R.A.H., started off as a chatbot to fight misinformation around COVID-19 and offered information on living healthily during the pandemic. The platform has since been expanded to provide messages for individuals at risk of hypertension and diabetes, offering accessible health information in multiple languages via messaging apps like WhatsApp.

Health-related research

  • The WHO BioHub System offers a reliable, safe, and transparent mechanism for WHO member states to voluntarily share novel biological materials, without replacing or competing with existing systems. Sharing of biological materials with epidemic or pandemic potential will be done through one (or more) of the laboratories designated as a WHO BioHub Facility. This will allow WHO member states and partners to work in a better and faster way, to advance research, and to be more prepared for health emergencies as well as ensure fairness in access to benefits arising from this sharing.

Resources

Resolutions and deliberations on eHealth

  • The Global Strategy on Digital Health (2020-2025) aims to support potential, national or regional digital health initiatives with a robust strategy that integrates financial, organisational, human, and technological resources.
  • Resolution WHA58.28 eHealth
  • Resolution WHA71.7 (2018): The resolution urges member states to prioritise the development and greater use of digital technologies in health as a means of promoting Universal Health Coverage and advancing the SDGs.
  • Report EB 142/20 (2018): The Executive Board in January 2018 considered the updated report ‘mHealth: Use of appropriate digital technologies for public health’. This updated version of the report also includes the use of other digital technologies for public health.
  • Report EB139/8 (2016): The Executive Board considered ‘mHealth: Use of mobile wireless technologies for public health’, reflecting the increasing importance of this resource for health services delivery and public health, given their ease of use, broad reach and wide acceptance.
  • Resolution WHA66.24 (2013): The World Health Assembly recognised the need for health data standardisation to be part of eHealth systems and services, and the importance of proper governance and operation of health-related global top-level Internet domain names, including ‘.health’.
  • Resolution WHA58.28 (2005): The World Health Assembly in 2005 recognised the potential of eHealth to strengthen health systems and improve quality, safety, and access to care, and encouraged member states to take action to incorporate eHealth into health systems and services.
  • Resolution EB101.R3 (1998): WHO recognised the increasing importance of the internet and its potential to impact health through the advertising and promotion of medical products, in its resolution on ‘Cross-border Advertising, Promotion, and Sale of Medical Products through the Internet’.

Relevant policy documents to data and digital health in the WHO European Region

Digital health
Data

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World Meteorological Organization

WMO marks its 75th anniversary in 2025 as a specialised agency of the UN dedicated to international cooperation and coordination on the state and behaviour of the Earth’s atmosphere, its interaction with the land and oceans, the weather and climate it produces, and the resulting distribution of water resources. It boasts a membership of 193 member states and territories. Weather, climate, and water respect no national boundaries, and so cooperation is key.


National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) work around the clock to provide early and reliable warnings of severe weather. WMO also measures and forecasts air quality and monitors and projects climate change. The overriding priority is to save life and property, protect resources and the environment, and support socioeconomic growth. With this work, WMO supports NMHSs and meets their international commitments in disaster risk reduction, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and sustainable development.

Digital activities

Data is in WMO’s DNA. Data is gathered from one of the most diverse data-gathering systems worldwide, consisting of more than 10,000 manned and automatic surface weather stations, national radar networks, ocean observing stations, and weather satellite constellations. Data exchange underpins all WMO core functions from weather forecasting to climate,  hydrological, and ocean monitoring. Supercomputers and global telecommunications systems power the ever-growing appetite for data.

WMO also explores the role of new technologies and their relevance for public weather services, including the use of AI approaches. AI complements complex numerical weather prediction algorithms that process vast amounts of data and calculate the behaviour of weather patterns, providing short-term weather forecasts and long-term climate predictions.

Digital policy issues

Artificial intelligence

Impressive technological advances have taken place in relatively short time frames: satellites, big data, IT, and, of course, AI. WMO has evolved accordingly. To better serve society. 

WMO recognises the potential power of Artificial Intelligence to revolutionise weather forecasts and early warnings. WMO Members traditionally made weather-related predictions via an observation system such as the Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP). That is changing rapidly, and a number of leading forecasting centres and national meteorological and hydrological services are now using AI forecasting systems to run side by side with their traditional physics-based forecasts. The European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting says that its model outperforms physics-based models for many measures, including tropical cyclone tracks, with gains of up to 20% and with a reduction of about 1,000 times in energy use in making a forecast.

WMO wants to ensure that, as more Members embrace AI, there is a level playing field and nobody is left behind. 

WMO is co-sponsoring the AI Weather Quest, a global competition organised by ECMWF to advance sub-seasonal weather forecasting using AI and machine learning (ML). The AI Weather Quest has been approved as a WIPPS (WMO Integrated Processing and Prediction System) Pilot Project. This initiative aligns with WMO’s mission to foster innovation and collaboration in numerical weather prediction for the benefit of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and end users worldwide.

WMO recognises that, even with AI and ML advancements, human expertise remains central to effective Early Warning systems.

Digital standards

WMO maintains one of the most comprehensive standardisation systems with a detailed explanation of each step in the data cycle. WMO guidelines range from issues such as the position or the type of surface (e.g. grass) over which weather observation stations should be placed to uniform and structured standards on data sharing.

WMO has updated its Guidelines on Good Practices for Data Rescue (WMO-No. 1182), replacing the 2016 technical document. The updated guidelines incorporate the data rescue guidelines of the European Union Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and now include WMO Guidelines for Hydrological Data Rescue (WMO-No. 1146). The guidelines cover rescue of meteorological, hydrological, marine and other environmental data, providing practical assistance on archiving original media, imaging, digitisation, and archiving digital images and digital data.

Data rescue provides additional benefits, including:

  • Making agrometeorological, disease vectorisation, and hydrological/climatological numerical models more credible
  • Enabling better projections of future climate
  • Allowing current weather and climate to be better placed within historical context
  • Providing basis to assess historical sensitivities of natural and man-made systems to environmental variability

WMO collaborates with organisations such as the International Environmental Data Rescue Organization (IEDRO) and Atmospheric Circulation Reconstructions over the Earth (ACRE) on data rescue initiatives.

Data governance

WMO Unified Data Policy

The 2021 Extraordinary World Meteorological Congress approved the WMO Unified Data Policy to dramatically strengthen the world’s weather and climate services through a systematic increase in much-needed observational data and data products across the globe.

The Unified Data Policy was painstakingly developed through extensive consultation with thousands of experts and other global stakeholders to meet the explosive growth in demand for weather, climate, and water data products and services from all sectors of society.

Approval of the Unified Data Policy provides a comprehensive update of the policies guiding the international exchange of weather, climate, and related Earth system data between the 193 WMO member states and territories. The new policy reaffirms the commitment to the free and unrestricted exchange of data, which has been the bedrock of WMO since it was established more than 70 years ago.

Why has WMO updated its data policy?

Recent decades have seen explosive growth in the demand for weather, climate, and water monitoring and prediction data to support essential services needed by all sectors of society, as they face issues such as climate change, increasing frequency and impact of extreme weather, and implications for food security.

The free and unrestricted exchange of observational data from all parts of the world and of other data products among all WMO members must be updated and strengthened to accommodate this growing demand. As the responsibilities of NMHSs continue to expand, a growing list of application areas beyond the traditional weather, climate, and water activities needs to be supported by WMO observing and data exchange and modelling systems. WMO data policy must evolve to accommodate atmospheric composition, oceans, the cryosphere, and space weather.

What are the benefits of updating the WMO data policy?

The new WMO Unified Data Policy will help the WMO community to strengthen and better sustain monitoring and predicting all Earth-system components, resulting in massive socioeconomic benefits. It will lead to an additional exchange of all types of environmental data, enabling all WMO members to deliver better, more accurate, and timely weather and climate-related services to their constituencies.

In addition to data sharing, the overall importance of data has been further highlighted by the WMO’s Guidelines on Climate Data Rescue, published in 2004. The document tackles why data rescue (i.e. preservation of vast amounts of collected climate data and digitalisation of current and past datasets for easy access) is crucial. It explains that practitioners of data rescue might encounter obstacles such as the high cost of data rescue operations and the lack of digital skills and competencies to use the necessary tools in data preservation. The Guidelines were updated in 2016 to reflect the changes in digital technologies since they were first published. They now outline some of the necessary steps in the data rescue process, such as creating digital inventories and digitising data values.

Over the years, WMO has also engaged in the following data governance developments:

  • Cooperation on data in scientific circles through cooperation between the International Science Council (ISC) and the WMO World Data Centres and discussion on data at the World Conference on Science.
  • Cooperation with the International Oceanographic Commission (IOC), whose Resolution 6 specifies that ‘member states shall provide timely, free, and unrestricted access to all data, associated metadata, and products generated under the auspices of IOC programmes’.
  • Discussion with the World Trade Organization (WTO) on WMO datasets and competition provisions in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).
  • Cooperation with the Intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO), which was established in 2003 to derive data policies for the Global Earth Observation System of Systems based on the WMO data exchange system.
  • Close work with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on the need to protect radio frequencies vital for weather forecasting and data exchange.

WMO’s Unified Data Policy can be leveraged for the integration of climate and health information systems. The WMO Information System (WIS.20) is an established platform that can support improved data collection, sharing, and accessibility in climate and health contexts.

Sustainable development

Climate change is an increasingly recognised global threat. But what risks does it pose exactly? And how will climClimate change is an increasingly recognised global threat. But what risks does it pose exactly? And how will climate change and its impacts affect sustainable development? The complexity of the global climate system often contributes to significant gaps between scientific and policy-oriented understandings of how climate-change-related risks cascade through environmental, social, and economic systems.

WMO has addressed these gaps by connecting changes in the global climate system, as measured by the state of the climate indicators, to the SDGs based on extensive data collection. The aim is to improve risk-informed decision-making by aiding policymakers, the scientific community, and the public to grasp the interconnected and complex nature of climate change threats to sustainable development, thereby encouraging more comprehensive and immediate climate action.

Digital technologies have also played an essential role in the advancement of the World Weather Watch, a flagship WMO programme that allows for the development and improvement of global systems for observing and exchanging meteorological observations. The programme has evolved thanks to developments in remote sensing, private internet-type networks, supercomputing systems for data analysis, and weather, climate, and water (environmental) prediction models.

World Weather Watch consists of the following main building blocks:

  • National Meteorological Services collect data on land, water, and air worldwide. The WMO Information System (WIS) coordinates the data collection and transmission through its national, regional, and global centres.
  • Regional organisations that act as global hubs include, for example, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT).

To produce a successful weather forecast, it is essential to ensure the timely delivery of observational data from as many stations worldwide as possible in the shortest time. What follows is an example of the Global Basic Observing Network (GBON) showing a map of observation stations worldwide.

Digital tools and initiatives

The Global Telecommunication System (GTS), as part of the WIS, carries data from observation stations to national, regional, and global actors. Most of the data is exchanged via the GTS in real time. Given the critical relevance of this data in dealing with crises, the GTS must be highly reliable and secure.

Smart data for evidence-based decision-making

In recent years, WMO has digitised its performance monitoring through the development of strategic and thematic dashboards as well as through the increased use of infographics and story maps, all tools conducive to evidence-based decision-making. In addition to a Key Performance Indicators Dashboard, WMO has launched a Hydro Dashboard, which provides valuable information on operational hydrological services worldwide. It is developing similar thematic dashboards on climate services and global data processing, and forecasting. Internally, WMO has created a centralised data repository that brings together data from various systems, surveys, and sources, providing easy access to reliable data and related data analytics. The data repository is essential to facilitating the flow of objective, evidence-based, timely performance information.

The global website, https://worldweather.wmo.int/en/home.html, serves as a platform presenting official weather observations, forecasts, and climatological information for selected cities worldwide. These data are provided by National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) globally. The website includes links to official weather service websites and tourism boards whenever possible. The information covers 3,458 cities, with forecasts available for 3,307 cities from 139 members, and climatological information for 2,216 cities from 171 members as of September 2023.

The International Cloud Atlas is the official classification system for clouds and meteorological phenomena adopted by all WMO members. This Atlas extends beyond clouds to include hydrometeors, lithometeors, photometeors, and electrometeors. It serves as a universal language for communicating cloud observations, ensuring global consistency in reporting. The Atlas is a valuable training tool for meteorologists, aeronautical and maritime professionals, and is popular among weather enthusiasts and cloud spotters, fostering a shared enthusiasm for observing atmospheric phenomena.

Digital WMO community

WMO established the WMO Community Platform, which consists of several digital tools that allow for cross-analysis and visualisation of information from all WMO member states regarding weather, climate, and water to provide better insights into the work and needs of the community and to contribute to greater participation in good governance. The WMO e-Library is another tool that gathers and maintains different publications, including reports and WMO standards.

Green WMO

WMO has both virtual and in-person events. WMO experts are also working to reduce the impact of global observing systems and other operations on the environment. WMO is among the first UN organisations to do completely paperless sessions (all governance meeting documentation has been digital for many years). We experimented at the latest Executive Council meeting (EC-75) with translating the INF documents (information documents) using AI tools. It may also be relevant to mention that the draft Strategic Plan 2024–2027 has a new strategic objective (SO) targeted at environmental sustainability, including green IT and green meetings.

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World Trade Organization

WTO is an intergovernmental organisation that deals with the rules of trade among its members. Its main functions include administering WTO trade agreements, providing a forum for trade negotiations, settling trade disputes, monitoring national trade policies, providing technical assistance and training for developing countries, and ensuring cooperation with other international organisations.
WTO members have negotiated and agreed upon rules regulating international trade, fostering transparency and predictability in the international trading system. The main WTO agreements relevant to trade-related digital issues are the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the WTO, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), the Information Technology Agreement (ITA and ITA II), the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement), and the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement).

Digital activities

Several internet governance and digital trade, and AI policy-related issues are discussed in the WTO. E-commerce discussions are ongoing under the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce and among a group of WTO members that have negotiated an Agreement on Electronic Commerce under the Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on E-commerce. Discussions have focused on several digital issues, including consumer protection, personal data protection, capacity building, and customs duties on electronic transmissions. Discussions on AI and other critical emerging technologies (e.g. advanced semiconductors, biotech, etc.) are increasingly raised and discussed in various WTO settings, including in particular the TBT Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade, the TRIPS Council, and the Work Programme on E-commerce. Digital trade and AI also feature prominently in WTO research. 

As part of its outreach activities, WTO organises numerous events such as the Aid for Trade Global Review and an annual Public Forum, which brings together governments, NGOs, academics, businesses, and other stakeholders for discussions on a broad range of issues, including many relating to the digital economy and AI.

Digital policy issues

Telecommunications infrastructure

In 1997, WTO members successfully concluded negotiations on market access for basic telecommunications services. The negotiations, which were an extension of the Uruguay Round of WTO negotiations that led to the creation of the GATS, resulted in specific commitments in the sector for a significant part of  WTO  membership. These negotiations also resulted in the Reference Paper, a set of regulatory principles for basic telecommunication services that various members have inscribed in their schedules of commitments. Since 1997, the number of members that have undertaken market access commitments on telecommunications and subscribed to the Reference Paper has continued to increase as a result of new economies joining the WTO through the process of accession. Under the plurilateral draft Agreement on Electronic Commerce, participants have developed disciplines that add to the provisions of the Reference Paper.

Digital standards

The issue of digital standards is addressed as ‘standards and regulations’ within the work of WTO.

International standards are important to the global digital economy as they can enable interconnectivity and interoperability for telecommunications and internet infrastructures. The WTO Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement (TBT Agreement) aims to ensure that technical regulations, standards, and conformity assessment procedures affecting trade in goods (including ICT  products and AI-embedded products, for instance) are non-discriminatory and do not create unnecessary obstacles to trade. The TBT Agreement strongly encourages that such regulatory measures be based on relevant international standards. The TBT Committee serves as a forum where governments discuss and address concerns with specific regulations, including those affecting digital trade. Examples of relevant TBT measures notified to or discussed at the TBT Committee include (1) measures addressing the internet of things (IoT) and related devices in terms of their safety, interoperability, national security/cybersecurity, performance, and quality; (2) measures regulating 5G cellular network technology for reasons related to, among others, national security and interoperability; (3) measures regulating 3D printing (additive manufacturing) devices; (4) measures regulating drones (small unmanned aircraft systems) due to risks for humans/consumers, interoperability problems, and national security risks; (5) measures dealing with autonomous vehicles, mostly concerned with their safety and performance, and more recently (6) measures regulating AI.

Given the increasing relevance of international standards for the regulatory governance of digital tech products, renewed attention has been paid to ‘Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations’ adopted by the WTO TBT Committee in 2000, which include six specific principles:

1. Transparency

2. Openness

3. Impartiality and consensus

4. Effectiveness and relevance

5. Coherence

6. Development dimension

These principles aim to avoid conflicting standards and provide guidance for WTO members when developing international standards. They have become widely accepted by WTO members both multilaterally and regionally, with a growing number of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) not only incorporating these principles but making them mandatory. Some international standardising bodies like ISO and IEC have embraced these principles.

In 2024, the WTO TBT Committee adopted new ’Guidelines on Conformity Assessment Procedures’ (CAP Guidelines) that recognise the importance of digital technologies in product certification and emphasise the need for flexibility in rapidly changing technological environments.

The TBT Agreement also explicitly recognises ’the contribution which international standardisation can make to the transfer of technology from developed to developing countries’.

The TBT Committee has recently started receiving notifications specifically related to AI. In particular, in the last five years, the TBT Committee has been receiving notifications of, and debating concerns raised with respect to, a significant number of regulations by members addressing cybersecurity, a cross-cutting issue essential for the deployment of, and trust in, emerging technologies such as AI. 

The TBT Committee has held several ‘thematic sessions’ where members shared regulatory experiences with respect to various digital tech-related issues, including: ‘digital solutions for conformity assessment procedures’ (2022); ‘conformity assessment and e-commerce’ (2023), ‘cybersecurity’ (2023), ‘intangible digital products’ (2023); and ‘use of digital technologies and tools in good regulatory practices’ (2023). Topics of upcoming relevant sessions include: ‘international standards for AI and machine learning’ and ‘interoperable data standards’ (2025 or 2026).

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity issues have been addressed in several WTO bodies. For example, the TBT Committee has discussed national cybersecurity regulations applicable to ICT products and their potential impact on trade. In the TBT Committee, WTO members have raised specific trade concerns related to cybersecurity regulations. Some of the specific issues discussed include how cybersecurity regulations discriminating against foreign companies and technologies can negatively impact international trade in ICT products.

In 2023, the WTO’s TBT Committee organised its first-ever specific thematic session focused on cybersecurity. 38% of all cybersecurity-related Specific Trade Concerns (STCs) raised in the TBT Committee since 1995 were raised just in the last three and a half years, showing increasing focus on this issue.

During the 2023 thematic session, participants emphasised that unilateral government interventions in cybersecurity could undermine global cybersecurity efforts. The session highlighted the need for better coordination between governments and the private sector to address regulatory fragmentation in cybersecurity.

The Agreement on Electronic Commerce negotiated under the Joint Initiative on E-commerce contains provisions on cybersecurity, which facilitate cooperation and encourage the development of national capabilities and risk-based approaches to cybersecurity with a view to reducing potential trade barriers.

More than 90 cybersecurity-related TBT measures have been notified to the TBT Committee, with approximately 65% of these notifications occurring in just the last three and a half years.

Data governance

The growth of the global digital economy is fuelled by data. Issues related to data flows have also been raised by members in various contexts at the WTO, such as under the JSI on e-commerce and in the Council for Trade in Services, for instance, when national cybersecurity measures adopted have been considered by some members as trade barriers.

According to a joint OECD and WTO (2025) report, the economic costs of fragmentation of data flow regimes along geo-economic blocks would amount to a loss of more than 1% of real GDP. If all economies fully restricted their data flows, it could result in a 4.5% reduction in global GDP and a 8.5% decrease in exports.

Intellectual property rights

The TRIPS Agreement is a key international instrument for the protection and enforcement of IP and is of relevance to e-commerce. The technologies that underpin the internet and enable digital commerce, such as software, routers, networks, switches, and user interfaces, are protected by IP. Balanced measures to enforce IPRs are important tools to ensure legitimate trade in digitally ordered goods. In addition, e-commerce transactions can involve digital products with IP-protected content, such as e-books, software, or blueprints for 3D printing. As IP licences often regulate the usage rights for such intangible digital products, the TRIPS Agreement and the international IP Conventions that are incorporated into it provide much of the legal infrastructure for digital trade.

The role of IP in promoting innovation and trade in the digital age has been highlighted in recent WTO World Trade Reports.

IP-related issues have also been discussed in the framework of the JSI, for example with regard to the access or transfer of source code. The source code or the data analysis used in the operation of programmes or services is often legally protected by IP law through copyright, patent, or trade secret provisions. Future discussions may further address this and other IP-related matters under Article 35 of the JSI stabilised text, which foresees further negotiations on outstanding issues.

Electronic commerce

WTO agreements cover a broad spectrum of trade topics, including some related to e-commerce, which has been on the WTO agenda since 1998 when the ministers adopted the Declaration on Global Electronic Commerce. The Declaration instructed the General Council to establish a Work Programme on electronic commerce. In that Declaration, members also agreed to continue the practice of not imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions (the ’moratorium’). The Work Programme provides a broad definition of e-commerce and instructs four WTO bodies (Council for Trade in Goods, Council for Trade in Services, TRIPS Council, and the Committee on Trade and Development) to explore the relationship between WTO Agreements and e-commerce. The Work Programme and the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions have been periodically reviewed and renewed. At its 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) in March 2024, WTO members agreed to reinvigorate the Work Programme, with a particular focus on its development dimension. They agreed to hold further discussions and examine additional empirical evidence on the scope, definition, and the impact that a moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions might have on development, and how to level the playing field for developing and least-developed country members to advance their digital industrialisation. Furthermore, members agreed to maintain the current practice of not imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions (the moratorium) until MC14. Members are continuing their discussions under the Work Programme with a view to presenting recommendations for action to the next Session of the Ministerial Conference. The focus has been on the digital divide and ways of addressing it, and on the legal and regulatory frameworks that support an enabling environment for the development of e-commerce. Discussions will also continue with regard to the moratorium. Members have also expressed interest in discussing the relation between trade and artificial intelligence (AI) as well as other emerging technologies.

At MC11 in 2017, a group of members issued the Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on E-Commerce to explore work towards future WTO negotiations on trade-related aspects of e-commerce. Following the exploratory work, in January 2019, 76 members confirmed their ‘intention to commence WTO negotiations on trade-related aspects of electronic commerce’ and to ‘achieve a high standard out-come that builds on existing WTO agreements and frameworks with the participation of as many WTO members as possible’. As of June 2024, there were 91 WTO members participating in these discussions. In July 2024, the joint statement co-conveners (Australia, Japan and Singapore) confirmed that after five years of negotiations, participants had achieved a stabilised text. The text builds on the WTO Agreements by establishing rules aiming at facilitating electronic commerce, ensuring an open environment for digital trade, and promoting trust in e-commerce. Some of the issues addressed by the provisions of the agreement include electronic transactions frameworks, paperless trading, online consumer protection and personal data protection, electronic payments and customs duties on electronic transmissions. The Agreement also recognises that some developing and least-developed members may require extended periods of time or the acquisition of capacity to implement some of the provisions of the agreement. It therefore envisages support in response to members’ efforts. In this regard, in June 2022  the co-convenors of the JSI, together with Switzerland, launched the E-commerce Capacity Building Framework to strengthen digital inclusion and to help developing and least developed countries to harness the opportunities of digital trade. As of February 2025, the Agreement on Electronic Commerce is supported by 71 WTO members. The co-sponsors of the text have requested its incorporation into the WTO framework as a plurilateral agreement under Annex 4 of the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the World Trade Organization.

Access

The issue of arbitration is referred to under the issue of ‘market access’ within the work of WTO.

Access to information technology infrastructure and equipment

The Ministerial Declaration on Trade in Information Technology Products, commonly known as the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) was signed at the WTO’s Singapore Ministerial Conference in December 1996. The ITA has eliminated tariffs on around 200 information technology products, including computers, semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, telecommunication apparatus, instruments and apparatus, data storage media and software, and parts and accessories. Initially signed by 29 participants, the ITA has witnessed a significant rise in its membership in the past 28 years, covering 85 WTO Members in 2025. In the same period, world ITA exports have more than tripled in value, to approximately USD 2.5 trillion in 2021.

In response to the dramatic evolution of the ICT sector since 1997, 54 WTO Members decided to expand the product coverage of the ITA to further liberalise trade in the ICT sector. These expansion negotiations were concluded in December 2015 at the WTO’s Tenth Ministerial Conference, in Nairobi, Kenya. Under the ITA Expansion (ITA II), import duties and other charges were reduced to zero on 201 additional high-tech products, such as new generation integrated circuits, GPS navigation equipment, telecommunication satellites, and medical equipment. Many of these products play a key role in health emergencies and crises, as they did during the fight against COVID‑19.

Through complete elimination of customs duties and other charges on covered products, the ITA has contributed to reducing prices and thus improved consumer access to key products such as mobile phones and computers, lowered the cost of establishing ICT infrastructure domestically, thereby improving digital connectivity, and eliminated costly administrative burdens at customs and reduced delays for goods crossing borders. In the right circumstances, ITA participation can ultimately facilitate the greater integration of developing economies into global production networks, while spurring innovation in other sectors. 

Additionally, in November 2024, Members agreed that the TBT Committee will hold joint thematic sessions with other WTO bodies on topics of relevance to the TBT Agreement, based on proposals from Members and in coordination with relevant other WTO bodies. The purpose of such joint meetings would be to enhance Members’ understanding of (and explore possible synergies with) work in other areas of the WTO, bearing in mind the scope of the TBT Agreement. Among various cross-cutting topics to be explored jointly with other committees, members agreed to hold one with the ITA Committee specifically on non-tariff measures (NTMs) under the ITA. See document G/TBT/56, para. 3.7(b)(i), pages. 14-15. Besides ICT tariff elimination, the ITA Committee also has a work programme on addressing NTMs affecting ICT products.

Artificial intelligence

Discussions on AI have started to emerge in several WTO bodies. 

In 2022–2023, the draft EU ‘AI Act’ was discussed in the TBT Committee in the context of a ‘specific trade concern’ (STC). In June 2023, TBT Committee Members organised a thematic session to discuss regulatory experiences with respect to so-called ‘intangible digital products’, in particular AI-embedded products. Further thematic sessions on the role of international standards for ‘critical emerging technologies’, including AI, are planned for 2025 or 2026. China and Kenya have also notified their respective AI regulations to the TBT Committee (2024).

The interplay between AI and IP has been discussed in the WTO Council for TRIPS under multiple agenda items, including the items on the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce, IP and innovation, technology transfer to LDCs, notification, and technical cooperation, over the past years. 

Discussions on the interplay of AI, international trade and development have also emerged in the context of the Work Programme on e-Commerce. A dedicated discussion on the topic will be held in 2025. 

The topic of AI and international trade has been integrated into WTO various technical cooperation activities and is a key focus of the WTO research agenda. The first WTO report on AI – ‘Trading with Intelligence: How AI Shapes and is Shaped by International Trade’  – was launched in November 2024 at a dedicated conference.

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World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a not-for-profit foundation whose membership is composed of large corporations from around the world. We engage political, business, academic, and other leaders of society in collaborative efforts to shape global, regional, and industry agendas. Together with other stakeholders, we work to define challenges, solutions, and actions in the spirit of global citizenship. The Forum also serves and builds sustained communities through an integrated concept of high-level meetings, research networks, task forces, and digital collaboration.

Digital activities

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is one of the Forum’s key areas of work. Under this focus, we carry out a wide range of activities covering digital policy issues, from telecom infrastructure and cybersecurity to the digital economy and the future of work. We have set up multiple platforms and global forums focused on bringing together various stakeholders and initiatives to advance debates and foster cooperation on the issues explored. We also publish reports, studies, and white papers on our focus areas, and feature discussions on the policy implications of digital technologies in the framework of the Forum’s annual meeting in Davos and other events organised around the world.

The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution is one of the Forum’s key centres of thematic work, with digital technologies as a core priority. Building on this focus area, we lead a diverse set of initiatives spanning digital governance, AI, digital safety, and the broader implications of technological advancements on society and the economy. We convene global stakeholders through dedicated platforms and partnerships to shape discussions, build consensus, and drive responsible innovation. Our work includes publishing reports, insights, and policy frameworks on key technology topics, as well as curating discussions on their societal and economic impact at the Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos and other global events.

Digital policy issues

Telecommunications infrastructure

The Forum’s work in the area of telecom/digital infrastructure is broadly dedicated to shedding light on the need to advance connectivity and evolve towards new network technologies as a way to support the transition to the fourth industrial revolution and support the growth of digital economies. For instance, the Global Future Council of New Network Technologies, active between 2018 and 2020, explored, among others, incentives for network development and the role of new network systems in driving value and innovation. The Forum also promotes the role of digital public infrastructures in enabling digital inclusion and advancing sustainable development. 

A specific focus area for the Forum is 5G. We have identified 5G as an issue of global importance and work on analysing the impacts of 5G on industry and society. In our report titled The impact of 5G: Creating new value across industries and society, we note that 5G will be critical because it will enable unprecedented levels of connectivity, allowing for superfast broadband, ultra-reliable low latency communication, massive machine-type communications, and high reliability/availability and efficient energy usage, all of which will transform many sectors, such as manufacturing, transportation, public services, and health. In another example, the 5G Outlook Series: Enabling inclusive long-term opportunities looks at what can be done to ensure that 5G is a technology that benefits people, businesses, and society. The role of satellites in delivering connectivity and the challenges associated with growing competition in Earth orbit are other areas explored by the Forum. The Global Future Council on the Future of Space explores ways in which international cooperation and public-private partnerships can drive sustainable and inclusive use of space resources.

Artificial intelligence

WEF is shaping the future of AI through initiatives focused on responsible governance, collaborative development, and cross-sector engagement. At the core of these efforts is the AI Governance Alliance (AIGA), a flagship initiative of the Forum. With over 600 members from more than 460 organisations worldwide, AIGA fosters a trustworthy, equitable, and responsible AI ecosystem, bringing together leaders from industry, government, academia, and civil society. The Alliance provides a global platform to develop policy frameworks, enhance AI safety measures, and promote innovative approaches to ensure AI’s positive societal and economic impact aligns with evolving regulatory environments.

To achieve its mission, AIGA focuses on several key areas:

  • Resilient Governance and Regulation – Supports policymakers in shaping AI regulatory frameworks and fostering global regulatory alignment. This includes engagement with key regulatory frameworks such as the European Union’s AI Act and evolving AI strategies in the US, Canada, Brazil, the African Union, Japan, and China. The initiative is focused on creating actionable solutions to bridge the gap between AI governance ideals and their practical implementation. This includes developing best practices for AI policy adoption and fostering international cooperation on AI governance.
  • Safe Systems and Technologies – Brings together Chief Science Officers and AI producers to advance technical governance solutions, particularly in areas such as AI agents, safety mechanisms, and standardised best practices. This initiative fosters a consensus on AI development safety, ensuring that AI systems align with ethical and operational best practices.
  • AI Transformation of Industries – In collaboration with multiple Forum centers, this initiative explores AI’s impact across sectors including healthcare, financial services, energy, and manufacturing. In 2025, AIGA will focus on empowering global and regional AI leadership by providing a platform for country and regional leaders to develop AI capabilities, share insights, and adopt global best practices. This initiative aims to strengthen AI strategies, ecosystems, and coordination to ensure equitable AI access. AIGA will also support cross-industry collaborations that leverage AI to drive innovation, efficiency, and sustainability across sectors.
  • AI Competitiveness through Regional Collaboration – Focuses on strengthening AI capabilities at the regional level by addressing infrastructure disparities, fostering AI talent development, and ensuring responsible AI adoption in different economic contexts. This work is supported by regional AI activation networks that provide tailored strategies for AI implementation in emerging economies.

In addition to convening stakeholders, the Forum produces influential thought leadership on AI governance, ethics, and applications. Recent publications include the AI Governance Alliance’s Briefing Paper Series, which establishes foundational focus areas for steering AI’s development, adoption, and governance. Additionally, the ‘Governance in the Age of Generative AI: A 360° Approach for Resilient Policy and Regulation’ white paper equips policymakers and regulators with implementable strategies for resilient generative AI governance within a comprehensive framework. Navigating the AI Frontier: A Primer on the Evolution and Impact of AI Agents examines AI agents – autonomous systems powered by advances in large language and multimodal models – and their transformative impact across industries.

At the Annual Meeting 2025, the Forum released ‘Blueprint for Intelligent Economies’, a white paper outlining AI’s role in sustainable growth and inclusive prosperity. Additionally, the ‘Industries in the Intelligent Age White Paper Series’ explored AI’s transformative impact across multiple industries, providing a roadmap for responsible and innovative AI integration.

In 2025, MINDS (Meaningful, Intelligent, Novel, Deployable Solutions) program was launched to identify and scale high-impact AI solutions that address global challenges. This initiative fosters collaboration, drives innovation, and shares success stories, guiding the adoption of transformative AI applications. The first cohort of MINDS will be announced at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2025, with a focus on AI-driven solutions for equitable healthcare access, climate change mitigation, sustainable energy transitions, resilient supply chains, and workforce transformation. By scaling replicable, high-impact AI use cases, the MINDS program exemplifies the Forum’s commitment to harnessing AI’s transformative potential for societal and economic progress.

As AI continues to evolve, the AI Governance Alliance remains committed to ensuring its responsible and transformative development. By uniting industry, government, academia, and civil society, AIGA drives innovation, strengthens governance, and maximises AI’s benefits while mitigating risks.

Blockchain and cryptocurrencies

The Forum works on governance issues related to the equity, interoperability, security, transparency, and trust of blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT). We also analyse the relationship between blockchain and cybersecurity and international security, as well as the future of computing. We publish papers on issues such as blockchain data storage, the challenges blockchain faces and its role in security, as well as guides such as the Blockchain Development Toolkit to guide organisations through the development and deployment of blockchain solutions.

Internet of things

The Forum’s Centre for Urban Transformation explores various issues related to the implications of connected devices and smart technologies. For example, the Council on the Connected World focuses on strengthening innovation and the global governance of connected technologies to maximise the positive benefits and minimise harm for all. One specific area of work for the Council is the security of IoT devices; in 2022, the Forum facilitated a joint Statement of Support on consumer IoT device security outlining key security requirements for consumer-facing devices. In 2023, the Council published the State of the Connected World report, which tracks governance gaps related to IoT. 

The Global New Mobility Coalition explores issues related to sustainable mobility, including when it comes to the governance of shared, electric, and automated mobility. 

Other IoT-related issues that the Forum has been exploring through various publications and initiatives include the industrial internet, the safety of smart home products, and challenges associated with the concept of the internet of bodies. In cooperation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), we published a report on Realizing the Internet of Things – a Framework for Collective Action, outlining five pillars for the development of IoT: architecture and standards, security and privacy, shared value creation, organisational development, and ecosystem governance. 
We also lead the G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance on Technology Governance, dedicated to promoting the responsible and ethical use of smart city technologies.

Emerging technologies

Virtual/augmented reality

The Forum’s Global Future Council on Virtual and Augmented Reality focuses on raising awareness of the positive and negative aspects of the widespread adoption of VR/AR technologies. We carry out policy research and analysis related to the impact of VR/AR on society and its security implications in publications on issues such as immersive media technologies, AR innovation in manufacturing, and privacy in the context of VR use.

The Forum also pays attention to developments related to the metaverse and issues various publications on this topic. For instance, Exploring the Industrial Metaverse: A Roadmap to  the Future provides a framework for discussing steps towards a valuable ecosystem for the industrial metaverse, while the reports on Social Implications of the Metaverse and Privacy and Safety in the Metaverse explore the implications of metaverse adoptions for individuals and society at large. These and similar publications are issued in the context of the Defining and Building the Metaverse Initiative, whose focus is on ‘guiding the development of a safe, interoperable, and economically viable metaverse’.   

Quantum computing

Within the Centre of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the Quantum Economy Network is an initiative and global platform that brings together governments, businesses, and academia to explore the potential of quantum technologies, shape their development, and prepare for their integration into the quantum economy. It focuses on identifying, deploying, and advancing near-term quantum applications for business and sustainability while developing tools to ensure a secure transition. The Network operates through two key workstreams: the Quantum Economy Blueprint, which democratizes access to quantum resources and guides policymakers in building a responsible quantum ecosystem, and the Quantum Application Hub, an experiential platform showcasing societal and industry applications of quantum technologies.

The Forum publishes regularly on matters related to quantum computing and quantum technologies. A few examples include the Quantum Technologies:Key Strategies and Opportunities for ICT Leaders, Embracing the Quantum Economy: A Pathway for Business Leaders, and Quantum Computing Governance Principles.

Cybercrime

Under its Centre for Cybersecurity, the Forum runs the Partnership against Cybercrime project, focused on advancing public-private partnerships (e.g. between law enforcement agencies, international organisations, cybersecurity companies, and other actors) to combat cybercrime. Outputs of the partnership include, for instance, the Recommendations for Public-Private Partnership against Cybercrime and the Cybercrime Prevention Principles for Internet Service Providers. 

We host a Cybercrime Atlas Initiative dedicated to strengthening coordination between the private sector and law enforcement in fighting cybercrime. 

Cybercrime also constitutes the focus of various studies and articles we have published, which delve into issues such as emerging threats and ways to tackle them.

Network security/critical infrastructure/cybersecurity

The Forum has launched a Centre for Cybersecurity dedicated to ‘fostering international dialogues and collaboration between the global cybersecurity community both in the public and private sectors’. Multiple projects are run under this platform, such as the Cybersecurity Learning Hub and the Digital Trust initiative. The cyber resilience of critical sectors, such as electricity and the oil and gas industry, is also a focus area for us. 

The Centre also issues reports and other publications covering various cybersecurity topics. Examples include the Global Cybersecurity Outlook; the insight report on Cybersecurity, Emerging Technology, and Systemic Risks; and the Principles for Board Governance of Cyber Risk.

The Forum hosts a Global Future Council on the Future of Cybersecurity, which explores modalities for strengthening cyber risk management across economies and societies. Quantum security and digital trust are among the Council’s focus areas. 

Every year, we bring together actors from the public and private sectors to foster collaboration on making cyberspace safer and more resilient, in the framework of the Annual Meeting on Cybersecurity. 

Data governance

The Forum has established a Data Policy Platform under our Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, dedicated to developing innovative approaches to enable the responsible use of data. Within this platform, the Data for Common Purpose Initiative aims to support the creation of flexible data governance models, oriented around common purposes. Examples of white papers published by the initiative include Data for Common Purpose: Leveraging Consent to Build Trust and Towards a Data Economy: An Enabling Framework. 

The Cross-Border Data Flows project under the Forum’s Digital Trade Initiative looks at how policymakers can advance data transfer governance arrangements while ensuring policy interoperability for data flows. 

The Forum regularly publishes reports and papers on data governance issues such as restoring trust in data, cross-border data flows, data protection and security, among others.

E-commerce and trade and digital business models

Several activities and projects run by the Forum focus on e-commerce and broader digital economy-related issues. Under our Digital Trade initiative (part of the Centre for Regions, Trade and Geopolitics), we have been exploring opportunities and challenges associated with digital trade, while also engaging in the shaping of global, regional, and industry agendas on digital trade. Projects run within the initiative include, among others, the Digital Economy Agreement Leadership Group – which aims to contribute to the growth of inclusive and sustainable digital economies, and the TradeTech project – which facilitates dialogue on public policy and regulatory practices related to digital trade. The Digital Payments for Trade and Commerce Advisory Committee – also part of the Digital Trade initiative – is dedicated to fostering interoperability, inclusivity, and coherent regulatory reforms for digital payments.

E-commerce is also tackled in studies, white papers, and events we produce, which address issues such as e-commerce in emerging markets, the impact of e-commerce on prices, and digital currencies. 

Under the Centre for the New Economy and Society, we bring together various stakeholders to promote new approaches to competitiveness in the digital economy, with a focus on issues such as education and skills, equality and inclusion, and improved economic opportunities for people.

Future of work

The future of work is a topic that spans multiple Forum activities. For instance, under the Centre for the New Economy and Society, several projects focus on issues such as education, skills, upskilling and reskilling, and equality and inclusion in the world of work. We have also launched a Reskilling Revolution Initiative, aimed at contributing to providing better jobs, education, and skills to one billion people by 2030. Projects under this platform include, among others, Education 4.0 (focused on mapping needed reforms to primary and secondary education systems), Education and Skills Country Accelerators (dedicated to advancing gender parity, promoting upskilling and reskilling, and improving education systems), and Skills-first (focused on transforming adult education and workforce skills). Also part of the Reskilling Revolution is the Future Skills Alliance, whose main objective is to facilitate the adoption of skills-first management practices and give workers a fair and equal opportunity to excel in the labour market. 
The Forum publishes regular reports on the Future of Jobs, exploring the evolution of jobs and skills and how technology and socioeconomic trends shape the workplace of the future. Other notable publications and tools developed by the Forum include the white paper on Putting Skills First: A Framework for Action and the Global Skills Taxonomy.

Digital inclusion

The EDISON Alliance, launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, drives a holistic, ecosystem-led approach to digital inclusion. Part of the Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the Alliance launched the 1 Billion Lives Challenge, an ambitious goal to enhance the lives of 1 billion people by 2025 through affordable and accessible digital solutions in education, financial services, and healthcare. Since its launch in 2021, the Alliance has mobilised over 350 initiatives across 130 countries, successfully impacting 1 billion lives. However, as global focus shifts to emerging technologies like AI, there is a growing risk of declining investment in digital inclusion, potentially widening the digital divide. Tools developed by the Alliance include principles for digital health inclusion, a guidebook for digital inclusion bond financing, and a Digital Inclusion Navigator that provides access to case studies and best practices related to bridging digital divides.

Cryptocurrencies

The Forum is also active on issues related to digital currencies and their policy implications. For instance, its Digital Currency Governance Consortium focuses on exploring the macroeconomic impacts of digital currencies and informing approaches to regulating digital currencies. The Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Policy-Makers Toolkit, published in 2020, is intended to serve as a possible framework to ensure that the deployment of CBDCs takes into account potential costs and benefits. Various publications have been issued that explore topics such as the macroeconomic impact of cryptocurrency and stablecoins, cryptocurrency regulation, and the links between stablecoins and financial inclusion.

Digital tools

Digital platforms

Strategic Intelligence: The Forum’s platform provides access to transformation maps – mappings of ‘hundreds of global issues and their interdependencies’.

Social media channels

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United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

UNECE is one of five regional commissions of the UN. Its major aim is to promote pan-European economic integration. To do so, it brings together 56 countries in Europe, North America, and Central Asia, which discuss and cooperate on economic and sectoral issues.

UNECE works to promote sustainable development and economic growth through policy dialogue, negotiation of international legal instruments, development of regulations and norms, exchange and application of best practices, economic and technical expertise, and technical cooperation for countries with economies in transition. It also sets out norms, standards, and conventions to facilitate international cooperation.

Digital activities

UNECE’s work touches on several digital policy issues, ranging from digital standards (in particular, in relation to electronic data interchange for administration, commerce, and transport) to the internet of things (IoT) (e.g. intelligent transport systems). Its activities on connected vehicles and automated driving systems are essential to seize the benefits of technical progress and disruptions in that field and to operationalise new mobility concepts such as Mobility as a Service (MaaS). Within the Trade sub-programme, guidance has been developed on the Compliance of products with embedded artificial intelligence, as well as ensuring gender mainstreaming of relevant standards.  Its UN/CEFACT develops trade facilitation recommendations and electronic business standards, covering both commercial and government business processes. UNECE also carries out activities focused on promoting sustainable development, in areas such as sustainable and smart cities for all ages, sustainable mobility and smart connectivity, and measuring and monitoring progress towards the SDGs.

UNECE’s work in the field of statistics is also relevant for digital policy issues. For example, the 2019 Guidance on Modernizing Statistical Legislation – which guides countries through the process of reviewing and revising statistical legislation – covers issues such as open data, national and international data exchanges, and government data management.

UNECE also pioneers digitalisation efforts towards sustainable transformation of the energy system, by enabling a constructive dialogue to help bridge the gap between academic research, industrial innovations, and policy needs.

UNECE carries out extensive work in the area of sustainable transport, leading on several UN Conventions. Accession to the conventions continues to increase as more and more member states realise the benefits in the time taken and associated costs in the movement of goods. Numerous digitised systems have been developed, and are maintained, hosted, and administered under the auspices of UNECE. For a number of other tools and mechanisms, work is underway.

Digital policy issues

Digital standards

UNECE’s intergovernmental body UN/CEFACT continues making great strides in the area of digital standards. In a recent collaboration with the International Federation of Freight-Forwarders Associations (FIATA), it developed the electronic FIATA Multimodal Bill of Lading (eFBL) data standard. The basis of the mapping of the Negotiable FIATA Multimodal Transport Bill of Lading (FBL) with the UN/CEFACT Multimodal Transport (MMT) reference data model, allows the exchange of BL data in a standardised way, facilitating interoperability between all modes of transport and industry stakeholders. Similar to other data standards developed by UN/CEFACT, the data standard is offered as open-source for all software providers and industry stakeholders to implement. UNECE’s standardisation work builds on a family of reference data models in alignment with its strategy to become the next generation of global standards for trade and transport information exchange. Other digital standards in the areas of supply chain management, agriculture, and travel and tourism (e.g. Buy Ship Pay Reference Data Model, Textile and Leather Data Model (Part 1 and Part 2), and Travel and Tourism Experience Programme Data Model) are a great step toward paperless trade and benefit all actors of the supply chain by reducing costs, increasing security, and gaining efficiency.

Artificial intelligence and internet of things

The UNECE has published a guidance and declaration on Compliance of products with embedded AI. One of the key challenges of such products is the possibility that it changes over time with distant updates which could potentially be coming from outside the market of consumption; market surveillance agencies will need to ensure that these products remain compliant with safety and security regulations throughout their lifecycle.

As the UN centre for inland transport, UNECE hosts international regulatory platforms in the field of automated driving and intelligent transport systems. It hosts multilateral agreements and conventions ruling the requirements and the use of these technologies (such as the UN agreements on vehicle regulations and the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic). Its activities (e.g. facilitating policy dialogue and developing regulations and norms) contribute to enabling automated driving functionalities and ensuring that the benefits of these technologies can be captured without compromising safety and progress achieved in areas such as border crossing and interoperability. It also collaborates with other interested stakeholders, including the automotive and information and communications technology (ICT) industries, consumer organisations, governments, and international organisations.

Another area of work for UNECE is related to harnessing smart technologies and innovation for sustainable and smart cities. In this regard, it promotes the use of ICTs in city planning and service provision, and it has developed (together with ITU) a set of key performance indicators for smart sustainable cities. UNECE also works to facilitate connectivity through sustainable infrastructure. For instance, it assists countries in developing smart grids for more efficient energy distribution, and it administers international e-roads, e-rail, and e-waterway networks.

UNECE launched the Advisory Group on Advanced Technology in Trade and Logistics (AGAT) in 2020 on topics, such as distributed ledger technologies (DLT) including blockchain, IoT, and AI.

The UNECE High-Level Group on Modernisation of Official Statistics (HLG-MOS) has been at the forefront of modernisation initiatives in the field of official statistics. These initiatives include innovative areas such as big data, synthetic data, and machine learning (ML) and AI. A UNECE guide, Machine Learning for Official Statistics (2021), can help national and international statistical organisations to harness the power of ML to modernise the production of official statistics. Responding to the growing interest in LLM, HLG-MOS published a white paper, LLM for Official Statistics (2023), to establish a common understanding of LLM’s potential within the statistical community by exploring implications and opportunities for official statistics. Building on its ongoing efforts to provide a platform for experts to exchange experiences and lessons learned in implementing AI solutions, HLG-MOS has launched a project on generative AI (2024-2025) and is organising the ‘Generative AI and Official Statistics’ in May (2025).

In trade, the newly released UN/CEFACT JSON-LD Web Vocabulary complements and enhances the capabilities of AI systems for trade-related exchanges. It aims to support the interoperability of trade by allowing supply chain actors to more easily integrate a common vocabulary in their business tools (e.g. software applications, AI algorithms) to ensure that data shared between different entities (e.g. suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, transporters, financiers, and regulators) is consistent and easily interpretable, reducing errors and misunderstandings.

Artificial intelligence for energy

AI and other technologies are inspiring energy suppliers, transmission and distribution companies, and demand sectors (buildings, industry, transport) to establish new business models to generate, deliver, and consume energy in a more sustainable way.

UNECE established a task force on digitalisation in energy to offer a platform for cross-industry experts from the energy sector and digital innovation to develop a unified voice on digitalisation in energy.

With systemic efficiency in view, the Task Force addresses a broad range of technical topics and policy issues beyond AI, from smart infrastructure and digital demand-side optimisation solutions for buildings also addressing behavioral barriers, to cyber resilience and overall governance of digitalisation in energy, extending activities across all sectors and aligning with the broader mission of UNECE.

Documentation and publications 2020-2025 include:

In 2025, the Task Force advances research on the issues of interoperability and open source, explores the intersection between large-scale digitalisation and environmental sustainability focusing on data centres, launches its regional survey on Digitalisation in Energy, and continues studies and initiatives on the twin transition.

The group found that AI and digitalisation have the potential to reduce residential and commercial buildings’ energy use by as much as 10% globally by 2040 if applied throughout a building’s value chain and life cycle. In particular, applications of AI may help optimise a building’s orientation for solar heat gain and predict power and heat needs, thus increasing overall energy security and maximising the integration of renewable energy sources.

The group also found that AI and digitalisation could help achieve energy savings of at least 10%–20% in the industrial sector (which consumes around 38% of global final energy and produces 24% of greenhouse gasses).

UNECE has partnered with the University of Zürich to develop a beta-mode AI-powered tool (chatenergy.ia) that would offer a real-time interactive compendium of information and data resources on the resilience of energy systems. The platform showed how policymakers could benefit from a cutting-edge tool that could inform their policy decisions by facilitating knowledge management and dissemination capabilities. It could also help identify technology and policy breakthroughs and mobilise financial flows for resilience. The European Investment Bank, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the International Energy Agency, ITU, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the World Bank, and other organisations contributed their knowledge base to support and shape this beta-mode tool. 

Automated driving

Blockchain

UNECE’s subsidiary body UN/CEFACT has been exploring the use of blockchain for trade facilitation. For instance, work carried out within the Blockchain White Paper Project has resulted in two white papers: one looking at the impact of blockchain on the technical standards work of UN/CEFACT and another looking at how blockchain could facilitate trade and related business processes. The ongoing Chain Project is focused on developing a framework/mechanism for the development and implementation of blockchain services infrastructure, and creating a whitepaper on a strategy for the development and implementation of interoperable global blockchain technology infrastructure. Another blockchain-related project looks into the development of a standard on the creation of a cross-border inter-customs ledger using blockchain technology.

Critical infrastructure

UNECE achieved a transformative milestone with regard to cybersecurity in the broad automotive sector with the adoption of UN Regulation No. 155 (Cyber Security and CSMS) and UN Regulation No. 156 (Software Updates).

Before that, cyber risks related to connected vehicles were apparent but not systematically addressed. Security researchers alerted the public to them by revealing various vulnerabilities. There were only narrow standards and guidelines for securing vehicles, such as standards for secure communication among Electronic Control Units (ECUs) and for hardware encryption.

UNECE’s World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (Working Party on Automated/Autonomous and Connected Vehicles (GRVA) WP.29) adopted two important new regulations on cybersecurity and over-the-air software updates and led to the situation where cybersecurity became non-negotiable for securing market access via type approval for those countries applying this regime. GRVA also developed recommendations on uniform provisions concerning cybersecurity and software updates for countries applying the self-certification regime.

Under the 1958 Agreement (binding to 54 countries)

Data governance

UNECE carries out multiple activities of relevance for the area of data governance.

First, its work on trade facilitation also covers data management issues. For example, it has issued a white paper on data pipeline concept for improving data quality in the supply chain and a set of Reference Data Model Guidelines. Several projects carried out in the framework of UNECE’s subsidiary UN/CEFACT also cover data-related issues. Examples include the  Buy-Ship-Pay  Reference Data Model (BSP-RDM), the Supply Chain Reference Data Model (SCRDM), the Multi-Modal Transport Reference Data Model (MMT-RDM), the Cross-border Management Reference Data Model Project (to provide a regulatory reference data model within the UN/CEFACT semantic library in order to assist authorities to link this information to the standards of other organisations), the Sustainable Development and Circular Economy Reference Data Model Project, and the Accounting and Audit Reference Data Model Project.

Second, UNECE has a statistical division, which coordinates international statistical activities between UNECE countries and helps to strengthen, modernise, and harmonise statistical systems under the guidance of the Conference of European Statisticians. Its activities in this area are guided by the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, adopted in 1992 and later endorsed by the ECOSOC and the UNGA. Areas of work include economic statistics, statistics on population, gender and society, statistics related to sustainable development and the environment, and modernisation of official statistics. In 2019, UNECE published a Guidance on Modernizing Statistical Legislation to guide countries through the process of reviewing and revising statistical legislation. The guidance covers issues such as open data, national and international data exchanges, and government data management.

Third, UNECE keeps abreast of external developments (e.g. in Europe or an OECD country) related to challenges related to AI, privacy, and human rights. This is the case, for example, with the activities on transport and automated vehicles. The GRVA is reflecting on the impact of general AI policies in its activities and developed possible ways to add layers in its multi-pillar approach to validate the performance of the Automated Driving System, and therefore to integrate considerations on data management in the context of AI agent training, support features, and functions of automated driving, and collaborate with the automotive sector on this matter.

E-commerce and trade

UNECE’s subsidiary, UN/CEFACT, serves as a focal point (within ECOSOC) for trade facilitation recommendations and electronic business standards, covering both commercial and government business processes. In collaboration with the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS), UNECE developed the Electronic business using eXtensible Mark-up Language (ebXML). Another output of UNECE is represented by the UN rules for Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport (UN/ EDIFACT), which include internationally agreed upon standards, directories, and guidelines for the electronic interchange of structured data between computerised information systems. UNECE has also issued recommendations on issues such as Single Window, electronic commerce agreements, and e-commerce self-regulatory instruments. In addition, UN/CEFACT works on supporting international, regional, and national e-government efforts to improve trade facilitation and e-commerce systems.

Recommendation 33 – Single Window Recommendation

In addition, UN/CEFACT is reviewing its mandates and developing white papers analysing how AI can be used to facilitate trade processes. This includes examining how AI technology could be used to facilitate trade and related processes in the international supply chain including the study of areas such as data privacy, AI-based trade policies, the use of AI in e-Commerce and payments; how existing UN/CEFACT deliverables could be used in AI applications; and possible changes to existing UN/CEFACT deliverables, or new deliverables, that could be considered to support AI trade facilitation applications.

The UNECE Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (WP.6) is currently reviewing the challenges that online marketplaces pose to regulatory agencies at entry into the market. The increase of small parcels each containing a small number of products poses significant challenges to market surveillance agencies in order to ensure that goods entering the market are safe for consumers; WP.6 is currently working on guidance based on best practices in the United Kingdom and other economies to address this issue.CT deliverables, or new deliverables, that could be considered  to support AI trade facilitation applications.

Digital and environment

UNECE’s work in the area of environmental policy covers a broad range of issues, such as air pollution, transboundary water cooperation,  industrial safety,  environmental democracy, the green economy, environmental monitoring and impact assessment, and education for sustainable development. Much of this work is carried out by the Committee on Environmental Policy, which, among other tasks, supports countries in their efforts to strengthen their environmental governance and assesses their efforts to reduce their pollution burden, manage natural resources, and integrate environmental and socio-economic policies. UNECE has put in place an Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Programme to assist member states in working with environmental data and information and enable informed decision-making processes. As part of this programme, it promotes the use of electronic tools for accessing information and knowledge on environmental matters and supports the continued development of a Shared Environmental Information System across the UNECE region. The system is intended to enable countries to connect databases and make environmental data more accessible.

The INForest database offers the most up-to-date source of information about the size of the forest area in the UNECE region, how it has changed over decades, the structure of forests, the goods and services forests provide, as well as their contribution to the economy, society, and the environment.

UNECE has developed policy guidance to support the digital inclusion of older people. In the Rome Ministerial Declaration on Ageing, adopted in June 2022, Ministers pledged to ‘promote age-friendly digitalisation, products and services, and support innovation for the silver economy’.

Recognising the importance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) traceability in achieving SDG 12 and considering the rich body of expertise and standards already available through UNECE, it  broadened the focus of the Team of Specialists (ToS) on sustainable fisheries to ESG traceability of sustainable value chains in the circular economy.

UNECE Environmental Conventions and Protocols (not necessarily covering digital issues directly, but relevant):

Other valuable resources on the environment include:

Sustainable development

UNECE assists countries in its region to address sustainable development challenges (in areas such as environment, connectivity, and urbanisation) through offering policy advice, leveraging its norms, standards, and conventions, and building capacities. It focuses on driving progress towards the following SDGs: good health and well-being (SDG 3), clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), climate action (SDG 13), and life on land (SDG 15). Gender equality (SDG 5) and partnerships (SDG 17) are overarching for all UNECE activities. Activities undertaken by UNECE concerning these SDGs converge under four high-impact areas: sustainable use of natural resources; sustainable and smart cities for all ages; sustainable mobility and smart connectivity; and measuring and monitoring progress towards the SDGs.

UNECE has developed a series of tools and standards to support countries in measuring and monitoring progress towards the SDGs. It has also put in place an Innovation Policy Outlook, which assesses the scope, quality, and performance of policies, institutions, and instruments promoting innovation for sustainable development.

AI in sustainable Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and infrastructure finance

The UNECE launched a new 2-year workstream on the use of AI in Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) for the SDGs. This work will consider the transformative potential of AI in PPP and infrastructure projects by exploring the opportunities and challenges of leveraging AI to advance the SDGs. The UNECE will release a series of forward-looking policy briefs and organise webinars that will discuss key focus areas. In 2025, the following topics will be addressed:

  • Harnessing the power of data in PPPs: opportunities and challenges.
  • Enhancing PPP project identification and planning through AI.  
  • Improving PPP stakeholder engagement and fostering transparency in public consultation using AI. 
  • Transforming PPP financial modelling and investment decision making with AI. 
  • Leveraging AI to optimise the longevity and safety of infrastructure assets.

This workstream was approved by the Working Party on Public-Private Partnerships at its eighth session on 25–26 November 2024.

Privacy and data protection

The World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations has included guidelines on cybersecurity and data protection in its consolidated resolution on the construction of vehicles, including principles of lawful, fair, and transparent processing of personal data: (1) respecting the identity and privacy of the data subject; (2) not discriminating against data subjects based on their personal data; (3) paying attention to the reasonable expectations of the data subjects with regard to the transparency and context of the data processing; (4) maintaining the integrity and trustworthiness of information technology systems and in particular not secretly manipulating data processing; (5) taking into account the benefit of data processing depending on the free flow of data, communication and innovation, as far as data subjects have to respect the processing of personal data with regard to the overriding general public interest; and (6) ensuring the preservation of individual mobility data according to necessity and purpose.

These guidelines were referred to in the Resolution on Data Protection in Automated and Connected Vehicles adopted during the 39th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners, Hong Kong, 25–29 September 2017.

Digital tools

UNECE hosts several portals, applications, and digitalised conventions.

eTIR International System Application

The Customs Convention on the International Transport of Goods under Cover of TIR (Transports Internationaux Routiers) Carnets (TIR Convention, 1975) is one of the most successful international transport conventions. It is the only universal customs transit system in existence.

The TIR system, used by over 34,000 transport and logistics companies in its 77 contracting parties, has already reduced cross-border transport time by up to 80%, and costs by up to 38%. The eTIR international system aims to ensure the secure exchange of data between national customs systems related to the international transit of goods, vehicles, or containers according to the provisions of the TIR Convention and to allow customs to manage the data on guarantees, issued by guarantee chains to holders authorised to use the TIR system.

ITDB: International TIR Data Bank

The ITDB is an international online repository of information for all those authorised by contracting parties to use the TIR procedure. It is an integral part of the eTIR International system since only users approved in the ITDB can use the eTIR system. The main goal of the ITDB is to foster the exchange of information between competent authorities of contracting parties and national associations.

eCPD

The Carnet de Passages en Douane (CPD) system (i.e. a passport card for your vehicle) facilitates the temporary importation of private and commercial vehicles. The CPD system is based on two international conventions: the 1954 Customs Convention on the Temporary Importation of Private Road Vehicles and the 1956 Customs Convention on the Temporary Importation of Commercial Road Vehicles. Hosted by UNECE, the conventions combined have 96 contracting parties. Work has started to prepare the appropriate amendments to the 1954 and 1956 conventions describing the eCPD; prepare the high-level architecture, including the concepts and functional and technical specifications of the future eCPD application; and develop the eCPD system based on these specifications.

eCMR

The eCMR is based on the provisions of the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR) (1956) and especially on the provisions of the Additional Protocol to CMR Concerning the Electronic Consignment Note (2008). UNECE, which administers the CMR Convention, has been mandated by governments to administer the eCMR protocol and to establish a formal group of experts on the operationalisation of the eCMR procedure.

PIERS online platform

The PIERS online platform is a publicly available digital tool accessible to governments and other stakeholders, enabling them to assess the sustainability of their Public-Private Partnerships and infrastructure projects, using the UNECE PPP and Infrastructure Evaluation and Rating System (PIERS). The PIERS methodology establishes a set of core sustainable indicators deriving from the SDGs, ensuring that PPP and infrastructure projects create ‘value for people’ and ‘value for the planet’, with a focus on the world’s most vulnerable.

Digital visualisation

International Transport Infrastructure Observatory (ITIO)

The observatory will be developed on a geographic information systems (GIS) platform with three main pillars of services: it offers an electronic repository of UNECE inland transport conventions, an innovative tool to finance transport infrastructure, and a way to promote sustainable regional and interregional connectivity.

ITIO GIS Platform

Climate Change Adaptation and Transport Infrastructure Tool – The ITIO GIS platform assists in the analysis of possible future impacts of climate change on transport networks. The tool enables experts to identify sections of transport networks potentially exposed to the effects of climate change.

Digital enabler

SITCIN: Sustainable Inland Transport Connectivity Indicators tool

The SITCIN tool allows countries to measure their degree of transport connectivity, both domestically and bilaterally/sub-regionally, as well as in terms of soft and hard infrastructure.

UNECE Dashboard of SDG Indicators

UNECE digital tools facilitating access to statistical information:

UNECE online platforms and observatories gather updates and policy resources to help member states respond to the COVID-19 crisis:

Social media channels

Facebook @UNECE

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Instagram @un_ece

LinkedIn @ United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

X @UNECE

YouTube @UNECE

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United Nations Institute for Training and Research

UNITAR was created in 1963 to train and equip diplomats from newly independent UN member states with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the diplomatic environment.

Over the years, UNITAR has acquired unique expertise and experience in designing and delivering a variety of training activities. It has become a leading institute in the provision of customized, creative learning solutions to institutions and individuals from both the public and private sectors.

UNITAR provides training and capacity development activities to assist mainly developing countries, with special attention to least developed countries (LDCs), small island developing states (SIDS), and other groups and communities who are most vulnerable, including those in conflict situations.

In 2020, UNITAR provided learning, training, and knowledge-sharing services to 322,410 individuals, representing a 142% increase from 2019 figures. This increase is attributed largely to the continued delivery of the introductory e-Learning course on climate change administered in partnership with agencies of the One UN Climate Change Learning Partnership, and due to many programmes turning to online offers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the learning-related beneficiaries, 78% came from developing countries, of which 15% are LDCs and SIDS.

Digital activities

Of UNITAR’s activities, in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic-related travel and physical meeting restrictions, approximately 80% of events were delivered online, as compared to 38% in 2019. Most of UNITAR’s face-to-face activities take place in field locations, and the remainder are conducted from UNITAR’s headquarters in Geneva and through its out-posted offices in New York City and Hiroshima.

Digital policy issues

Artificial intelligence

UNITAR’s work is driven by its programmatic divisions, of which some have made extensive use of artificial intelligence (AI). UNITAR’s Satellite Center (UNOSAT) and its Rapid Mapping Service first introduced AI-based methods (UNOSAT FloodAI) during the rainy season in the Asia-Pacific region with a targeted focus on countries affected by the southwest monsoon season from June to September 2020. It was in that context, in July 2020, that an AI algorithm became operational for the first time following a request by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) after heavy monsoon rains around the Brahmaputra River and in the Sylher district in Bangladesh. Going forward, UNOSAT intends to further develop AI applications for rapid mapping by focusing on the user experience and scaling up how it monitors flood-prone areas. This entails further training for the machines and automatic communication between the AI algorithm outputs (disaster maps) and the visualization dashboard developed by UNOSAT.

UNITAR’s Division for Prosperity looks at AI and several emerging technologies such as blockchain and augmented reality, and considers their impact on individuals, societies, and inclusive and sustainable economic growth. One example is its Frontier Technologies for Sustainable Development: Unlocking Women’s Entrepreneurship through Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Afghanistan and Iraq course.

Cybersecurity

UNITAR tackles cybersecurity issues through education and training activities, as well as events. Its training and education activities cover areas such as cybersecurity, cyberwarfare, cyber operations and human rights, digital diplomacy, and broader capacity building initiatives (e.g. e-workshops and the ‘in-focus series’). Particular courses and workshops include Digital Diplomacy and Cybersecurity, Diplomacy 4.0, the In-Focus Series on International Humanitarian Law and Cyberwarfare, as well as the Cybersecurity and Information Technology Series.

Intellectual property law and data governance

UNITAR also covers copyright, patent, and trademark issues in courses such as the Introduction to International Intellectual Property Law, which considers the role of intellectual property in the modern economy, while examining the fundamentals of copyright protection and patent law in the international community.

Furthermore, UNITAR tackles issues related more broadly to data governance (e.g. official statistics, data governance, communities and partnerships, and the data value chain) through massive online open courses (MOOCs) such as the Introduction to Data Governance for Monitoring the SDGs, which analyses effective data governance systems for monitoring progress in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and explores how to manage data-related partnerships, capabilities, and resources in the context of the SDGs.

Capacity development

Being one of the UN’s main training organizations, most of UNITAR’s activities fall in the category of capacity development.

UNITAR offers online, face-to-face, and blended-format courses for both institutions and individuals. Since the launch of its 2018–21 strategic framework and extended through its current 2022–25 strategic framework, its work is guided by strategic objectives organized around four thematic pillars of the 2030 Agenda, namely Peace, People, Planet, and Prosperity, in addition to the cross-cutting divisions on Multilateral Diplomacy and Satellite Analysis and Applied Research (UNOSAT) as well as the health-focused Defeat-NCD Partnership. Some of the division’s capacity-building and training programmes cover internet- and digital-policy-related areas, such as privacy and data protection, cybersecurity, and cybercrime, new emerging technologies (blockchain, AI, and augmented reality), and digital diplomacy.

UNITAR also offers a wide range of Master’s programmes and graduate certificates related to diplomacy, peace and security, human rights, and humanitarian interventions.

Furthermore, UNITAR organizes special events such as the Geneva Lecture Series, which consists of open lectures that are held on a regular basis at the Palais des Nations in Geneva to raise awareness of specific global challenges and deepen and broaden the participation of citizens and civil society.

Privacy and data protection

Privacy and data protection are two interrelated internet governance issues. Data protection is a legal mechanism that ensures privacy, while privacy is a fundamental human right. UNITAR deals with legal mechanisms ensuring data protection and privacy in numerous courses and events. One example is the course on Introduction to Privacy and Data Protection Law (2020), where different legal mechanisms that protect privacy worldwide are analyzed in depth.

Digital tools

UNITAR offers its training and courses through its e-learning platform as well as a number of different online platforms that provide users with tools and resources in specific thematic areas.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, UNITAR published a number of resources on online learning and online event management addressing how to make online events more inclusive, or to turn face-to-face into online events, designing learning events and online facilitation cards.

Social media channels

Facebook @UNITARHQ

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Instagram @unitarhq

LinkedIn @UNITARHQ

X @UNITAR

YouTube @UNITAR

UN International Computing Centre

The United Nations International Computing Centre (UNICC) is the largest strategic partner for common, trusted, and cyber secure digital foundations across the entire UN system. Through state-of-the-art ICT infrastructure, digital tools, cybersecurity, cloud, data and AI solutions, UNICC promotes progress toward a more connected, secure, and sustainable UN.

With over 50 years of experience, UNICC supports the digital transformation and future of the UN family and other international organisations, delivering scalable and innovative solutions through a cost-effective and shared services model. This approach empowers our partners and clients to accelerate the adoption of required technologies to better serve global needs.

Digital activities

UNICC provides the digital foundations that support the digital transformation and future of the UN system and other international organisations.

These digital foundations consist of a comprehensive, modular, and integrated set of secure, scalable, and adaptable technology, infrastructure, tools, platforms, and services that underpin and support digital transformation and digital-native initiatives. They provide a robust yet flexible blueprint for implementing digitalisation across the UN and international organisations.

UNICC is committed to accelerating the UN’s digital transformation in alignment with UN 2.0 and promoting digital-native processes and solutions. Impactful solutions must be built on strong and secure digital foundations, designed and governed by principles and structures unique to the UN ecosystem.

Digital policy issues and tools

UNICC has over 50 years of experience in ICT, digital, and cybersecurity services. As the largest digital strategic partner for the UN system, UNICC designs and deploys transformational digital tools and programmes to support over 100 UN and international organisations in fulfilling their mandates. Its model maximises the shared services approach and generates economies of scale to benefit its partners. UNICC has been the go-to strategic partner for digital business solutions for UN programmes, funds and entities since its inception.

UNICC offers a full range of services and solutions built upon industry best practices, international standards, and documented business processes subject to a Continuous Process Improvement cycle. The unique business environment of UNICC requires a workforce that is versatile and skilled in deploying and supporting diverse technologies. It demands knowledgeable staff who are familiar with UN goals, ethics, regulations, business, and technology environments.

Artificial intelligence 

A dynamic hub of resources for efficient and responsible AI deployment

AI presents a significant opportunity to modernise and streamline the United Nations system, enhancing its capacity to address critical global challenges. By leveraging AI, the UN family can strengthen and improve its support to Member States, ultimately driving greater efficiency, better results, and accelerated progress toward the SDGs. The UNICC AI Hub offers expertise, resources, and a collaborative environment to advance AI initiatives across the UN system and other international organisations. It operates in alignment with UN standards, principles, and ethical frameworks to ensure the responsible use of AI. 

The AI Hub will connect the UN system with cutting-edge AI technologies and key leaders in the AI sector. UNICC is cultivating strategic partnerships with a diverse range of stakeholders – including leading technology providers, academia, governments, and technology-focused foundations—to enhance support for its partners and clients in AI deployment. In that regard, SandboxAQ, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services have joined the UNICC AI Hub as technical partners.

UNICC and Humane Intelligence have also joined forces to develop AI governance tools and infrastructure for the efficient and responsible deployment of AI within the UN system. This partnership aims to create a structured approach for assessing the societal impact of AI models, establish a foundational AI governance framework, and promote sustainable AI solutions globally. 

UnifyHR: GenAI transforming HR operations across the UN family

In a significant leap forward for HR operations within the United Nations, various UN agencies have collaborated to develop and deploy UNifyHR, an advanced Generative AI tool to streamline human resources (HR) operations and policy management. Initially conceptualised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), this tool benefits from the technical support and development expertise of the UNICC and the participation of 13 UN agencies: IAEA, ICAO, IOM, ITU, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNOPS, UNRWA, UN Women, and WFP.

The UNifyHR Chatbot is powered by advanced Generative AI technology and offers HR operations teams rapid, multilingual access to critical HR policy information from across the participating UN organisations. This innovative tool leverages cutting-edge AI capabilities to simplify the retrieval of complex policy data, enabling HR professionals to respond more quickly and accurately to inquiries. The result is enhanced productivity and better data-driven decision-making, aligning with the UN’s broader goals of improving institutional effectiveness and digital transformation efforts.

UNDP’s AIDA portal 

Artificial Intelligence powers UNDP’s Evaluation Office solutions

Independent evaluation offices play a major role in gleaning and sharing years of evaluation knowledge and experience for UN agency programme delivery. This is never an easy task. Finding valuable information is time-consuming, methodical, and often manual, with multiple sources and document types to process.

In partnership with UNICC and Amazon Web Services, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched AIDA 2.0 (Artificial Intelligence for Development Analytics), with new analytical capabilities in 2023. This cutting-edge solution streamlines the scanning of more than 6,000 evaluation reports to understand keywords, context, and intent using AI capabilities, returning meaningful answers to complex questions. New features include sentiment analysis, pattern detection, topic modelling and summarisation, and data visualisation.

With UNICC’s support, UNDP’s AIDA portal is accessible to Evaluation Office staff who want to learn from past evaluations to improve programme design and delivery, offering an innovative solution to search, find, and share lessons learned and build on successes from country programmes worldwide.

UN Digital ID

UN Digital ID to provide the UN workforce with a universal, easy-to-use, system-wide identity

UN Digital ID is a unique identity for each UN staff member, from onboarding to retirement. Having a unique identification across the UN system not only reduces data fragmentation and duplication but also simplifies and streamlines processes and transactions across all business functions between staff and organisations, and among UN organisations themselves. As a data exchange platform, UN Digital ID will allow staff from participating organisations to share any of their HR and related information with complete visibility, consent, and security.

UN Digital ID is part of UN 2.0, the UN Secretary-General’s push to achieve an efficient and data-driven transformation. 

Cloud computing 

UNIQCloud – A secure private cloud environment for the UN system

UNIQCloud is a private cloud solution specifically designed for the UN system and other international organisations. UNIQCloud is built on open-source technology using the OpenStack platform, ensuring end-to-end transparency, flexibility and accountability.

UNIQCloud features include multi tenancy for efficient resource utilisation, on-demand access, and continuous improvement, as well as agility, resilience, scalability, and security. It was developed using energy-efficient practices and carbon offsets in line with the Greening the Blue initiative.

UNIQCloud is designed to enhance and complement diverse cloud models adopted by UN entities and provide support for business continuity strategies. It offers pricing stability and predictable terms governed by UNICC’s Management Committee. 

Cybersecurity

A cyber secure digital environment for the UN family

UNICC’s cybersecurity services cover oversight, governance, and threat intelligence sharing, as well as advisory services and a spectrum of programmatic and operational components. UNICC Cybersecurity has grown its global programme to serve over 50 UN partners and international organisations since its inception in 2017. 

Services range from the Common Secure Threat Intelligence Network of over 40 UN organisations to maturity assessments, ISO certification support, SOC and SIEM support, as well as security incident response and forensics, business continuity management, and industry-standard operational processes.

UNICC is certified with ISO 27001 and was awarded a 2020 and 2017 CSO 50 Award for its Common Secure Information Security services, demonstrating outstanding business value and thought leadership. 

The Cybersecurity Fund for the UN System

Bolstering cyber-resilience across the UN family

UNICC’s Cybersecurity Fund (CSF) is a direct action to address the recommendations made by the UN Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and is designed to complement UNICC’s capacity as the UN system’s ‘Cyber Hub’, developing and offering shared services and solutions to enhance the UN cybersecurity posture. Over the next several years, the CSF will be supported by voluntary contributions from Member States to provide a dedicated stream of

funding for critical cybersecurity functions, achieving a baseline standard of security and capabilities, aligned with UN system-wide priorities and best practices.

International Criminal Investigations

Innovative technology and partnerships for international criminal investigations

The United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL (UNITAD) partnered with UNICC and Microsoft to support advanced data management for accountability in UNITAD criminal investigations, with UNICC offering Microsoft Azure hosting services, development, data and analytics, and cognitive services.

UNICC Data and Analytics, Application Development, and Cloud Infrastructure teams supported the collection, preservation, and storage of evidence in the form of images, audio, video, and digital text files that have been recovered from sources in the field. This solution streamlines evidence in independent criminal proceedings to hold members of ISIL accountable for the crimes they may have committed.

The partnership helps UNITAD fulfil its mandate in a more efficient and cost-effective manner by creating new business opportunities for UNICC clients and partner organisations to leverage for similar challenges with this innovative technology.

Social media channels

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LinkedIn @UNICC

Twitter @unicc_ict

YouTube @UN International Computing Centre

United Nations Trade and Development

UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is a UN body dedicated to supporting developing countries in accessing the benefits of a globalised economy more fairly and effectively. It provides analysis, facilitates consensus-building, and offers technical assistance, thus helping countries use trade, investment, finance, and technology to support inclusive and sustainable development.

UNCTAD also works to facilitate and measure progress towards achieving the SDGs, through a wide range of activities in areas such as technology and innovation, trade, investment, environment, transport and logistics, and the digital economy. It places special emphasis on supporting the most vulnerable developing countries, including least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), small island developing states (SIDS), and African countries to build resilience to economic shocks and to achieve structural economic transformation.

UNCTAD’s work often results in analyses, statistics, and recommendations that inform national and international policymaking processes, and contribute to promoting economic policies aimed at ending global economic inequalities and generating human-centric sustainable development.

Digital activities

UNCTAD is particularly active in the field of e-commerce, digital trade, and the digital economy, carrying out a wide range of activities from research and analysis to providing assistance to member states in developing adequate legislative and regulatory frameworks and facilitating international dialogue on the development opportunities and challenges associated with the digital economy.

UNCTAD also works to facilitate and measure progress towards achieving the SDGs, particularly through (but not limited to) its activities in the field of STI for development. Consumer protection online, gender equality, digital business and trade facilitation, and privacy and data protection are other relevant policy areas where UNCTAD is active.

Digital policy issues

Data governance

As data has become a key resource in the digital economy, data governance is a fundamental part of the work of UNCTAD. This is illustrated, for example, in the research and analysis work of the Digital Economy Report 2019, which focused on the role of data as the source of value in the digital economy and how it is created and captured and the Digital Economy Report 2021, which analysed cross-border data flows and development. Moreover, some of UNCTAD’s work on e-commerce and digital trade touches specifically on privacy and data protection issues. For instance, the eCommerce and Law Reform work dedicated to supporting developing countries in their efforts to establish adequate legal frameworks for e-commerce also covers data protection and privacy among the key issues addressed. The Global Cyberlaw Tracker offers information on data protection laws in UNCTAD member States.

Also relevant for data governance discussions is UNCTAD’s work on statistics, as the organisation collects and analyses a wide range of data and statistics on issues such as economic trends, international trade, investment, development, and the digital economy. UNCTAD’s statistical capacity development activities help countries enhance their statistical and data infrastructures and often address issues of data governance, such as statistical confidentiality, access to data, and privacy protection. UNCTAD also contributes actively to global work to enhance data governance in statistics and beyond and to develop universal principles to guide the collection, dissemination, use, and storage of data.

UNCTAD makes its data and statistics available as open-source in the UNCTAD Data Hub and the UNCTADstat data centre. Statistics underpin UNCTAD’s analytical work and are featured in many publications. The UNCTAD Handbook of Statistics disseminates key messages from UNCTAD’s statistics, including infographics, and UNCTAD’s SDG Pulse offers statistical information on developments related to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  To provide timely information on the global economy and trade, UNCTAD Statistics publishes a weekly Trade and Economy Nowcast.

UNCTAD is also running several projects focused on improving the efficiency of data management, (for example, by supporting customs operations with the Automated System for Customs Data). UNCTAD’s own statistical activities are governed by the UNCTAD Statistics Quality Assurance Framework, which is aligned with principles governing international statistical activities.

At the 2024 annual session of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD), countries agreed to create a dedicated working group within the CSTD to engage in comprehensive and inclusive multistakeholder dialogue on fundamental principles of data governance at all levels, as relevant for development under the auspices of the UN. See also the dedicated web page on the CSTD.

E-commerce and trade

UNCTAD’s work programme on e-commerce and the digital economy (ECDE Programme) encompasses several research and analysis, consensus-building, and technical assistance activities, as follows:

Research and analysis

UNCTAD conducts research and analysis on e-commerce and the digital economy and their implications for trade and development. These are mainly presented in its flagship publication, the Digital Economy Report (formerly known as the Information Economy Report), and in its Technical Notes on ICT for Development. The Technology and Innovation Report, another flagship publication, highlights the need to build science, technology, and innovation capabilities as prerequisites to enable developing countries and LDCs to adopt and adapt frontier technologies, including digital technologies.

UNCTAD has published the Digital Economy Report 2024 titled ‘Shaping an environmentally sustainable and inclusive digital future’ that focuses on the environmental sustainability aspects of digitalisation. The report highlights that digital technology and infrastructure depend heavily on raw materials, with production and disposal of devices and growing water and energy needs taking an increasing toll on the planet. It notes that the production and use of digital devices, data centres and ICT networks account for an estimated 6% to 12% of global electricity use. The report also highlights the negative environmental impacts of bitcoin mining.

The report identifies that developing countries bear the brunt of the environmental costs of digitalisation while reaping fewer benefits – exporting low value-added raw materials and importing high value-added devices, along with increasing digital waste. UNCTAD is now advocating for a global shift towards a circular digital economy, focusing on circularity by design through durable products, responsible consumption, reuse and recycling, and sustainable business models.

UNCTAD has published data showing business e-commerce sales grew nearly 60% from 2016 to 2022, reaching $27 trillion (based on data from 43 countries). UNCTAD is highlighting concerns about digital waste, noting that waste from screens and small IT equipment rose 30% between 2010 and 2022.

UNCTAD has published the Technology and Innovation Report 2023, which analyses the market size of 17 green and frontier technologies, such as AI, the IoT and electric vehicles, and their potential to spur economic growth in developing countries. The Technology and Innovation Report 2025: Inclusive Artificial Intelligence for Development explores ways for countries to strategically position themselves to take advantage of the opportunities offered by AI.

UNCTAD has published research on distributed ledger technologies (DLTs), examining their potential to revolutionise economic and data transactions, including applications beyond cryptocurrency in areas such as trade facilitation.

Consensus building on e-commerce and digital economy policies

UNCTAD’s Intergovernmental Group of Experts on E-commerce and the Digital Economy meets regularly to discuss ways to strengthen the development dimension of e-commerce and the digital economy. The group’s meetings are usually held in conjunction with UNCTAD eWeek – a biennial event, fostering multistakeholder dialogue on the development opportunities and challenges associated with the digital economy.

UNCTAD serves as a knowledge partner to the deliberations of the G20 Digital Economy Working Group, as well as to the BRICS Digital Economy Working Group.

Under the auspices of the CSTD, UNCTAD provides substantive work on the follow-up to WSIS – a unique UN summit that was initiated to create an evolving multistakeholder platform to address the issues raised by information and communications technologies (ICTs) through a structured and inclusive approach at the national, regional, and international levels. See also the dedicated section on the CSTD in this Atlas.

UNCTAD hosted the eWeek 2023 with the theme ‘Shaping the future of the digital economy’. UNCTAD supports the GDC process through its e-commerce and digital economy programme. 

eTrade Readiness Assessments and strategy formulation

About 40 eTrade Readiness Assessments (eT Readies) have been conducted to assist LDCs and other developing countries in understanding their e-commerce readiness in key policy areas to better engage in and benefit from e-commerce. The assessments provide specific policy recommendations to overcome identified barriers and bottlenecks to growth and enjoy the benefits of digital trade.

UNCTAD’s work on E-commerce Strategies Development helps countries to elaborate e-commerce strategies on the basis of comprehensive assessments, most often an eTrade Readiness Assessment. Policy advice is offered to partner countries as well as regional bodies that are requesting assistance in building and maintaining a dynamic and inclusive e-commerce ecosystem that can support sustainable development gains.

Legal frameworks for e-commerce

UNCTAD’s e-commerce and law reform work helps to develop an understanding of the legal issues underpinning e-commerce through a series of capacity-building workshops for policymakers at the national and regional levels. Concrete actions include assistance in establishing domestic and regional legal regimes to enhance trust in online transactions, regional studies on cyber laws harmonisation, and the global mapping of e-commerce legislation through its Global Cyberlaw Tracker.

Measuring the e-commerce and digital economy

UNCTAD’s work on measuring e-commerce and digital economy includes statistical data collection and the development of methodology, as well as linking statistics and policy through the Working Group on Measuring E-commerce and the Digital Economy, established by the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on E-Commerce and the Digital Economy. Figures are published in the biennial Digital Economy Report and the UNCTADstat Data Centre. Technical cooperation here aims to strengthen the capacity of national statistical systems to produce better, more reliable, and internationally comparable statistics on the following issues: ICT use by enterprises, size and composition of the ICT sector, and e-commerce and international trade in ICT-enabled services. To support statistical compilers in their efforts to measure digital trade, the IMF-OECD-UNCTAD-WTO Handbook on Measuring Digital Trade was published. A Task Group on Measuring E-commerce Value (TG-eCOM) under the Working Group on measuring e-commerce and the digital economy, works on developing internationally agreed guidelines on measuring the value of e-commerce transactions.

Smart partnerships through eTrade for all

The eTrade for all initiative is a global collaborative effort of 35 partners to scale up cooperation, transparency, and aid efficiency towards more inclusive e-commerce.  Its main tool is an online platform (etradeforall.org), a knowledge-sharing and information hub that facilitates access to a wide range of information and resources on e-commerce and the digital economy. It offers a gateway for matching the suppliers of technical assistance with those in need. Beneficiaries can connect with potential partners and learn about trends, best practices, up-to-date e-commerce indicators, and upcoming events, all in one place. The initiative also acts as a catalyst for partnership among its members for increased synergies. This collaboration has concretely translated into the participation of several partners as key contributors to the various UNCTAD eWeek organised by UNCTAD and in the conduct and peer review of eTrade Readiness Assessments.

Empowering women digital entrepreneurs: eTrade for Women

The eTrade for Women initiative works at the junction of gender, technology and entrepreneurship to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in an increasingly digital economy and society. It combines the opportunities offered by digitalisation with the transformative power of female entrepreneurship to advance decent work and economic growth and promote social cohesion in developing countries.  The strategy of eTrade for Women relies on a ‘domino effect’ and leverages women-led digital SMEs to inspire and empower a larger group of successful female entrepreneurs and shape more gender-inclusive digital economies. In collaboration with the eTrade for Women Advocates, a small group of influential women leaders in the digital sector, the initiative raises the profiles of successful women digital entrepreneurs, helps to change stereotypes and brings their perspectives to the forefront of policy making on e-commerce and the digital economy for development.

ECDE Programme interventions are funded by a dozen funding partners, with about two-thirds of the extra-budgetary resources provided by five core donors – namely Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Consumer protection

Consumer protection and competition are jointly addressed in the work of UNCTAD.

Through its Competition and Consumer Policies Programme, UNCTAD works to assist countries in improving their competition and consumer protection policies. It provides a forum for intergovernmental deliberations on these issues; undertakes research, policy analysis and data collection; and provides technical assistance to developing countries. The Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy monitors the implementation of the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection, and carries out research and provides technical assistance on consumer protection issues (including in the context of e-commerce and the digital economy). UNCTAD’s work programme on consumer protection is guided, among others, by the UN Conference of Competition and Consumer Protection (held every five years).

Given the significant imbalances in market power in the digital economy, competition policy is becoming increasingly relevant for developing countries. UNCTAD addresses this issue in the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Competition Law and Policy.

UNCTAD also runs the Research Partnership Platform on Competition and Consumer Protection, aimed at contributing to the development of best practices in the formulation and implementation of competition and consumer protection laws and policies.

UNCTAD serves as co-lead of the One Planet Network ‒ Consumer Information for Sustainable Consumption and Production Programme, along with the German government and Consumers International, which implements and supports projects, undertakes research, identifies and encourages policies, and provides collaboration opportunities for anyone looking to engage and assist consumers in sustainable consumption.

Creative economy

The UNCTAD Creative Economy Programme recognises the importance of cultural and creative industries and their contribution to the global economy. UNCTAD is mandated to conduct research and policy analysis, consensus-building, and technical cooperation.

The increased digitalisation of creative goods and services heavily influences this vibrant sector. The Creative Industry 4.0 report looks at the implications for the creative economy of the rapid changes in automated technology and advanced internet communication that came to be known as Industry 4.0. Using a sustainable development lens, the report looks at economic and social development opportunities driven by digitalisation and advanced technologies for developing countries.

UNCTAD supports countries in measuring the economic contribution of their creative economy and developing appropriate policies for an increasingly digitalised environment. 

Sustainable development

UNCTAD works to facilitate and measure progress towards achieving the SDGs. It is a custodian agency and partner for nine SDG indicators related to trade, tariffs, development finance, debt, investment, illicit finance, and enterprise sustainability. This entails a global responsibility for UNCTAD to develop concepts and methods to track progress with these indicators, and to support member States in strengthening their capacity to measure and analyse progress to effectively target policy efforts towards meeting the SDGs. UNCTAD releases data-driven analyses on progress towards the SDGs in the areas of trade, development, investment, finance, and technology, including ICTs and digital trade in its annual SDG Pulse online publication.

UNCTAD’s work to facilitate and measure progress towards the SDGs includes (but is not limited to) activities in the field of STI for development. The organisation supports countries in their efforts to integrate STI in national development strategies, through initiatives such as Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Reviews and capacity-building programmes (such as the Innovation Policy Learning Programme). UNCTAD’s Investment Policy Framework for Sustainable Development provides guidance for policymakers in formulating national investment policies and in negotiating investment agreements. The organisation is also part of the Toolbox for Financing for SDGs – a platform launched in 2018 at the initiative of the President of the UNGA to assist countries and financial actors in exploring solutions to the challenges of financing the SDGs.

UNCTAD’s Productive Capacities Index (PCI) is a dynamic and practical tool to support developing countries in understanding the status of their productive capacity and how this can be improved. It builds on UNCTAD’s long-standing work on productive capacities essential for generating inclusive and sustained economic growth and achieving sustainable development. The PCI covers 194 economies for the period 2000‒2022. The set of productive capacities and their specific combinations are mapped across 42 indicators. This makes our PCI multidimensional in its analytical abilities. 

The index can help diagnose areas where countries may be leading or falling behind, spotlighting where policies are working and where corrective efforts are needed. It suggests a roadmap for future policy actions and interventions under each of its eight components: human capital, natural capital, energy, ICTs, structural change, transport, institutions, and the private sector.

It was developed in response to the ECOSOC resolution (E/RES/2017/29) encouraging UNCTAD ‘to pursue its methodological work to measure progress in and identify obstacles to the development of productive capacities in developing countries’. 

The PCI has been peer-reviewed and validated at national and regional levels by leading technical experts across the UN system, as well as by academics and government stakeholders. Stakeholders in select countries have been trained in how to use the index in their development policymaking processes. UNCTAD stands ready to conduct more training sessions at the request of countries.

Other UNCTAD activities designed to contribute to sustainable development cover issues such as climate change, the circular economy, and intellectual property, with a focus on the most vulnerable developing countries, including SIDS, LDCs, LLDCs, and African countries.

Capacity development

Many activities undertaken by UNCTAD have a capacity development dimension. For instance, its work on e-commerce and trade includes supporting developing countries in establishing adequate legal frameworks in these areas (e.g. its eCommerce and Law Reform work) and in producing statistics that can guide effective policymaking (e.g. Measuring e-commerce and the Digital Economy activities, the Productive Capacities Index and e-commerce Strategies). UNCTAD’s e-Learning on Trade platform provides courses and training on issues such as trade, gender, and development and non-tariff measures in trade.

The TRAINFORTRADE programme has launched a project on blended learning strategy to boost the digital economy in SIDS. The project is structured to encompass the legal aspects of e-commerce, digital economy statistics, and digital identity for trade and development.

UNCTAD also works to build capacity in STI policymaking in developing countries, through initiatives such as the Innovation Policy Learning Programme and STI training provided in the context of the P166 programme.

Additionally, UNCTAD’s Virtual Institute – run in cooperation with universities worldwide – is dedicated to building knowledge for trade and development. Another area where UNCTAD provides capacity building for developing countries is that of statistics: The organisation and its partners assist national statistics organisations in the collection, compilation, and dissemination of their statistics in domains such as trade, sustainable development, and investments.

Gender rights

UNCTAD runs a Trade, Gender, and Development programme dedicated to assisting countries in developing and implementing gender-sensitive trade policies, conducting gender impact analyses of trade policies and agreements, and strengthening the links between trade and gender. One notable initiative is the eTrade for Women initiative, dedicated to advancing the empowerment of women through ICTs.

UNCTAD works to strengthen countries’ capacity to develop and use gender-relevant statistics to inform trade policy. In 2018, UNCTAD developed a conceptual framework to measure gender and trade to support policymakers and national statistics offices in assessing gender equality in international trade and reviewing existing data in this field. Guided by this framework, UNCTAD is working on a project with the economic commissions for Africa (ECA) and Europe (ECE) to strengthen the capacity of interested countries in Africa, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia to develop and use statistics for more gender-responsive trade policy and to inform the analysis of the gendered impacts of COVID-19 through trade. A pilot in Georgia provided new gender-in-trade indicators for trade policy by reusing existing data; work in four additional countries is ongoing in Africa. This work has given the basis for preparing compilation guidelines on gender and trade statistics to help scale up this work globally. UNCTAD also leads a work stream to include gender equality and inclusiveness considerations in the update of the United Nations Trade Statistics manuals used by all countries globally.

Other initiatives undertaken in this area include capacity building on trade and gender, the Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM): Changing the Narrative Dialogues, and the project Data and Statistics for More Gender Responsive Trade Policies in Africa, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Within its analytical work on trade and gender, in a policy review, UNCTAD analysed the implications of e-commerce for women small entrepreneurs in developing countries. The study is addressed to a variety of stakeholders, but especially policymakers, to provide guidance on how to design policies and measures that enhance women’s beneficial participation in the economy by leveraging e-commerce.

Through its online courses on trade and gender, UNCTAD bridges knowledge gaps in the links between trade policy and gender equality and women’s economic empowerment. With around 2,000 alumni from 180 countries, this online capacity-building initiative remains a particularly effective and inclusive tool to enhance knowledge in a still relatively new field of trade policy.

Digital tools

eGovernment portals

UNCTAD’s easy-to-use digital government platforms enable civil servants to quickly build online public-facing services so their governments can deliver on and mobilise funding for climate, jobs, environment, health, food, and other SDGs. Service delivery can include registering carbon emitters and removers as part of the Paris Agreement; delivering certificates of incorporation and business permits in hours, not weeks; tracking extended producer responsibility; simplifying the delivery of production permits for vaccines and pharmaceuticals; helping farmers access key government services; and much more.

Civil servants use the intuitive drag-and-drop system to create online public services. They don’t require any prior IT knowledge or equipment. It works for any service in any ministry and is compatible with existing digital IDs and government websites to ensure a seamless user experience. 

The system is quickly scalable. Civil servants have access to the Digital Government Academy and can train colleagues to develop digital services across ministries and governments while avoiding the costs, timelines, consultants, and complexities traditionally associated with digital government projects. 

Detailed data generated by these systems show important increases in access to public services by demographics such as young people, women, and rural populations. Governments use this data to fine-tune delivery.

Additional digital tools and online platforms:

Many of UNCTAD’s publications are released as digital publications only.

Social media channels

Facebook @UNCTAD

Flickr @UNCTAD

Instagram @unctad

LinkedIn @UNCTAD

Twitter @UNCTADYouTube @UNCTADOnline


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