As we usher in 2025, we pause to celebrate the remarkable achievements, unwavering resilience, and strengthened partnerships that defined 2024. It was a year of growth, impact, and transformation, and we're excited to build on these milestones in the year ahead.
We were honored to welcome Ms. Hannan Sulieman, Assistant Secretary-General and UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, to our Brindisi Base.
As co-located partners at the United Nations Information and Communication Technology Facility in Valencia, UNGSC and UNICEF maintain an ongoing collaboration. Ms. Sulieman's visit presented a valuable opportunity to explore additional synergies and strengthen our partnership.
The United Nations Global Service Centre (UNGSC) bids farewell to Director Giovanna Ceglie, as she transitions to a new role at UN Headquarters. From prioritizing the environment to breaking down silos, and strengthening UNGSC's role in crisis response, Ms. Ceglie opened the doors to a new chapter in the Centre's history.
UNGSC was pleased to host a milestone Workshop at our Valencia Base, bringing together representatives from Member States, UN Field Missions, and United Nations Headquarters to advance the UN Smart Camp initiative.
The Workshop highlighted Remote Infrastructure Monitoring (FRIM), a core component of UN Smart Camp, which leverages Internet of Things (IoT) technology to improve the efficiency and sustainability of UN peacekeeping operations.
A fruitful visit from a delegation of the European Union Military Staff (EUMS) to the United Nations Global Service Centre marks another step forward in developing our partnership under the Framework Agreement between the United Nations and the European Union for the Provision of Mutual Support.
The Government of Italy and the United Nations have signed a new agreement aimed at securing a financial contribution for improvements to the facilities of the United Nations Global Service Centre (UNGSC) in Brindisi, Italy.
From leveraging cutting-edge technology to integrating advanced mapping services (#UNMaps), and utilizing smart technology (#FRIM, #SmartCamp), participants shared experiences, learned technical workflows, and observed inspiring use cases. They established a community of practice to develop Digital Twins to enhance situational awareness, improve planning, and mitigate risk situations in field offices.
You have likely seen images of the devastating floods unleashed across the region of Valencia on 29 October, causing immense damage. Within hours, homes were submerged, roads were cut off, and communities were left struggling to find safety amid the rising waters.
Our base in Valencia, the United Nations Information and Communications Technology Facility (UNICTF), was hit hard. The flooding breached our facilities, threatening critical infrastructure.
A key partner in mission liquidation, UNGSC has been working on the ground and remotely to support the transfer of assets from the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), one of the largest and most complex peacekeeping missions to date, now in the final stages of liquidation.
UNGSC was pleased to participate in the seventh edition of the Valencia Digital Summit (VDS), a platform for over 2,500 startups, bringing together 12,000 professionals from 110 countries, as well as CEOs from leading companies Meta, Google, and many more. In collaboration with our co-located partner organizations UNICEF, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the UN International Computing Centre (UNICC), our stand was an opportunity to showcase groundbreaking technologies for peace and humanitarian action and to connect with current and future industry leaders!