To have A-I-ready data is already a very successful differentiator for organizations over the last few years. Being able to use large amounts of data and provide visually appealing reports and dashboards helps fact-based decision-making and brings transparency, visibility and strategic, tactical and operational benefits. The reports and the dashboards are the visible tip of the data iceberg.

The United Nations E-Government Survey is a development tool that examines countries’ strengths, challenges and opportunities, and informs policies and strategies.  From June to September 2023, each Online Volunteer collected data through online assessments of national and city-level public sector portals, including associated official websites of 193 United Nations Member States.

Lucy A Tilley, in collaboration with another Online Volunteer, Abdul Mustafazade, supported AccLab by designing communication materials, visuals and social media posts on collective intelligence, solidarity and crowd-mapping. AccLab disseminated these materials on the UNDP website and social media platforms. This helped raise awareness on climate action, sustainable development and sustainable water management while also increasing the participation of local people.

When Teenari Tekeraoi (Kiribati) began her assignment in June 2023, she was the first international UN Youth Volunteer from the Small Island Developing States in the Pacific. She joined the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) as a Sustainable Development Monitoring Assistant, supporting Fiji, Kiribati and Tuvalu in reviewing and monitoring their national development progress. 

Digital transformation brings new possibilities where we can measure the sustainability, track detriments such as green house emissions and maximize use of our existing resources. This is part of UNEP's Medium Term Strategy, the outcomes of which I support.  

The UN Volunteer Population Data Fellows will work with UNFPA in advancing applied research, technical assistance and capacity building in civil registration and vital statistics;  in close collaboration with national statistics offices, civil registration authorities and related UNFPA institutional partners.

I was looking at the UNV Bangladesh Facebook page when I noticed that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bangladesh was looking for a UN Volunteer to serve as Research Assistant to work on daily media briefings, data entry and standardization, and drafting policy briefs for the Democratic Governance Cluster. Their needs tied directly to my interests and areas of expertise. When UNV contacted me, it was indeed a remarkable day.