Award winners: SDG Digital GameChangers 2024

ITU News

Five game-changing digital innovations gained praise and recognition from international technical experts and digital leaders on the first day of SDG Digital 2024 at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The SDG Digital GameChangers Award honours organizations using digital technologies to accelerate the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The winners have developed innovative solutions supporting People, Planet, Peace and Prosperity, while a fifth category recognizes youth Pioneers between 18 and 29 years of age.

An expert jury – representing various sectors of technology and policy development – selected this year’s five winning organizations from among over 1,100 submissions from 126 countries, of which 40 per cent came from youth.

And the winners are…

This year’s SDG Digital GameChangers Award winners, by category, are:

People:
UNICEF – Oky Period Tracker App

Oky – co-created with girls by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) – is the world’s first open-source digital solution for menstruation education, period tracking, and reproductive health information. The period tracker app is already being used by 800,000 girls and women, in local languages, in 12 low- and middle-income countries. Using AI, the app informs girls about their periods in fun, creative and positive ways. 

Planet:
K-water – AI Water Purification Plant

The Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water) uses AI, augmented reality, and virtual reality to monitor, inspect and operate the water treatment facility in the city of Hwaseong, Republic of Korea, without spatial and temporal constraints. The digital twin enables real-time simulation based on virtual models of physical systems, including crisis response, to maintain clean water supplies to 560,000 consumers.

Prosperity:
Tech4Dev (Nigeria) – Women Techsters

The Technology for Social Change and Development Initiative (Tech4Dev) in Nigeria has developed the Women Techsters programme for girls and women in low-income and marginalized communities in 22 African countries. More than 155,000 women and girls have benefited from digital knowledge and skills to access decent jobs and entrepreneurship; 80% of them have secured jobs to date.

Peace:
SocialTech Lab (Cyprus) – Peace Innovation in Action

The SocialTech Lab connects more than 6,000 young entrepreneurs across conflict-affected regions in the Balkans, the Middle East, South America, and South Asia. The digital platform uses AI-powered tools, including a “PeaceTeach” chatbot. Over 60 per cent of the beneficiaries engaged in economic partnerships with individuals from opposing communities for the first time, helping to promote stability and peace.

Pioneers (Youth):
Torchit (India) – Jyoti AI: Seeing with Sound

Start-up Torchit – a Government of India-aided social venture – enhances the daily lives of visually impaired individuals through Jyoti AI: Seeing with Sound. The AI-powered smart glass can read text in various languages. The solution has benefited 300,000 people in over 40 countries, with the goal to reach 10 million families by 2030.

Digital solutions to achieve SDGs

The SDG Digital event, organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) during the annual session of the UN General Assembly, highlights digital solutions for sustainable development.

This year, for the second time, presenters from around the globe are showcasing innovative solutions and announcing new commitments to realize a brighter digital future for everyone, everywhere – advancing the vision of ‘A Digital Future for All’ in the final build-up to the UN Summit of the Future.

SDG Digital on 20-21 September is part of the summit’s digital track, convened by the Office ​of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology along with ITU and UNDP, with various segments promoting emerging technologies including artificial intelligence (AI)​ to build a sustainable digital future for all.

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