Digital Solutions for the UN SDGs: The WSA Winners 2019

Smart content combined with optimized utilization of state-of-the-art technology offers immense opportunities to close global and local divides and for the achievement of the UN SDGs.

Ranging from Ecosia, the first ecological search engine, planting trees for searches, from Germany, Mapalytics from Pakistan, offering photorealistic 3D models of historical sites, South Korean Dot Incorporation with their first Braille wearable, and Kea Medicals from Benin, providing a digital Universal Medical ID directory platform to assure patients information being available on time and accurately - the 40 winners from 25 countries, selected from over 400 nominations from 182 participating countries, offer a perfect diameter of how digital innovation solves the pains of the 21st century.

Focussing foremost on the content and the impact in their local communities, not only the technical finesse and design, WSA assembled international experts from all regions and fields to select the 40 winners. The final jury phase concluded in an on-site three days meeting in Tunis, Tunisia of 17 international experts, deciding in a democratic and transparent process on the most powerful and content rich solutions 2019.

“WSA combines two major perspectives in its initiative - first the commitment on the UN SDGs, and how to use ICTs to development. And second the development of a global knowledge society. The UN SDGs must be our measurement – in terms of what to look at and where to look. Today we are living in a completely different environment – through the mobile revolution, through the emergence of the algorithmic age - data has become a capital as much as labour, land money and machinery. Hence, it is more important than ever to evaluate what is excellent content that really offers solutions and impact. Qualitative, local content has become the key and permanent issue. WSA presents innovation that uses ICT for social connectivity. To connect for impact.“, WSA Chairman Peter A. Bruck states.

The WSA winners 2019 will present their innovations and receive their awards at the WSA Global Congress in Vienna, Austria (March 9 - 11, 2020). The agenda of the WSA Congress will be a compilation of interaction and inspiration, assembling workshops, business blind-dates and inspiring keynotes, bringing together the global and multi-stakeholder network of WSA.