The Climate Chain Coalition (CCC), a multistakeholder network focused on advancing distributed ledger technology and related digital solutions (e.g. IoT, big data) to address climate response for mitigation and adaptation, released its stocktake report at COP27, Egypt. The document presents a review of the CCC members, showing their priorities for different types of applications, issues/sectors, stakeholders and target users, among other indicators. The data reveals, for example, that although 15 members have blockchain products commercially available, a significant number of members (97) are still researching the use of blockchain.
To continue promoting the CCC membership and partnership, the network launched a new strategy to enhance cooperation among members and other partners, deploy digital solutions, and encourage co-creation and co-leadership to build data and digital infrastructure through Climate Chain Labs to accelerate innovations for climate action.
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) launched the Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) initiative to support global efforts to detect and act on major methane emissions sources. Established as part of UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory strategy, MARS is a satellite-based system designed to detect emissions of methane and alert governments, companies, and operators so they can take rapid mitigation action.
Findings of the ‘Farmers and Digitalisation’ survey reveal that there is already intensive use of digital technologies on farms to reduce fertiliser use, optimise water use, and improve soil health. Although farmers are willing to continue to invest in digital tools, they face a number of barriers to doing so, mainly related to the cost and availability of devices and lack of connectivity.
In the view of farmers, greater government support is needed to promote the digitisation of farms and overcome these barriers. Support is not limited to increasing access to the internet, but also involves providing training and capacity development, as well as subsidies and inventions for the adoption of digital solutions.
The survey conducted by Savanta ComRes and commissioned by Vodafone Group interviewed farmers from 13 countries in Europe and Africa about their perspectives on digital farming, environmental challenges, and current geopolitical and socio-economic pressures.
Given that digital exclusion mirrors and magnifies existing social, cultural, and economic inequities and pushes vulnerable children closer to the edges of marginalisation, the digital transformation of society has an uneven consequence on all children. To address the effects of the shifting digital and governance landscape, as well as emerging and embedded technologies, on children’s experience with digital technologies, a future-oriented framework for an equitable digital future was proposed by UNICEF. The framework highlights the need to move from digital inclusion to digital equality.
The framework can be used as a foundation for developing and evaluating digital inclusion policies, as a roadmap for structuring the involvement of pertinent stakeholders in achieving digital equality for children, and as a tool to assist in the design of policies and interventions by state authorities, civic groups, and the private sector. For this framework to effectively respond to new trends and technologies, a wider range of stakeholders must be engaged in its implementation.
Created in 1991, Fongit serves as an innovation hub dedicated to supporting innovative tech ventures in the Geneva region. The Foundation empowers innovative companies to successfully transform technology through innovation into a growing sustainable business, delivering economic and social value. Fongit is supported by the State of Geneva.
Digital activities
Fongit’s mission is to transform technological innovation into social and economic value. In doing so, the Foundation assists innovative companies in the digital economy, by providing them with access to offices and labs; administrative, governance, and legal support; and access to financing.
Digital policy issues
Digital economy
Through its activities dedicated to supporting innovative tech start-ups, Fongit contributes to the growth of the digital economy. Over the years, entrepreneurs supported by the Foundation have developed companies in areas such as information and communications technology (ICT), engineering, and life sciences.
Fongit’s Incubator Program assists start-ups in transforming ideas and technologies into viable products, by helping them prepare to fundraise and facilitating connections with angel investors, institutional funds, and corporate venture capitalists. After the three-year incubation period, start-ups tend to remain engaged with the ecosystem, sharing their experiences, insights, and best practices. The programme accepts applications from all over the globe.
The Foundation also offers financing tools – through the Fongit Innovation Fund (FIF)– to support innovation processes within Geneva-based universities, research institutes, and technology companies. The Fund is supported by the Republic and Canton of Geneva, the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of Geneva, the International Trade Centre (ITC), and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Sustainable development
All Fongit-supported startups are required to ensure that they directly or indirectly contribute to the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) through their work. Fongit works closely with UNEP and ITC to identify the contribution by its startups towards the SDGs.
Interdisciplinary approaches
Fongit, as an innovation leader, recognised the increasing integration of seemingly unrelated technologies, prompting a move towards tech convergence. This trend is notably advanced in the life sciences domain, where addressing medical challenges involves multidisciplinary interactions across technologies like ICT, hardware, physics, and medical expertise. The acceleration in Geneva’s innovation landscape occurred when life sciences projects from the Eclosion Foundation were integrated into Fongit. The positive outcomes include enhanced collaboration among entrepreneurs, facilitated by communal spaces, leading to the exchange of ideas benefitting various sectors. This tech convergence has driven further innovation at Fongit’s headquarters, with anticipation of future developments in their startup ecosystem.
Housed at the Palais des Nations, UN Geneva serves as the representative office of the UN Secretary-General at Geneva. A focal point for multilateral diplomacy,UN Geneva serviced around 6,000 meetings in 2022, making it one of the busiest conference centres in the world. With more than 1,600 staff, UN Geneva is the most prominent duty station of the UN Secretariat outside the UN headquarters in New York.
Digital activities
UN Geneva hosts many meetings and processes related to disarmament, human rights, e-commerce, health, labour, development, and other areas. In addition to these meetings, UN Geneva also hosts several thematic cultural activities and organises the Ciné ONU project, which uses films to shine a light on the UN’s work on gender equality, human rights, humanitarian aid, health, peace and reconciliation, and many other issues.
Digital policy issues
Sustainable development
Led by UN Geneva, the SDG Lab is a multistakeholder innovation space for the sustainable development goals (SDGs), that inspires and promotes system change through new lenses to long-term sustainability. An example of a concrete initiative is the Geneva SDG Data Forum, launched in 2022 in partnership with the Geneva Graduate Institute and Deloitte Switzerland. The Geneva SDG Data Forum acts as an informal platform for individuals and organisations to share SDG data knowledge through a series of hands-on ateliers on data, monitoring, and accountability.
The SDG Lab also played a key role in the inception of the GESDA Open Quantum Institute (OQI) through its function as an OQI advisory board member, offering guidance and insights into potential case studies and applications of quantum technologies for the SDGs and long-term sustainability.
Other examples of initiatives launched or supported by UN GGeneva in the area of sustainable development include SDG Acceleration Actions, an initiative dedicated to mobilising Geneva-based actors working to make SDGs a reality, and Building Bridges Week, dedicated to creating an international movement for sustainable finance.
In addition, the International Geneva Perception Change project – managed by a team of the Office of UN Geneva’s Director-General– has among its four areas of work the promotion of the SDGs. SDG Mapping, for instance, showcases who does what in Geneva towards the global goals. The other three areas are related to making information accessible, changing the narratives, and promoting the work of Geneva-based organisations.
Capacity development
The UN Library & Archives Geneva serves as a space for knowledge and learning. It facilitates knowledge exchanges, encourages innovation and collaboration, and acts as a centre for research on multilateralism.
The library provides access to a diverse set of resources (books, articles, UN documents, etc.), on digital-related topics such as economy, trade, human rights, and peace and security. It also facilitates access to numerous databases (maintained by various UN entities), such as the UN Digital Library.
The library coordinates the UN Knowledge and Learning Commons, together with the Centre for Learning and Multilingualism. The Commons hosts activities and learning experiences on various subjects, including some with a digital dimension, such as technology and innovation, information literacy, hybrid meetings, digital accessibility, and multilingualism.
The Conference Primers platform gives rapid access to all conference summaries and to key decisions taken at meetings held at UN Geneva. It continues to grow, with advice from experts, contributions from partners, and research led by the UN Library & Archives Geneva.
In 2022, the Library & Archives also completed a major five-year project to provide online access to the entire original archives of the League of Nations between 1919 and 1946: The Total Digital Access to the League of Nations Archives Project (LONTAD). As a result, nearly 15 million pages of materials are now available online, free of charge. Thanks to this project, every person connected to the internet now has an opportunity to consult various documents of the League of Nations online
The UN Geneva’s podcasts reinforce the organisation’s outreach efforts, spotlighting issues and bringing the key messages of the UN to another platform. Scripted, recorded, and edited at the Palais des Nations, the English-language podcast UN Catch-up Dateline Geneva and the French-language podcast ONU Info Genève offer up the week’s biggest stories from International Geneva, including from UN agencies and their partners. The podcasts are available weekly via social media platforms and UN News.
Digital tools and initiatives
Geneva has been traditionally strong on peace initiatives. It is often regarded as a city of choice for mediators and special envoys because it provides a neutral, discreet, secure space for dialogue. Many peace talks, and conflict prevention and mediation efforts are hosted at the Palais des Nations.
Digital Mediation Toolkit 1.0, developed by the UN and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue in 2019, assesses opportunities and risks associated with the use of digital technologies in the mediation context and provides concrete examples and advice from experts and practitioners. The digital technologies and tools currently used by mediators include social media, geographic information systems (GIS), and data analytics.
Mandate Review and Management System (MRMS), a tool used by UN Secretariat entities to support the decision-making of the member states. Each year, over 100 complex oral statements of programme budget implications can emanate from draft resolutions and decisions of the Human Rights Council, the intergovernmental body of the UN system which is headquartered in Geneva. The MRMS greatly promotes efficiency and transparency and enhances real-time collaboration in the creation of oral statements, archiving of data, and the overall workflow of this process.
UNTERM is a multilingual terminology database maintained jointly by the UN Secretariat and certain specialised agencies of the UN system, including the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). UNTERM provides terminology and nomenclature in subjects relevant to the work of the UN system. Information is provided in the six UN official languages, and there are also entries in German and Portuguese. This database is a linguistic tool created primarily to facilitate the work of the staff of the UNsystem and other people around the world who participate or are interested in the organisation’s activities.
UN Geneva’s Fully Automated Speech-to-Text (FAST) project generates conference transcripts with the help of AI. Since the launch of the English version in 2019, FAST has scaled up to process thousands of hours of recordings per year, covering meetings for 40 UN entities. In 2022, UN Geneva rolled out French and Spanish transcription, with support from the International Organization of la Francophonie. The FAST project team has been collaborating with the machine learning researchers at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to improve the latter’s proprietary speech recognition models on thousands of hours worth of UN Geneva’s training data in six languages. Thanks to the common pool of data shared by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), WIPO, WTO, and other international organisations, the retrained speech-to-text instances have become more relevant to, and accurate for, the conferencing environment and multilingual international speakers. The resulting raw transcripts are an essential building block for deploying further text analysis services underpinned by extractive or generative AI.
The Digital Recordings Portal is the online repository for all meetings recorded at the Palais des Nations and Palais Wilson. It is available in English and French, and the interface is compatible with standard accessibility tools and controllable via keyboard navigation. Since its update in 2022, meeting transcripts are generated in English, French, and Spanish and uploaded to the portal completely automatically. This allows those with hearing impairments to readily access the content of meetings held at UN Geneva. The portal also serves as a crucial tool for reporting on meeting outcomes. In 2022, more than 2,800 meetings were recorded and published on the portal, most of them in multiple languages.
With approximately 700,000 users across the globe, Indico.UN is the UN’s standard solution for participant management. The software establishes a web-based workflow, covering the creation of the event page and set-up of the registration form, participants registration, registration vetting, as well as badging and check-in activities. The system also has a series of elements related to the dissemination of information and documents, event statistics, timeline management, and accreditation of users in need of long-term badges. Indico.UN is a modular system, very easy to customise by the users of the UN-system organisations.
Extra-budgetary Cost Calculator is a financial planning tool that enables extra-budgetary conferencing clients to generate unofficial cost estimates on a self-service basis. Users can run multiple scenarios to match their available budgets by selecting which services to include or exclude, altering the duration of meetings/conferences and/or the requirements for meeting services and seeing the associated cost impact. The calculator includes costs for services provided by DCM (e.g. interpretation, documentation, and accessibility services), the Division of Administration (e.g. sound and audio-recording operators, technicians, mechanics, IT support), UN Library & Archives Geneva (e.g. cultural events), and the UN International School (UNIS) (e.g. webcasting).
Future of meetings
UN Geneva provides a key international dialogue and diplomacy platform. The Division of Conference Management (DCM) facilitates these discussions and conferences by providing high-quality services (logistically and substantively) for UN agencies, international organisations, and highly sensitive political negotiations. You can find all the information about meetings and events on UN Geneva’s meeting and events calendar.
The Datasphere Initiative is a global network of stakeholders with a mission to develop agile frameworks to responsibly unlock the value of data for all.
It has been incubated by the Internet & Jurisdiction PolicyNetwork – a multistakeholder organisation addressing the tension between the cross-border nature of the internet and national jurisdictions.
The Datasphere’s main objectives are the following:
Bring a new, holistic and positive approach to the governance of the Datasphere
Provide a platform to unlock the social and economic value of data access and
Improve coordination and accelerate the adoption of concrete proposals to overcome the current tensions and polarisation around
Produce evidence-based analysis on data policy
Catalyse human-centric technical, policy, and institutional innovations.
Digital activities
The Datasphere Initiative works on three programmes that promote transnational cooperation and mission-oriented partnerships: Dialogue, Intelligence, and the Lab.
Digital activities are dedicated to increasing awareness, building capacity, and identifying real-world challenges that can be addressed by data and innovative data governance frameworks.
Digital policy issues
Data governance
The Datasphere provides the fundamental perspective shift needed to govern data for the well-being of all, building innovative data governance frameworks that are inclusive, agile, and scalable.
The Intelligence Program gathers evidence on concrete challenges, identifies innovative data governance practices, and translates complex technical data issues into actionable outcomes. The main objectives of this programme are mapping the relevant actors, policy processes, innovative approaches, concepts, and trends on data governance and developing holistic analytical and measurement frameworks for the Datasphere. The Intelligence Program includes Framing the Datasphere, Datasphere Observatory, Mapping the Datasphere, Sectorial Deepdives, Datasphere Reviews, and Datasphere Toolkit(s).
The Datasphere Governance Atlas maps organisations from around the world all with a mission to address the multi-dimensional topic of data governance. The analysis identifies technical and normative approaches to data governance and puts forward insights into how the data governance environment is evolving across regions and sectors.
The Lab Program creates a collective space to showcase and experiment with innovations in governance frameworks and technical solutions advancing the vision of a Datasphere for all. Cross-border Datasphere Sandboxes, Framework Convention for the Datasphere, Protocol(s) for the Datasphere, and Datasphere Hackathons are an important segment of this programme. Moreover, it is foreseen to launch a Global Sandboxes for Data Forum in 2024 that will spur the development and implementation of innovative data governance frameworks across borders, through a multistakeholder process, to which local, regional, and global experts will be invited to contribute and learn from each other. As the first regional application of the Global Sandboxes Forum, the Datasphere Initiative has launched the Africa Forum on Sandboxes for Data.
Capacity development
The objectives of the Dialogue Program are to inform (increase awareness of data opportunities and challenges across regions), advise (develop capacity-building programmes with a regional partner), and innovate (identify real-world challenges that can be addressed by data and innovative data governance frameworks). The Datasphere Dialogues seek to engage systematically with stakeholders in Europe and North America but will count with a special focus on the Global South and sustainability challenges, supporting local and regional empowerment and leadership on Data Governance. In addition to global dialogues, it consists of structured regional efforts in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia. The Dialogue Program includes Datasphere Dialogues, Datasphere Academy, Datasphere Challenges, and the Datasphere Summit.
Digital tools
Mapping the Datasphere seeks to investigate paths to enable the visualisation of the Datasphere as a whole and its different dimensions, building on datasets of personal and/or non-personal data in collaboration with data engineers and policy practitioners. The ultimate objective is to develop an interactive Datasphere Observatory platform where the Datasphere and the repository of collected information can be visualised in its different layers and segments of different dataspheres tangible for users and decision-makers.
The IFRC is the world’s largest volunteer-based humanitarian network, reaching 150–250 million people each year through 191 member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
The IFRC exists to support the work of its member National Societies, ensuring that they have the capacities and systems to be strong, independent, trusted, and accountable local actors. It connects National Societies into one international network ensuring principled and localised action with global reach and impact.
Our community-based work is guided by IFRC’s Strategy 2030, which identifies five global challenges: climate and environment; evolving disasters and crises; health and well-being; migration and displacement; and values, power, and inclusion.
At the same time, the IFRC prioritises National Society development, strategic and operational coordination, and influential humanitarian diplomacy, and upholds a culture of accountability and agility across the network. In this way, the IFRC network saves lives, builds community resilience, strengthens localisation, and promotes human dignity around the world. All IFRC network activities are inspired by the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality.
The IFRC as a humanitarian organisation and network uses data and digital tools to increase the speed, scale, relevance, quality, and accountability of its humanitarian services to vulnerable communities in the domains of disasters, climate, and crises; health and care; and National Society development and inclusion, protection, and engagement. The IFRC network has developed a wide range and variety of data and digital solutions to help improve awareness and understanding of the need for humanitarian actions and to support local volunteers and partner organisations to take fast, effective, and inclusive action to reduce vulnerability in their communities. The IFRC cooperates with other humanitarian organisations, development organizations, academia, the private sector, and media on digital policy issues.
Digital policy issues
The IFRC is a data-driven organisation dedicated to making evidence-based decision-making. The Federation-wide Databank and Reporting System (FDRS) is an IFRC platform dedicated to providing insights into the Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC) National Societies. The data is gathered through a yearly data collection from 191 National Societies.
The self-assessment part of the OrganisationCapacity Assessment and Certification (OCAC) process is intended to capture the strengths and weaknesses of National Societies as a whole in relation to a wide range of organisational capacities.
The Branch Organizational Capacity Assessment (BOCA) process is intended to capture the strengths and weaknesses of National Societies branches as a whole in relation to a wide range of organisational capacities.
Capacity development
The IFRC network supports a diverse range of data and digital tools that facilitate local capacity development.
The Preparedness for Effective Response (PER) approach serves as a foundational platform to guide National Societies in assessing and enhancing their organisational and personnel capacities for humanitarian response. In addition to the main assessment platform, PER tools also link to dedicated eLearning courses on the IFRC Learning Platform and include a databank of lessons from past response operations matched to specific PER criteria.
As part of the IFRC’s Digital Transformation strategy 510 (an initiative of the Netherlands Red Cross), the IFRC has developed a Digital Transformation Assessment to guide National Societies in assessing their digital capabilities in terms of people, processes, and technology. The Assessment also provides directed guidance on the next steps National Societies can take to address capability gaps and advance further in the digital transformation of their humanitarian work.
A dedicated theme for Digital Transformation and Systems Development under the IFRC Capacity Building Fund (CBF) that supports National Societies to make essential investments in capacity development. Already 39 National Societies have accessed the CBF to support digital transformation initiatives between August 2021 and August 2022, and 58 National Societies benefited from a special programme under the CBF to ensure that all National Societies have the capability to digitally connect and collaborate virtually.
Solutions like New Zealand Red Cross’s KnowledgePacific Programme which includes IT-in-a-Box infrastructure aimed at supporting National Societies with low capacities to establish a dependable, secure, modular IT infrastructure for digital connectivity and services.
In addition, the IFRC network relies on a set of 12 reference centres and other centres of excellence within the RCRC network to help lead in key thematic areas and to encourage and advance peer-to-peer learning within the network. The Global DisasterPreparedness Center (GDPC), hosted by the American RC, and 510, hosted by the Netherlands RC, have prominent programmes to support digital innovation and services within the network. In addition, a range of other National Societies are contributing on specific topics, including the British Red Cross on surge support for information management; the Spanish Red Cross on volunteer data management; the Norwegian RedCross, the Danish Red Cross, and the Kenyan Red Cross on the use of Digital ID and digital-based inclusive currencies.
In line with its service-oriented, demand-driven approach to building community resilience, the GDPC has develop the Business Preparedness Initiative (BPI) Toolkit to save lives, protect livelihoods, and shorten recovery times following disasters by providing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with adaptable preparedness tools. Atlas: Ready For Business is a free mobile app currently available in multiple languages (with more to come) on iOS and Android to help organisations build adaptability and to create basic business continuity plans. WorkshopIn A Box is a downloadable toolkit that provides all of the support information and customisable materials a facilitator needs to promote, organise, and run workshops to help SMEs take basic steps towards being crisis ready and to continue their preparedness journey using Atlas.
The GDPC, Google, and the IFRC have also developed the WhatNow Service, a global platform to assist National Societies and their local partners to localise key messages on how individuals, households, and communities can prepare for, respond to, and recover from hazards. Any media partner can access the messages and broadcast them across their networks, all with the National Society’s name and logo, providing a mechanism to increase the scale in the dissemination of harmonised, trusted, actionable guidance, currently covering 20 hazards in 78 languages. These messages are across six urgency levels and follow a five-step, circular process:
National Societies adapt key, actionable messaging to their context.
National Societies engage with media partners for the implementation of the service.
Media partners access National Societies’ WhatNow messages through an open Application Programming Interface (API) and broadcast across their networks.
Communities at risk receive WhatNow messages.
National Societies engage with communities for feedback on the process and further adapt accordingly.
Cash assistance has become an increasingly important and default tool for humanitarian assistance in the IFRC network. The Turkish Red Crescent – in collaboration with the Turkish government, the World Food Programme (WFP), the European Commission’s Department for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO), and the IFRC in the most recent phase – has developed the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) programme using the Kizilaykartpayment system, which has provided monthly cash assistance to Syrian refugees, reaching in the latest ESSN III phase more than 2.3 million individuals (410,000 households). The IFRC has been exploring the use of the Kizilaykart approach and a similar collaboration with RedRose in the Ukraine crisis response, where an innovative mechanism for self-registration has been introduced.
The AccessRC app, developed in collaboration with RedRose, has provided a game-changing way to reach, engage, and assist people on the move due to the Ukraine crisis. The self-enrollment and integrated assistance model enabled by the AccessRC app – and planned as part of a broader Assistance Platform vision and ecosystem – has enabled National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to rapidly extend their humanitarian assistance to remote locations and connect people in need to a diverse range of services.
Data and digital tools for Community Engagement andAccountability (CEA) have also become an essential way that the IFRC is extending and deepening engagement with vulnerable communities. A range of tools has been developed for rumour tracking that were used extensively in the COVID-19 response and in the Ukraine crisis response. In addition, 510 (an initiative of the Netherlands Red Cross), in collaboration with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), the private sector company Twilio, and the IFRC, has been leading the development of a Digital Community Engagement hub that will enable National Societies to create cloud messaging services to provide cheap (or even free) interactive messaging via diverse text messaging services including WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, and SMS. The hub builds on an extensive set of scripting templates developed by the NRC and represents a rare example of creative repurposing of digital tools between humanitarian organisations.
The IFRC also hosts a Mobile Data Collection working group and operates its own KoBo and ODK servers to facilitate access to mobile data collection tools by National Societies and provide additional back services to store and manage data. See the IFRC Kobo Toolbox for more details.
510 (an initiative of the Netherlands Red Cross) has also created an impact-based forecasting (IBF) system andportal to help National Societies establish their own data and analysis platforms to support the development of forecast-based financing (FbF) initiatives that can use crisis forecasts as the basis for automatically triggering funding support and other early action protocols that can enable National Societies and communities to start acting as soon as forecasts are issued instead of having to wait for support until days and weeks after crises events have happened.
Data digital tools are also providing important opportunities to advance traditional humanitarian services. Many National Societies provide ambulance services in their countries and are increasingly using data and digital tools to pre-position ambulances in high-need areas, dispatch at speed, improve routing, and enable enhanced communication and continuity of care with hospitals during transit. The IFRC has conducted a business value case analysis for digitally transforming ambulance services that compares the experience and insights in nine National Societies.
The Universal App Program (UAP) provides cutting-edge mobile app technology free of charge to National Societies to build first aid awareness by offering high-quality apps to the public in their countries. The programme combines two tools – the First Aid app and the Hazard app – that provide efficient and cost-effective access to mobile applications to reach a growing number of people with important life-saving information. The First Aid app contains easy-to-understand information about how to identify and respond to a range of common first aid scenarios – such as bleeding, heart attacks, choking, and burns – and supports localisation in local languages, interactive quizzes, and step-by-step instructions for users to follow in case of an emergency. The Hazards app provides preparedness information for more than 12 types of hazards. National Societies can customise the app according to their common hazards in the region and based on their local languages. The app also incorporates emergency alerts from official agencies to notify users of potential threats affecting their location. Additionally, the built-in features of these apps will enable national societies to connect with their public, solicit donations, and foster partnerships to support their own preparedness programmes.
IFRC GO is the IFRC emergency operations platform for capturing, analysing, and sharing real-time data during a crisis. IFRC GO builds up a collective and comprehensive picture of a crisis by connecting data from volunteers and responders in the field who provide information in real time, i.e. data from their humanitarian partners and reference material from across our network. It displays information in a simple and easy-to-understand way. Users can then turn this information into reports, maps, graphs, dashboards, and more. It helps their network better meet the needs of affected communities. The GO platform is also linked to a Surge Information Management Support(SIMS) group that actively links National Societies and IFRC Secretariat staff to pool resources and provide remote support for information management in emergencies.
The V-Community app (available for iOS and Android) is a multilingual and interactive global platform launched in 2022, to function as the primary public space where volunteers and staff of the 192 RCRC National Societies can interact on all matters related to volunteering. It consists of three main resources: a chat forum space, a section for local stories, and a space for exchanging individual and group messages for further sharing and collaboration.
The Road Map to Community Resilience (R2R) is a guide with a new approach and a participatory process developed by the IFRC to enable communities to become more resilient through the assessment and analysis of the risks they face, and the implementation of actions to reduce these risks. The approach also encourages use of the Community Resilience Measurement Dashboard, which provides step-by-step templates for data collection and enables programme managers and community volunteers to share the results of their assessments.
With schools closed around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, kids were at home looking for engaging activities while parents were busy working. They also had questions about the coronavirus and needed to learn how to stay safe during this time. The IFRC introduced a COVID-19 KidsActivity Kit in the form of activity cards with easy step-by-step instructions and child-friendly characters. This format, and its availability in multiple languages made it easier for National Society communicators, partners, and the public to use the resources. The IFRC also maintains a digital library and an app with all IFRC publications in English and French.
Since its establishment in 1983–84, CUTS International has been a leading southern voice in the space of trade, economics, and development to ensure consumer sovereignty. As digitalisation accelerated across sectors, CUTS has undertaken many research, advocacy, networking, and capacity building initiatives, within the realm of the digital economy to enable consumers, particularly the poor and marginalised social groups, to achieve their right to basic needs, sustainable development, and good governance through strong consumer movement. Being a global independent non-profit, non-governmental organisation (NGO) working on public interest issues, CUTS addresses four main thematic areas: Trade, Economic, Regulation, and Governance. Within these focus areas, CUTS has undertaken multiple initiatives promoting competition, investment, regulation, trade, and governance reforms across sectors, through evidence- based research in least developed and developing countries. This is being done through a strongly rooted presence across India and at the global level including Lusaka, Nairobi, Accra, Hanoi, Geneva, and Washington, D.C.
Established in 2008, CUTS International Geneva is a non-profit NGO that catalyses the pro-trade, pro-equity voices of the Global South in international trade and development debates in Geneva. Through its work, it has made a name for linking people and issues in the world of multilateral trade with their counterparts in related policy areas. These include regional integration, agriculture, environment, competition, investment, and consumer protection, among others. Its vision is to pursue social justice and economic equity within and across borders by persuading governments and empowering people. Its mission is to establish and promote a pro-trade pro-equity credible southern NGO voice as well as the means to achieve this in the policymaking circles working on trade and development and other related issues in Geneva. Its objectives are to:
Improve inclusivity in relevant policymaking processes and decisions through better participation of developing countries’ stakeholders, including at the grassroots level.
Build capacity of policymakers, negotiators, and other important stakeholders through demand- driven and needs-based research and analysis.
Contribute to a deeper and broader understanding of relevant issues through targeted and research- based outputs.
Enhance policy coherence at all levels by analysing and raising the profile of issue linkages.
Facilitate mutual learning through information and knowledge sharing across networks.
Stimulate common interests among developed and developing countries through advocacy, dialogues, and networking.
CUTS adopts a bottom-up approach that promotes the engagement of key stakeholders in designing and implementing economic development policies, from the national to the international level. Their successful work methodology relies on research and analysis to inform advocacy and training activities, involving networks of beneficiaries at all stages. With offices in India, Kenya, Zambia, Vietnam, Ghana, Geneva, and Washington DC, CUTS’s family of organisations has made its footprints in the realm of economic governance across the developing world and beyond. As a vibrant advocate of South-South Cooperation, CUTS has been forming and maintaining strategic alliances with like-minded organisations in over 40 countries, particularly in the developing world. At the international level, it has established formal institutional relationships with several international governmental organisations, which their work seeks to influence. These are the World Trade Organization (WTO) – Accredited NGO; the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) – Observer Status; East African Community secretariat (EAC) – Memorandum of Understanding; and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – Observer Status.
Digital activities
CUTS’s work and expertise span five functional areas:
International trade and development
Competition, investment, and economic regulation
Consumer safety
Human development
Consumer protection and good governance
CUTS International Geneva and its sister CUTS organisations in India, Kenya, Zambia, Vietnam, and Ghana have made their footprints in the realm of economic governance across the developing world. Their activities stretch from Asia to Africa, South America, and beyond.
Digital policy issues
E-commerce
CUTS works towards sound digital policy, fair rules, and e-commerce readiness, which can enable developing countries to harness the potential of e-commerce for their sustainable development, firms, and vulnerable communities. CUTS supports developing countries in effectively harnessing innovation and intellectual property systems to spur industrialisation in the digital era, while responding to climate change, food security, and other sustainable development challenges.
Support facility on WTO E-Commerce Joint Statement Initiative
As WTO JSI talks on Electronic Commerce gained momentum in 2021, CUTS’s ad-hoc support facility on the subject established under its WTO Umbrella Grant attracted trade negotiators’ interest beyond its initially intended audience. Indeed, beyond delegates from the 11 targeted beneficiary countries, other developing country negotiators sought to benefit from the support. Through over 70 interventions, CUTS provided beneficiary delegates with clarifications on negotiating texts, factual briefings on negotiated topics, and occasional drafting support for submissions and proposals. This informed their participation in e-commerce talks, on topics such as e-signatures, electronic contracts, open government data, online consumer protection, spam, paperless trading, cybersecurity, and others.
E-Commerce and African Regional Integration
From April 2019 to June 2020, CUTS International Geneva undertook a project titled E-Commerce and AfricanContinental Integration, with funding support from the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). The objective of the project was to ensure that African stakeholders, policymakers, and trade negotiators knew suitable policy options through which African continental integration could harness the sustainable development potential of e-commerce, specifically in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Through research and dialogue, the project contributed to, inter alia: (1) better-informed participation of African negotiators, with lessons learned discussed with them at various dialogues; and (2) supported structures and processes involved in promoting e-commerce development in Africa, including on regulatory matters and AfCFTA discussions, etc.
Economic policy
CUTS strives for well-functioning markets that support inclusive and progressive structural transformation and helps developing countries enact and implement effective competition regimes that improve the level-playing field for their firms and the welfare of their consumers. CUTS promotes sound investment regimes that foster increased and sustainable foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, and supportive structural transformation for people and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in developing countries. It empowers consumers to uphold their rights to fair, safe, and informed access to basic necessities, and advise governments accordingly. It supports the effective design and implementation of balanced, transparent regulations to foster better access to key services for businesses and consumers towards sustainable development, job creation and structural transformation.
Sustainable development
Trading system
CUTS strives to preserve a strong and functioning multilateral trading system including through support for better participation of smaller developing countries and least developed countries (LDCs), and to promote balanced and fair rules for all to support sustainable development at the national, regional, and international levels. Its work helps WTO members converge on creative solutions to restore WTO’s leadership for setting global trade rules sensitive to small developing countries’ special needs. CUTS also helps developing country groups to identify, defend, and advance their interests in WTO discussions and negotiations on a level-playing field, backed by evidence and private sector feedback. CUTS works to bring together developed and developing country negotiators to share information and perspectives with a view to building trust and convergence among them and in the trading system as a whole.
Between 2019 and 2022 for instance, CUTS’s WTOUmbrella Grant project strengthened the capacity of developing and LDC trade officials as they determined their level of engagement, strategy, and approach to the WTO JSIs: E-Commerce; Investment Facilitation forDevelopment; and MSMEs. Undertaken jointly with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and with funding support from the UK’s Trade and Investment Advocacy Fund (TAF2+), project achievements notably included (1) clarified national positions on the Electronic Commerce JSI in six countries; (2) text proposals submitted by beneficiary countries in JSIs, notably outlining options for capacity building; (3) contributions to the establishment of a ‘Scope and Definitions’ Subgroup in Investment Facilitation Talks; (4) and realising the MSME Informal Working Group’s (MSME IWG’s) vision for a Trade4MSMEs.org online platform.
Plurilateral and regional agreements have become a major driving force of global trade integration, creating new opportunities for people, provided agreed regimes are fair and sound. CUTS’s work seeks to ensure that preferential trade agreements negotiated by and among developing countries leverage trade integration in pursuit of inclusive and sustainable development for people.
Trade Policy at Work may be a powerful force for sustainable development, structural transformation, and poverty reduction. It helps developing countries monitor and wisely use standards and non-tariff measures (NTMs) to support their sustainable development, as well as boost their participation in global trade and value chains. CUTS assists developing countries in effectively implementing agreed trade rules, while also leveraging preferences and special and differential treatment (SDT) granted by trading partners. CUTS helps them promote predictable and efficient administrative procedures that make moving goods across borders cheaper and faster, hence boosting the competitiveness of MSMEs.
Environment and climate change
CUTS helps developing countries participate in climate talks on a level-playing field and to identify, defend, and advance their interests in UNFCCC negotiations, backed by evidence and private sector feedback. Through research and advice, they help developing countries devise adaptation strategies for more resilient economies and support developing country negotiators and policymakers in crafting mitigation solutions in areas of their interest, for example agriculture. CUTS strives for the implementation of the Paris Agreement in a gender-sensitive, inclusive, and sustainable way (i.e. supportive of economic and social development).
CUTS also strives for climate-resilient, sustainableeconomies, and livelihoods by supporting environmentally sound policies and strategic use of global climate talks. The economies of developing countries typically rely on sectors that are highly dependent on environmental resources, such as agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. Developing countries have embraced environment-related issues in their policy agendas, although their implementation capacity often remains limited. CUTS sensitises governments about key linkages between the environment and other areas, for example agriculture, the rise of global value chains, and the ongoing digital revolution. It promotes the sustainable management of life on land and life below water, highlighting the potential roles of trade therein.
Sustainable agriculture
CUTS promotes sustainable agricultural systems that secure food for all by advising on the adoption of climate-resilient policy solutions, as well as holistic policies for agro-processing. Most developing countries remain net food importers, while their exports are faced with a complex global agricultural trade regime. CUTS’s work promotes properly functioning agricultural trade rules and food commodity markets, which should allow developing countries to leverage trade to improve their food production, value addition, and security. Commercial farming is rare in developing countries, the potential of agriculture is huge, and solutions exist. For instance, technology and digitalisation can help transform agricultural systems, making them more sustainable and attracting youth into new jobs.
Capacity development
Since 2017, CUTS’s just-in-time Course on DigitalCommerce, jointly undertaken with DiploFoundation and ITC has been pursuing a very concrete goal: to assist trade professionals to better understand what digitalisation and the internet mean for trade negotiators, and help them ensure their countries reap the benefits of the digital economy. The training has equipped them with up-to- date, neutral, objective knowledge, in a user-friendly and informative format. Over the years, the course has helped trade negotiators and policymakers navigate an ever more complex digital commerce agenda. It has provided them at common space to explore the connection between trade and the digital economy and the development implications of this interplay. In 2021, the course was thoroughly reviewed and updated to answer the pressing needs of digital commerce practitioners by exploring in depth the issues covered by the JSI on Electronic Commerce, such as cross-border data flows and data localisation, network neutrality, online consumer protection and privacy, spam, open government data, customs duties on electronic transmissions, cybersecurity, and access to the source code of computer programs. Throughout the years, the course received over 300 applications from 98 countries and delivered training to 138 individuals from 72 countries. The most represented regions among course participants were Africa, Asia, and Europe. According to the results of a survey, 93% of the course alumni would recommend this course to colleagues working in their organisations. Also, 100% of the alumni were of the opinion that it is important to continue offering the course in years to come on a regular basis.
The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is a global collaboration dedicated to understanding our Earth in all its complexity. As a collaborative intergovernmental body, GEO is dedicated to co-producing user-driven Earth Intelligence solutions. By collecting and sharing vital information, ranging from satellite images of forests to oceanic temperature readings and beyond, GEO provides a comprehensive view of our planet’s well-being, allowing us to monitor and safeguard its health. These are not just datasets; they’re the tools that inform decisions, shaping policies and initiatives worldwide that guide society towards a sustainable future.
Why GEO?
Our planet faces challenges that don’t stop at borders. From the pressing issues of climate change, and the alarming loss of biodiversity, to the widespread pollution affecting our lands, skies, and seas, there’s much at stake. While the challenges are integrated, the global response often remains fragmented. Among the ever-growing flood of information and data sources, there’s a noticeable gap in cohesive global partnerships. This is where GEO steps in, striving to unify these fragmented efforts and championing inclusivity in seeking holistic solutions for global challenges.
Digital activities
At GEO, we serve as a collaborative platform where science, policy, and community interests unite for the greater good.
Enhanced coordination: Building on our unique role to lead the development of integrated Earth Observation (EO) solutions, we focus on coordination from global to local levels, sharing beneficial practices and building capacity.
Broad engagement: We actively engage with youth, indigenous communities, women, and other groups to amplify voices whose potential to contribute to EO solutions has not yet been fully realised.
Transformative programmes: Our strategic work programme activities generate high-added value towards policy goals, support sustained services for decision-making, build capacity, and advance equity.
Inclusivity: We are committed to increasing engagement and building capacity, especially in the global south. There is a call to fully address and embed equality, diversity, and inclusivity (EDI) principles in all GEO undertakings.
Digital policy issues
Data governance
GEO recognises that the societal benefits arising from EOs can only be fully achieved through the sharing of data, information, knowledge, products, and services. Ever since its inception, GEO has been a strong advocate for broad and open data-sharing policies and practices (OpenEarth Observation Data). The Data Sharing Principles(2005-2015) inspired a few members and participating organisations to evolve from restricted data policies to Open Data approaches. Data sharing was also recognised as one of the greatest successes of the first GEO decade. Embracing the international trend of Open Data, GEO principals endorsed a new set of Data ManagementPrinciples. These principles promote ‘Open Data by Default’ and address the need for discovery, accessibility, usability, preservation, and curation of data.
To enable Indigenous peoples to equitably participate in and benefit from data creation, application, and stewardship within contemporary data environments, the GEO Indigenous Alliance advocates for the implementation of CARE (collective benefit, authority to control, responsibility, ethics) with FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) principles. The CAREPrinciples for Indigenous Data Governance are people- and purpose-oriented, reflecting the crucial role of data in advancing Indigenous innovation, and self-determination. These principles complement the existing FAIR principles encouraging open and other data movements to consider both people and purpose in their advocacy and pursuits.
Sustainable development
GEO leads global initiatives that explore our planet’s ecological health, climate challenges, disaster readiness, resource optimisation, urban sustainability, and public health priorities. By integrating EOs with global frameworks like the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, GEO demonstrates our commitment to fostering a healthy, sustainable, and resilient world.
The GEO Work Programme is the primary instrument to encourage collaboration among our members, participating organisations, associates, and other partners. It aims to fulfil GEO’s mission and vision by addressing information needs in various fields where EOs play a crucial role.
Digital tools and initiatives
The current flagship programmes in the GEO work programme are GEO Land Degradation Neutrality, GEO Biodiversity Observation Network, GEO Global Agricultural Monitoring, the Global Forest Observation Initiative, and the Global Observation System for Mercury. To facilitate access to EO applications, we are developing the GEO Knowledge Hub, a digital library. Ministers and ministerial representatives adopted the Group on Earth Observations 2023 Cape Town Ministerial Declaration on 10 November 2023. The Declaration endorses the GEO post-2025 strategy Earth Intelligence for All, charges GEO with developing an implementation plan to guide the execution of the strategy, and reaffirms the integral role of young people as catalysts for sustainable development, among other statements.
GEO assists countries in its region in addressing sustainable development challenges. The vision of the GEO Indigenous Alliance is to protect and conserve indigenous cultural heritage by using EOs science, data and technology to create a knowledge base that sustains the Earth we live on.
GEO has developed a series of tools and initiatives to promote the use of EOs as evidence for decision-making.
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