DIAL welcomes partnership to advance digital solutions to achieve the SDGs; support COVID-19 response efforts

The Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) welcomes the support from the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) as we continue our mission to reach everyone, everywhere using digital solutions to combat COVID-19 and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. 

DFID, along with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the U.S. Agency for International Development, helped shape DIAL’s strategy from the very beginning. Their commitment to DIAL comes at a crucial time as the development community expands our work to incorporate digital tools in service delivery to the most vulnerable.

As COVID-19 has spread around the world, the most vulnerable are increasingly at risk of being left behind.  They can’t easily use digital technology to work from home, feed their families, or stay healthy. Digital technology and the responsible use of data can be lifelines if they can be more quickly integrated into national response efforts.  This is where DIAL’s work comes into play.  With DFID’s support, DIAL’s efforts are assisting country governments and service providers to incorporate digital tools into their programming can continue and expand.  DIAL’s recent guidance on how to leverage Mobile Network Operator Data to pinpoint service delivery and our work with countries and available resources on setting up messaging channels are two recent examples of how we are adapting global public goods to deliver impact.

“COVID-19 has exposed the challenges in approaching digital technology as a sectoral issue. DFID’s leadership in adopting the Principles for Digital Development and incorporating a holistic approach to digital embedded throughout their programming are a great model for other donor governments to follow if they want to maximize taxpayer dollars and deliver real impact.   Support from DFID makes it possible for DIAL and our partners to work together to tackle the persistent product, pricing, policy and people challenges that continue to hamper digital development,” said Kate Wilson, CEO, DIAL. “While we don’t know how long this pandemic will last, we do know that international cooperation to drive digital transformation is a key strategy to ensure no one is left behind.”