Joint Facility for Global Digital Capacity

What is Digital-Capacity.org?

The Joint Facility for Global Digital Capacity, led by ITU and UNDP, arises in support of the Secretary General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, which “launch[es] a broad multi-stakeholder network to promote holistic, inclusive approaches to digital capacity-building for sustainable development, including a new joint facility for digital capacity development, which will be led by ITU and UNDP.”

This Joint Facility serves as the point of contact and exchange between the two agencies – bringing together expertise in areas such as digital literacy and skills training, digital needs assessment, and programmatic support – in order to improve the accessibility of digital opportunities. In addition to supporting the broad Multi-Stakeholder Network, the Joint Facility will concentrate on identifying areas of unmet demand for digital capacity building initiatives, working with end users to identify where exiting services are not filling outstanding needs; and provide direct strategic, operational, and programmatic support in executing digital strategies, capacity development initiatives, or other high-priority operational areas for partners.
About digital-capacity.org

Enabling Global Upskilling.

The world is at a critical inflection point for digital technology and governance. While the digital era has brought society many incredible benefits, we also face many challenges such as growing digital divides, cyber threats, and human rights violations online. Achieving real and sustained progress in this era of digital transformation requires digital skills development and effective training, yet many countries and peoples today lack the the skills crucial for digital success. Therefore, greater coherence and coordination in capacity-building efforts are critical to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals.

Recognizing this, the Secretary General’s Envoy on Technology, along with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have come together as part of a concerted effort at scaling up digital capacity building solutions. The agencies are working together to build a database of existing digital skills trainings, to support the matching of outstanding demand for these trainings to suppliers of them, and to convene a multi-stakeholder network promoting an overall more holistic and inclusive approach to digital capacity development.

Digital technology does not exist in a vacuum – it has enormous potential for positive change, but can also reinforce and magnify existing fault lines and worsen economic and other inequalities.

—Report of the Secretary-General Roadmap for Digital Cooperation

Secretary General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation

The world is shifting from analog to digital faster than ever before, further exposing the vast promise and peril of new technologies. While the digital era has brought society many benefits, we also face challenges such as growing digital divides, cyber threats, and human rights violations online.

Recognizing this, the United Nations Secretary-General launched his ‘Roadmap for Digital Cooperation’ (A/74/821) in June 2020. The Roadmap includes a set of recommended actions for the international community with the aim to ensure all people are ‘Connected, Respected, and Protected’ in the digital age. The Roadmap is the result of a multi-stakeholder, global consultation effort building on the recommendations made by the Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation convened from July 2018 to June 2019.

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MSN

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nations’ development agency, and works to eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities through the sustainable development of nations.

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ITU/UNDP Multi-Stakeholder Network

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations’ specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs)

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