UN Delivers A Phone Book App

The UN Digital Solutions Centre (UN DSC), in a partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP) and UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), have launched an app for finding and connecting between United Nations colleagues from other organisations.

Dubbed Jambo, the app was developed with the support of the International Computing Centre (ICC), to enhance collaboration and communications between different UN Agencies as a critical aspect of addressing global challenges to achieve the 2030 Agenda. Most UN agencies have robust communications within their organisations, but until now a combined global directory has had limited contacts.

Facilitated by the #WorkFromHome order, the app will enhance cooperation between the millions of people working remotely from their homes as intended by the UN Digital Solutions Centre.

The Jambo app was funded by the UN DSC  and developed by ICC in less than a month. Currently, it contains contact information of the staffers at five-member organisations – UNHCR, WFP, ICC, and UN Women, as the UN DSC extends an offer to UN entities to join it for free.

The telephone directory app uses provided organisational credentials to log in. UN personnel can search for colleagues by name and find information such as email addresses, phone numbers, UN agencies, and other standard Active Directory data. Jambo users can call or send messages and add notes about contacts through the device’s native phone and email functionalities.

Additional features, such as alternate languages and a fully-encrypted chat, will soon be added to the application, with all systems hosted under UN Immunities and Privileges.

The UN DSC encourages all UN entities to say hello and join Jambo for an UN-wide contact information database, strengthening inter-agency collaboration and enabling each to serve better the global challenges related to their mandates.

The Jambo app is available to staff of participating UN Agencies for download at Google Play and Apple App Store.