What is 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
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.
Multi-Stakeholder Network
One of the key actions called for in the Roadmap for Digital Cooperation is the launch of a Multi-Stakeholder Network (MSN) to promote holistic, inclusive approaches to digital capacity development for sustainable development. This Multi-Stakeholder Network will also include a ‘clearing-house-function’ that connects requests for support to providers of capacity development initiatives. This Multi-Stakeholder Network will also help maintain the resource database of existing digital capacity development initiatives.
In doing so, the Multi-Stakeholder Network seeks to raise the level of digital capacity worldwide, particularly in developing countries, by increasing awareness of and access to available trainings. By promoting more coherent and coordinated information sharing, it will also reduce search and transaction costs. Members of the Multi-Stakeholder Network will together become important components to a holistic and inclusive approach to digital capacity building for sustainable development.
How to engage with
the Multi-Stakeholder Network
The Multi-Stakeholder Network is an evolving entity, and its offerings and structure may change
based on needs and feedback. Multi-Stakeholder Network members will initially consist of active members of the cross-sector Roundtable on Digital Capacity Building, launched in response to the Secretary General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, and includes UN Member States, other multilateral organizations, private corporations, NGOs, civil society, academic centers, and other institutions. Interested new members can contact the Multi-Stakeholder Network to be added to the list.
To engage further with the Multi-Stakeholder Network, fill out the form below:
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.
ITU/UNDP Multi-Stakeholder Network
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations’ specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs)