Information and Communications Technology Strategy

A/RES/80/253No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 135Programme budget for 2025, published in 2026.

What other versions does this mandate have?

2 versions · 2023–2026

2026A/RES/80/253Information and communications technology strategyLatestCompare with previous version
2023A/RES/78/243Information and communications technology strategy

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

5 topics

Artificial Intelligence Communication Technology Coordination Within UN System Information Technology Programme Budgeting

What does this mandate say?

19 operative paragraphs

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;

Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee;

Reiterates that the endorsement of the present resolution does not prejudge any future budgetary implication costs for the implementation of the strategy, which should be transmitted through the regular budgetary process;

Recalls paragraph 11 of the report of the Advisory Committee, welcomes the inclusion of the multi-year implementation plan that presents ongoing and planned information and communications technology projects and initiatives during the lifespan of the information and communications technology strategy, and requests the Secretary-General to provide a multi-year implementation plan in the next progress report on the strategy and to include in it clear articulation of project prioritization, timelines, resource implications and milestones corresponding to the strategic goals set out in the plan;

Also recalls paragraph 12 of the report of the Advisory Committee, recognizes how the information and communications technology-related efficiency agenda and enhanced use of technology can enhance effective and efficient mandate delivery, welcomes the inclusion of a dedicated section on the UN80 Initiative in future progress reports on the information and communications technology strategy, including information on how information and communications technology-enabled initiatives contribute to the objectives under the UN80 Initiative, both in the Secretariat and system-wide, and requests the Secretary-General, within existing resources, to conduct a system-wide review of information and communications technology functions to identify duplication and opportunities for efficiencies and to report thereon at its eighty-first session;

Further recalls its resolution 80/242 of 30 December 2025, and paragraphs 15 and 16 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and requests the Secretary-General to finalize and present, in the next progress report on the information and communications technology strategy, a comprehensive and operational information and communications technology accountability framework, clearly defining roles, responsibilities and reporting lines, including the practical application of the authority of the Chief Information Technology Officer, preserving a distinction between established operational service delivery responsibilities and governance responsibilities, while ensuring appropriate coordination across entities, and invites the Secretary-General, as Chair of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, as appropriate, to share perspectives on system-wide information and communications technology governance;

Recalls paragraph 17 of the report of the Advisory Committee and paragraph 23 of its resolution 80/242, and encourages the Secretary-General to provide, through the Umoja portal, accurate, comprehensive and regular information on approved information and communications technology projects with a cost exceeding $500,000 over a four-year period to Member States, and an indicative multi-year cost envelope for information and communications technology strategy implementation, and to submit it no later than at the first part of its resumed eighty-first session and in future reports;

Also recalls section IV, paragraph 15 of its resolution 79/258 B, and requests the Secretary-General to continue efforts to enhance the clarity and comparability of information on information and communications technology expenditure, including through consolidated reporting on information and communications technology budgets and expenditures across budgetary frameworks and measurable efficiency gains;

Notes the establishment of digital hubs across the United Nations system, recalls paragraph 30 of the report of the Advisory Committee, endorses the proposed criteria for selection of additional digital hubs in paragraph 54 of the report of the Secretary-General, encourages the Secretary-General to continue to consolidate digital hubs around the existing United Nations information and communications technology infrastructure, while ensuring information and communications technology security and the mitigation of data protection risks, as well as operational efficiency, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that those criteria are respected and to provide information in future reports;

Encourages the Secretary-General to promote awareness of human resources and vendor opportunities, including from developing countries and countries with economies in transition, and to actively seek partnerships with stakeholders including Member States, United Nations entities and qualified private sector vendors, and requests the Secretary-General to seek opportunities for further efficiency, including through volume discount negotiations on information and communications technology procurement based on the United Nations system-wide user population;

Notes with concern the lack of progress in addressing multiple recommendations of the Board of Auditors, including but not limited to its request for additional details regarding the information and communications technology strategy implementation plan, resource requirements and proposals for the consolidation of the functions of the Office of Information and Communications Technology and a review of the staffing model;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to focus on the impact of the rapid development of emerging technologies, especially artificial intelligence, on the information and communications technology strategy and in relevant proposals to update the strategy in future reports;

Recognizes that instances of artificial intelligence deployment in the United Nations system are primarily at a small scale and in silos, emphasizes the need to consolidate and formalize efforts to harness artificial intelligence at the Organization-wide level, and encourages the Secretary-General to implement a scan, pilot, scale approach so as to build a deep and continually updated understanding of artificial intelligence capabilities and to further identify successful artificial intelligence pilots in high-impact areas that can be applied across the United Nations system to enhance mandate delivery, and to provide information in future reports;

Encourages the Secretary-General to finalize, as a matter of priority, the policy on the responsible use of artificial intelligence in the Secretariat, and to provide an update in the next progress report on its status and implementation, including timelines, accountability, oversight and compliance mechanisms, multidisciplinary impact assessments, and its application across Secretariat entities in alignment with data protection, information management and existing information and communications technology governance processes, while taking into consideration relevant scientific assessments and discussions in United Nations forums, in order to leverage existing expertise, avoid duplication and support coherent and interoperable approaches across the Secretariat;

Recalls paragraph 91 of its resolution 80/242, reiterates the need for a holistic vision for the future use of data centres and cloud services across the Organization, and invites the Secretary-General to provide information on possible consolidation measures for existing data centres and the potential cost-efficiencies available in the proposed programme budget for 2027;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue fostering coordination and collaboration among United Nations organizations in all matters related to information and communications technology, while reducing fragmentation and duplication of information and communications technology functions across the wider United Nations, particularly in the context of the UN80 Initiative, and to provide information on the latest developments in the “One IT” initiative and other system-wide information and communications technology initiatives in future reports;

Recalls paragraphs 40 of the report of the Advisory Committee, notes the value of data centre consolidation and digital hubs, as well as of the “One IT” initiative, and encourages the Secretary-General to enhance efforts towards enhancing service delivery in a cost-efficient manner and accelerating impact, including by leveraging existing enterprise infrastructure and capacities;

Also recalls paragraph 34 of the report of the Advisory Committee, expresses concern at growing information and communications technology security risk and declining rates of information and communications technology security awareness among United Nations staff and, in view of the sensitivity of the data and information held by the Organization both at the Headquarters and in the field, requests the Secretary-General to place information and communications technology security and data protection as an important aspect of the implementation of the information and communications technology strategy, and further requests the Secretary-General to include updates on user vulnerability and on the effectiveness of these measures in future progress reports on the implementation of the strategy;

Further recalls paragraph 43 of the report of the Advisory Committee, which requests the Secretary-General to submit the second progress report on the implementation of the information and communications technology strategy at the first part of its resumed eighty-first session.

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