Read about Olga Tsaplina

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

I want to create a better world for my children, grandchildren, and all future generations.

What has been your favorite technology project or initiative at the United Nations and why? What was your contribution?

I am strongly advocating for citizen science and demistifying the sphere of IT, so I've also been inspired by UN Mappers' work, especially in mapping out remote and conflict-affected areas. At UN-Habitat, I have been involved in developing urban data collection tools as part of the Urban Monitoring Framework, contributing to the prototype application for data collection based on the UN system-wide Urban Monitoring Framework.

My all-time favorite initiative is ITU's AI for Good. In my current role, I collaborate with my team to promote the emerging best practices in AI highlighted during AI for Good sessions, with the aim of enhancing the efficiency of our work. Although I haven’t yet had the opportunity to contribute directly to AI for Good sessions, I hope to engage more deeply as my expertise in the field grows.

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

As a 27-year-old woman with a background in social sciences who had to learn technologies by myself to support my teams, I am well aware of how discouraging it can be to overcome the old-lived practices and face a distrust in your capacities. But also, based on my overall positive experience, one does not have to have a computer science degree to excel in applying advanced solutions to make our work more effective and efficient. So, utilize every opportunity to learn about cutting-edge technologies that come your way, reach out to colleagues and participate in the related communities of practice to gather knowledge and best practices.