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Gender, Diversity and Inclusiveness

UNICC champions gender parity, diversity and inclusiveness in the digital business field. Ending discrimination is crucial to an equitable, sustainable future and it is an accelerator towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.

Gender Equity

Racial Equity

LGBTQ+ Inclusion

Disability Inclusion

Accessibility

Inclusive products

UNICC has made gender, diversity and inclusiveness central to its mission in serving its partners. UNICC strives internally and in its Application Development services to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines that provide a shared standard for web content accessibility for individuals, organizations and governments.

Directorate-level Commitments

Achieving gender parity at all levels within UNICC by 2028, supporting the implementation of SDG 5: Gender Equality
Endorsing UNFPA’s Equity 2030 Call for Action to normalize gender equity in science & technology
Creating a more inclusive and diverse workplace to retain women
Actively advocating for gender parity as an International Gender Champion

Representation and Inclusiveness

UNICC embraces diversity in its workforce, bringing together individuals from different backgrounds, cultures and experiences. The organization is focusing internally on increasing its diversity rates: as an equal opportunity employer, UNICC seeks out individuals across race, gender, nationality, age and sexual orientation.

Overall staff

Men

Women

Senior Management

Men

Women

Women among new hires

Staff

Interns

UNICC is determined to achieve gender parity at all levels by 2028. To this end, the organization has opened a Talent Pool for Women in IT that allows women candidates to submit an application at any time, for any of our areas of expertise and in any duty station. UNICC encourages youth across the globe to join the UN family and has established a Youth Rotation Program to give young individuals the opportunity to gain valuable professional experience.

Demographic data

Diversity enriches UNICC with a wide range of perspectives, fostering innovation and creativity. It also cultivates an inclusive and equitable work environment, attracting top talent from various regions around the world.

All data as of December 2022. Read more on the UNICC Director’s Report 2022.

Strategic Partners

UNICC champions gender, diversity and inclusiveness in its outreach and advocacy, through strategic partnerships and alliances with a growing number of organizations and collaborative activities worldwide.

Our Initiatives

Girls and Women Talking Tech Interview Series

In support of International Girls in ICT Day and the EQUALS Global Partnership for Gender Equality in the Digital Age, ITU, UNICC and the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy of Youth present Girls & Women Talking Tech, an inter-generational interview series sharing women’s insights on how to build successful careers in tech. See EQUALS YouTube site and read more here.

Credit: ITU and UNICC

Photo: UNICC/Ouyang

Women in Tech Internships

UNICC hosts internships to help young women experience tech. Students have come from Polytechnic University of Valencia, New York University, Columbia University, City University of New York and other European academic institutions. UNICC has an ongoing “Sprinternship” program with Break Through Tech in New York. Read about 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, 2023 and 2024 Sprinternship.

International Girls and Women in ICT Events

UNICC has worked on women in tech initiatives in New York and in Geneva. Strategic partners or contributors include ITU, UNDP, UNICEF, UN Women, Barclays Financial, Build n Blaze, Microsoft, New York City Mayor’s Office on International Affairs, Facebook, Google and others, to bring thought leaders together with young women and disadvantaged students. Read about 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024 events.

Photo: UNICC/Ouyang

Photo: UNICC/Mezzadri

Women in Data Science

The Women in Data Science (WiDS) initiative aims to inspire and educate data scientists worldwide, regardless of gender, and support women in the field. In the last years, UNICC has taken part in WiDS initiatives in Valencia, together with the Polytechnic University of Valencia and other organizations. WiDS includes a global conference with 150+ regional events worldwide. Read more here.

UNICC Hackathons, Thinkathons and Capstone Projects

UNICC’s Data & Analytics team organizes impactful events like think-a-thons, hackathons and capstone projects to empower youth, especially girls and young women, through engaging them in solving real-world challenges. Read more about Women and Girls Safety here.

Photo: UNICC and UN Women

At UNICC people know they belong because they are seen and heard. To be more inclusive, we have to deprogram our unconscious biases

Milena Grecuccio

Chief of Staff and Chief, Management and Strategy Division, UNICC

For me, it’s all about the people. I want to inspire people and the only way to do it is to make sure they feel a sense of belonging and that their work really matters.

Dimitra Ralli

Chief, Operations (OIC), UNICC

Going into a tech career, focus on exploration, focus on learning. We women tend to be choosy, we draw limits for ourselves. Don’t be choosy and be like a sponge, enhance your skills.

Anusha Dandapani

Chief, Data and Analytics Section, UNICC

Some amount of curiosity and pursuing different paths to see what fits over time; that’s probably some advice that would have helped me when I was a bit younger for a career in tech.

Emily Bennett

Business Relationship Manager, UNICC

My main career advice for girls and young women in tech is to never give up, even when you feel something is impossible to achieve. You must repeat to yourself, “I can do it.” This is what I did in the past, and what I still do.

Ilaria Aiello

Training Assistant, UNICC

There are so many inspiring women out there that have broken barriers and said “I can do this.” Sometimes it’s not easy to be a women in tech, but you can do it. Every environment is a women’s environment.

Lilly Hedges

Head, Service Desk, UNICC

The lesson I have learned during my career is that your opinion is always, always valid. And the first person who needs to understand that is yourself. Many times, I let my opinion go because I was afraid to say something that I thought would be dumb or not completely correct, and eventually I realied that I was right.

Lorena Henriquez

E-Learning and Graphic Designer, UNICC

What I would say to all the girls is always go for the maximum. We, the women that are already working in tech, should create and foster a safe community for the young people that are joining. I take that as a tip for myself as well.

Nuria Reques Waterink

Business Relationship Manager, UNICC

Speak your mind. Be confident, be persistent, be honest. Make mistakes to move forward. Even in adverse situations where you feel you are left out, just take it easy, keep going, believe in yourself and be truthful to yourself.