Read about Sarah Chitaha

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

The United Nations is an organisation that shares the same ideals and convictions that I have long embraced. I aspire to use my tech expertise to contribute to promoting world peace, stepping up efforts to combat climate change and human rights, ending poverty, and advancing education. I'm thrilled to be a member of this organisation since our work is continuous and demands perseverance, professionalism, ethics, and dedication. I was aware that working for the UN entailed a great deal of responsibility, and when I was chosen for the position, I was prepared for the challenge it would present.

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

The Global Partnership on Plastic Pollution and Marine Litter Digital Platform informs and connects all actors working to address this urgent issue across the life cycle and from source to sea.

I learned Google Analytics and Data Studio from scratch. This was done to monitor website usage across the four platforms that make up the Digital Platform. I put what I had learned about Google Analytics into practice for the Communities, Data Dub, Data Catalog, and the Digital Platform. I created dashboard reports using Data Studio and Google Analytics data. The stakeholders can view and measure online performance indicators including website traffic, bounce rate, conversion rate, and session duration using the website analytics dashboard.

In addition, I contributed to the creation of the Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution Ontology and curated and created the Digital Platform Help Center.

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

You are important. Your voice is critical. Get more comfortable claiming your power and understanding your unique abilities. Society is bending under the weight of women who no longer prefer to remain hidden in the shadows because, when they are brought to light, we all shine exactly as we are meant to.