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Social Impact, Tech for Social Good at UNGA77

Social Impact, Tech for Social Good at UNGA77
Mala Kumar image

Mala Kumar @malakumar85

Director of Tech for Social Good, GitHub Social Impact
Cynthia Lo image

Cynthia Lo @csmlo

Program Manager, Skills-Based Volunteering, GitHub Social Impact

August 31, 2022 // DevelopersSkills-Based VolunteeringPartnerships

Published on: August 31, 2022

Last Updated: September 9, 2022

This post will be updated periodically with new registration links and panelist names.

GitHub Social Impact, Tech for Social Good is hosting two side-events for the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). These will be the first UNGA events GitHub has ever hosted and we look forward to connecting with you!

Side-Event 1: Open Source Programme Offices (OSPOs) in the UN System - A Spotlight on WHO

Our first side-event will cover the highly anticipated launch of the Open Source Programme Office (OSPO) at the World Health Organization, which is the first OSPO in the entire UN system. Panelists from WHO, GitHub, and the United Nations Envoy on Technology will discuss the technical aspects and the vision of the WHO OSPO, why an OSPO is a major step forward for how WHO engages with open source technologies, and how an OSPO in the UN system can contribute to more equitable technology and inclusive economic growth.

Register

This is a hybrid event. You must register to attend in-person or virtually.

Event Details

  • Date: Thursday, 15 September 2022
  • Time: 1 - 2 PM ET
  • In-person location: 1 Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza (885 2nd Avenue), New York, NY 10017

Panelists:

  • Dušan Milovanovíc, WHO
  • Ayman Badr, WHO
  • Samuel Mbuthia, WHO
  • Yu Ping Chan, Office of the United Nations Envoy on Technology
  • Mala Kumar, GitHub (host)
  • Bassem Dghaidi, GitHub

Side-Event 2: Accelerating National Digital Transformation Through Data: Introducing the Digital Development Compass

The side-second event will focus on an innovative new tool from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) called the Digital Development Compass dashboard that GitHub’s Skills-Based Volunteering Program built. This is the first-of-its-kind tool that aggregates all publicly available data on countries’ digital development in one place to further enable digital transformation. The Digital Development Compass dashboard is now in its beta phase, and uses UNDP’s inclusive whole-of-society approach to assess countries’ digital transformation scores, identify gaps, and recommend improvements. This makes national progress on digital transformation easier and faster than ever.

Register

This is a hybrid event. You must register to attend in-person or virtually.

Event Details

  • Date: Friday, 16 September 2022
  • Time: 1 - 2 PM ET
  • In-person location: 1 Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza (885 2nd Avenue), New York, NY 10017

Panelists and Demonstrators:

  • Robert Opp, UNDP
  • Mark Belinsky, UNDP
  • Cynthia Lo, GitHub
  • Matthew Rothenburg, GitHub
  • Amelia Wattenberger, GitHub
  • Mala Kumar, GitHub
  • More panelists TBC

Other UNGA 77 Side-Events to Consider Attending

Novartis Responsible Data Event

  • Date: Monday, September 19
  • Time: 11AM - 12:30 PM ET
  • Registration Link: TBC

Landmark Ventures: Social Innovation Summit

  • Date: Monday, September 19-Wednesday, September 21
  • Time: Ongoing
  • Registration Link: Click here

Microsoft Tech for Social Impact Innovation: Data, Employee Experiences, Security Program

  • Date: Wednesday, September 21
  • Time: 1:30 - 4:30 PM ET
  • Registration Link: TBC

The Future of Digital Cooperation: Building resilience through safe, trusted, and inclusive digital public infrastructure

Description: Building on the 77th UNGA theme of ‘A watershed moment: transformative solutions to interlocking challenges’, this event will feature a series of high-level speakers both in-person and remotely highlighting pioneering initiatives that are ushering in a new era of country-led digital cooperation to build safe, trusted, and inclusive Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). This event is co-hosted by Digital Public Goods Alliance members (Estonia, Germany, Norway, Sierra Leone, UNICEF and UNDP) together with The World Bank and Smart Africa.

  • Date: Wednesday, September 21
  • Time: 1:30 ET
  • Registration Link: Click here to attend virtually
  • In-person location: 3 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017

Tech for Democracy

  • Date: Thursday, September 22
  • Time: 12 - 2:30 PM ET
  • Registration Link: Click here

SDG Action Zone

  • Date: Wednesday, September 21 - Friday, September 23
  • Time: Ongoing
  • Registration Link: Click here

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