Global Digital Development Forum 2024 .

Chemonics is proud to co-host the 2024 Global Digital Development Forum, a highly participatory, community-driven event that will bring together more than 3,000 digital development practitioners.

Chemonics, in partnership with TechChange, USAID, IMB, DAI, Save the Children, Deloitte, and Cadmus Group, is looking forward to welcoming more than 3,000 participants from around the world for the fifth annual 2024 Global Digital Development Forum. This year’s hybrid event will be organized around the themes of 21st Century Development, Overcoming Digital Downsides, and Pushing the Frontiers of Development. The two day event – which will include seven keynotes, 43 live sessions, 30 lightning talks, and 30 tech demonstrations – will also offer in-person sessions and networking events in Washington, D.C., Moldova, and Senegal.

Register here. 

Chemonics’ experts will participate in the following sessions:

Keynote Conversation:

Tech Tales from Beyond the Western Frontiers
June 12, 2024
9:00-9:30 AM ET

Less than 20 percent of the world’s population resides in the West, comprising North America, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The remaining 80% live in the geography collectively referred to as “the rest of the world”—an area as vast as it is rich in sociocultural diversity, active civic movements, and thriving innovation ecosystems.

Anup Kaphle, editor-in-chief of the non-profit media startup Rest of World, a publication that thoughtfully and intentionally uncovers the stories about the profound impact technology is having on communities and ecosystems globally, will join Manisha Aryal, global practice lead for digital development at Chemonics, for a discussion that will delve into technology trends from beyond the West, narratives that challenge stereotypes, and stories that epitomize human ingenuity and interconnectedness.

Online Breakout Sessions:

Building a Justice Sector Without Breaking the Treasury
June 12, 2024
5:00-6:00 AM ET

Often, justice comes with a hefty price tag and a long wait. While many rule of law programs aim to make the justice system accessible, affordable, and more efficient they find themselves spending a fortune on fancy digital tools that may not work or be sustainable after the project ends. How can we ensure that the justice system is locally owned and maintained by the people who use it? Join us for a lively discussion about how we can leverage open-source and locally-owned digital tools to build more sustainable systems that can deliver justice for all, without breaking the bank.

Scaling Proven Supply Chain Digital Solutions for Better Health Outcomes
June 12, 2024
8:00-9:00 AM ET

Health supply chains need to leverage digital technology to boost health outcomes in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). This panel focuses on experience across Africa to understand how government, private sector, and innovation hubs work together to identify supply chain challenges, design effective solutions, launch pilots and scale them out. The panel will draw from real-life examples and share useful resources with participants.

Sharing Data Without Revealing Secrets: Using Data for Good Without Compromising on Security
June 12, 2024
11:00-12:00 PM ET

Speakers:
Juan Camilo Gonzales, Chief of Party, USAID/Colombia Integra Activity, implemented by Chemonics International
David Castrillón, Coordinator for the Observatory on Migration, Migrants, and Human Mobility Observatory, OM3 of Migración Colombia
David Florez, Director of Government and Human Rights for the National Department of Planning, National Observatory of Migration

Governments, NGOs, and development projects collect and process mountains of sensitive data to understand and track the world’s stickiest challenges, including migration. This data is critical for providing effective public and emergency services that often need to be coordinated across national ministries, local service providers, and more frequently across borders. But sharing large amounts of sensitive data threatens the security of that data which can be used to harm individuals and marginalized groups. During this session, experts will discuss how we can balance our interest to use and share data with our duty to keep it safe,

Open Data Goes to Work: Building a Data Ecosystem that Fosters Transparency, Efficiency, and Policymaking
June 13, 2024
7:00-8:00 AM ET

Open data can be a powerful tool to enhance transparency, efficiency, and decision-making in the public sector. But how can we collaborate with governments, businesses, and civil society stakeholders to create digital ecosystems and legislation that support open data initiatives? Join panelists from Kosovo and Jordan as they compare approaches, highlight lessons learned, and share best practices when leveraging existing digital solutions, work within the legislative parameters, and build the capacity and social behavioral change of government institutions to implement open data solutions.

Lightning Talk

Tech Works in Tandem to Mitigate Climate Change
June 12, 2024
6:45-6:50 AM ET

Speaker:
Ashley Valle, Land Innovation Fund Director, Chemonics International

Monitoring deforestation in the Cerrado has been challenging due to the lack of data and precision in standard satellite imaging, and the biome’s vastness. The Startup Finance Facility, run by the Land Innovation Fund in Brazil, is working with three solutions that leverage AI, ML, IOT and Edge Computing to mitigate climate change.

Technology Demonstrations

Cool Tool to Track Hot Pollutants
June 12, 2024

Speaker:
Dušan Jović, Director of Representative Office, E3 International

Want to breathe better in Serbia? Check out the Cadaster of Heating Devices, a cool tool by E3 International and Chemonics International. It tracks the specs, locations, and pollution levels of heating devices across the country so that energy managers and governments can plan, implement, and oversee energy efficiency initiatives. This data can help find the best ways to cut down emissions and save energy – a win-win for the environment and for the people!

Revolutionizing Spatial Planning: Platform’s Power Plans in Ukraine
June 12, 2024

Speaker:
Kateryna Reznikova, Planning and GIS Manager, USAID/Ukraine Agriculture Growing Rural Opportunities Activity, implemented by Chemonics International

For those looking to boost their local budgets by 20%, spatial planning may offer an exciting opportunity. This online platform now makes it quick and easy to create a spatial development plan. Simply answer a few questions online, and the platform will do the rest. It will gather the necessary information from open source and public registries to generate a technical task in a matter of days. With minimal manual work, fewer errors, and no delays, this platform has already become popular with Ukrainian communities.