The Office of Information and Communications Technology (OICT) within the Secretariat of the United Nations, aimed at?enabling a better, safer, more sustainable future through innovative technology,?launched an initiative called Unite Research,?a SharePoint- based platform to share?research on issues pertaining to technology, innovation and other emerging trends that support the mandates of the United Nations.

Unite Research is currently looking for contributors from academia to write and/or peer-review papers for the platform. Authors are welcome to share either a paper (5000 words) or a brief (2000 words) on innovations, technology and emerging trends that enable the work of the Organization.

UNAI member institutions might be interested in joining this initiative, providing content, or volunteering for the peer review pool for?Unite Research as this would allow them to channel their expertise, showcase their commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, have access to the United Nations community by sharing their research/knowledge, and foster a circle of constant learning, of mutual benefit for the United Nations and institutions of higher education.

The priority themes are:

  • Open data / Open science
  • The use of technology in tracking climate change
  • Biotech
  • Technology policy and international politics
  • Data privacy (specifically: aligning varying data privacy policies in different countries or regions and data ownership)
  • Quantum computing and its implications for the United Nations
  • Artificial intelligence and ethics
  • Mental health data collection and analysis to help inform mental health policies and strategies within the United Nations system
  • Hate speech detection and recognition in African languages, both written and spoken
  • Sentiment analysis in African languages, both written and spoken

All contributors will receive a United Nations?token of appreciation in recognition of their contribution to the platform.

If you are interested in contributing as an author and/or peer-reviewer. Kindly reach out to the team on unite_research@un.org.

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