What sets us apart
Often referred to as a startup within the UN system, Giga draws on the expertise of two major organizations:
ITU leads on telecommunications policy and regulation, while UNICEF focuses on leveraging its country presence, convening power, and expertise in education and child rights to implement and scale connectivity solutions.
Global support, international recognition
We work with support of the Governments of Switzerland and Spain together with other Governments, UN organizations, tech industry players, the international finance community and more.
Giga’s impact was recognized in the Global Digital Compact as an important stepping stone to helping connect all schools and hospitals to the internet by 2030.
Leaders driving the initiative
Doreen Bogdan-Martin
ITU Secretary-General
Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava
Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT), ITU
Catherine Russell
UNICEF Executive Director
Giga Co-Leads
Christopher Fabian
Giga Co-Lead, Office of Innovation, UNICEF
Christopher’s career has focused on how the intersection between new technology and global policy can solve the world’s most pressing problems and advance humanity.
He has advised two UN Secretary-Generals on new technologies, founded and scaled UNICEF’s Innovation Unit, and worked with Heads of State and CEOs to invest in responsible, forward-looking technologies.
Christopher has built, invested in, and mentored technology companies from startup through multiple financing rounds and exit. He has led teams that developed some of the largest implementations of open-source mobile phone applications in the world, the first public-sector drone/UAV corridors, the first crypto-currency denominated fund in the public sector, and the Digital Public Goods Alliance with the Government of Norway.
He is a Commissioner for the Lancet-Financial Times, an Honorary Scholar at the Chinese Central Academy of Fine Arts, a Board Member of the European Parliaments STOA Centre for Artificial Intelligence, and was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the “World’s 100 Most Influential People” in 2013.
Alex Wong
Giga Co-lead, ITU
Alex has over 30 years professional experience in leadership roles with a focus on building and implementing partnerships to address the world’s biggest development challenges. Alex currently serves in the Executive Office of the ITU, the UN agency for digital technology, where he oversees Giga, as well as Partner2Connect, an ITU-led initiative to achieve universal, meaningful connectivity and digital transformation.
From 2019-2022, Alex served as Senior Strategy Advisor and Chief, Special Initiatives, in the Office of the Director of the Telecommunications Development Bureau (BDT). Prior to joining the ITU, Alex worked in both the private and not-for-profit sectors. He is a licensed professional engineer with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Toronto and a master’s in public administration from Harvard University.
Let’s build a connected future together
