Global activists convened last weekend for a ‘hackathon’ to produce digital tools to connect the public to the work of the UN.
Speaking at the opening session, Ben Donaldson, UNA-UK Communications and Campaigns Manager, commended the event for its ambition to combat the widespread public misconception that the UN is not relevant to people in the UK.
Over 48 hours, teams of idea-generators and technical experts conceived, designed and built digital products to improve public engagement with UN issues. At the end of the weekend the results were judged by a panel including former Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown and representatives from Google and the BBC.
Of the three prizes available, both the technical prize and the prize for the most logically compelling proposition went to the ‘We The Peoples’ team, whose idea supports the 1 for 7 Billion campaign to improve the selection process for the next UN Secretary-General. Their product enables members of the public to nominate and vote for their favourite Secretary-General candidate via a mock election using Twitter.
The third prize, for the most emotionally compelling proposition, went to the ‘Frontliners’ team who designed ‘a gamified platform to encourage discussion between frontline UN staff to and the public’.
The event was organised by UN Influx, a charity that aims to explore digital opportunities for a better UN.
