As the number of countries with COVID-19 cases increase, each is engaged in a different stage of responding to the global pandemic. Some countries are also taking tentative steps into a recovery phase. Such a massive global crisis has highlighted the importance of a whole-of-government, and whole-of-society, approach. Within this approach, the role of digital and technology is also significant. 

The UNDP Global Centre is supporting countries in leveraging these tools to accelerate their response and recovery. This includes a particular focus on the role of open source, which draws on the collective intelligence of national and international expertise. 

• Our COVID-19 Digital Toolkit features free-to-download tools that have been proven in other communicable disease and public health challenges – and which are also driving governments around the world. One government saved $4m by building on one of these tools, instead of starting from scratch. 

• Our COVID-19 Detect and Protect Challenge has created a repository of 350+ fully-fledged innovations that can be built and implemented locally. For example, this exciting Internet-of-Things solution  to track the national spread of COVID-19 – or this 3D-printed device that could be crucial in an era of social distancing.