An Overview of the UN Technology Initiatives

This discussion paper provides a brief summary on technology-related initiatives that are currently in place in different institutional settings in the UN based on two UN surveys in 2015 by the informal Inter-agency Working Group on a Technology Facilitation Mechanism. This paper is not meant to be conclusive or prescriptive, but to be indicative of possible directions of deliberation, with an overview of the current landscape of UN technology-related initiatives, and an assessment framework to view the coverage, institutional arrangement, functions and the inter-linkages and coordination between these initiatives. The primary purposes are to inform the current inter-governmental processes in the context of post-2015 development agenda and finance for development, enrich the debates by providing evidence and information, and support stakeholders’ decisions on improved coordination. As an initial step toward more comprehensive efforts in future, this paper focuses on the initiatives undertaken by the UN system at the global, regional and country levels, but does not cover other multilateral, bilateral, or private initiatives.