
Alka Arya
Software Production Coordinator
What brought you to a career in technology at the United Nations?
I started my career in technology with IBM and worked on Mainframe Servers. Later moved to a Japanese Six Sigma Automotive company and worked on the complete software development lifecycle. Having top-level hardware and application experience in my ambit, I looked out for the next level and came across the opportunities with United Nations. I knew about the UNメs role in promoting peace, sustainable development, and human rights and read about how the United Nations has recognized the importance of gender equality and women's empowerment in achieving its goals. These two jobs gave me good exposure, learnings, and expertise and motivated me to move on and utilize my experience for the betterment of society at large. I felt that by joining United Nations I would be joining the best workforce on the planet which recognizes and utilizes the potential of technology to advance its mission. I pursued my passion for using technology for the betterment of society and joined the United Nations force, as its soldier in 2006.
What has been your favorite technology project or initiative at the United Nations and why? What was your contribution?
In past, I had the opportunity to work on an in-house ERP project and I was a key team member for over a decade. But my favorite is ムUNiLearnメ a Learning Management System, based on open-source software and offered by UNICEF India and UN-OICT to all learners in India. This software was launched in 2020 and played a pivotal role in the delivery of education during the pandemic to almost every nook and corner of India. I have been associated with it as a project lead from its inception and playing a key role in its end-to-end development and management. While ensuring that we can reach million-plus users, my role requires continuous improvements, enhancements, and scaling across the platform. The journey which started with one user in 2020 would be reaching its ten million user mark by 2024. The way this software has been accepted and embraced by masses from economically weaker to expert educators and has played out as a journey of a lifetime for our team. There is not a single day when this platform is not serving a few thousand learners in remote parts of modern cities alike. The experience is enriching, fulfilling, and a classic example of digital inclusion.
What advice would you give women interested in pursuing a field in technology?
In a few words, I would advise them to focus on their uniqueness and understand their abilities. Apply their Skills, build a network of support, keep learning new skills, work on weak areas, stay curious, participate in hackathons, workshops, and seminars, work hard, and stay focused. Play, Socialize, explore, balance your life, and pursue your passion.