Read about Ivanilda Rodrigues

What brought you to a career in technology at the United Nations?

Passion for using technology to improve development outcomes and make a positive impact.

What has been your favorite IT project at the United Nations and what was your technical contribution?

One of my favorite IT projects at the United Nations was the implementation of UN INFO in Cabo Verde, where I had the privilege of being the system administrator at the country level. (Learn more about UN INFO). My technical contributions included leading the implementation in a pilot country and facilitating the transition to version 2.0. I also, provided feedback to improve the system's functionalities and collaborated with a multidisciplinary team to administer the platform. When we first took on the challenge of being a pioneer in implementing the system, I knew that it had the potential to have a significant impact in the long-term. Even though UN Cabo Verde has a small team with limited resources, we successfully implemented UN INFO 1.0 as a pilot and facilitated the transition to 2.0 with dynamic, technologically capable and successful results. As part of this project, I provided feedback to improve the system's functionalities and contributed to its evolution for over five years. One of the major benefits of the UN INFO platform is that it allows the UN Cabo Verde to present the annual real-time results which have proved useful in demonstrating the impact of UN as ONE to the government and civilians of Cabo Verde and donors. In fact, our success with UN INFO has influenced the government of Cabo Verde to adopt a similar system to track and evaluate progress at the government level. Overall, I'm proud to have been a part of UN INFO implementation at the country level and to have contributed to its success. It demonstrates how even small countries with limited resources can implement innovative technological solutions that have a significant impact on achieving set goals. More information can be found here: https://un-dco.org/coordination-results/data-management-officer-cabo-verde  and page 12 of  https://unsdg.un.org/sites/default/files/2021-08/UNSDG_DTF_Full_Report_FINAL.pdf.

What advice would you give women interested in pursuing a field in technology?

Take risks and pursue your true passion!