Introduction

This document is the result of an internal working group at UNV given the task of identifying contributions of ICT Volunteers to human development activities, programmes and organizations. It describes a wide range of possibilities of how volunteers can be effective agents towards a widespread use of ICT for Development (ICT4D). The basic premise is that volunteering's niche in ICT4D lies in capacity development on the uses (applications) and opportunities (awareness) of ICT in any area of human development. Also, that ICTs enables more opportunities to volunteer via networks.

At UNV, we have defined ICT Volunteering as the range of volunteer action whose common characteristic is the targeted use of digital technologies. It comprises mainly (1) actions by volunteers resulting in the practical utilization by other people of relevant types of ICT, and (2) the use of ICT, and in particular the Internet, to enable and facilitate volunteer collaboration (e.g. Online Volunteering).

UNV presently manages two large programmes which directly relate to these two points. One is the United Nations Information Technology Service (UNITeS), instituted by the UN Secretary General in his Millennium Report. UNITeS is a special UN ICT Volunteering initiative and service, involving UNVs, volunteers from other organizations and also those who are not affiliated with any institution. The other is the Online Volunteering service, which features the most comprehensive set of development-related online volunteering (OV) assignments in the world and a sophisticated web-based module for OV management.

This exercise first identifies volunteer contributions to bridging the digital divide/increasing digital dividends, which are common across developmental areas and institutions. Then it relates specific possibilities of ICT Volunteering to (1) the Millennium Development Goals two given references: (2) UNDP's ICT4D strategy. Finally, it highlights the role of ICT Volunteers to help mainstream ICT into the portfolio of development institutions, such as UN agencies, DAC bilateral development agencies, Foundations, etc.

 

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