Enhancing Efficiency of the United Nations System-Wide Action Plan (UN-SWAP) on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Through Tech-Based Solutions

The workshop team partnered with UN Women to improve the efficiency of the reporting and analysis under the UN System-Wide Action Plan on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment (UN-SWAP 3.0). Through desk reviews and interviews with UN-SWAP team members and focal points from various UN entities, the team identified core challenges, including fragmented data systems, inconsistent interpretation of performance indicators, and labor-intensive manual reporting processes.

To address these issues, the team developed three technology-enabled solutions: 1) a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) model to assist in drafting data-informed narrative reports, 2) a chatbot to support focal points during reporting based on official guidance, and 3) a Power BI dashboard connected to SQL databases for real-time data visualization. All tools were designed to operate within UN Women’s Microsoft Azure infrastructure to ensure secure and scalable implementation.

In addition, the team recommended appointing a data steward, holding biannual performance check-ins, and standardizing document naming and tagging within the Knowledge Hub. Although piloting was limited to sample data, these proposed tools show strong potential to reduce administrative burden and strengthen strategic insight. Ongoing refinement, user training, and coordination with the UN Women's information technology team will be critical for long-term success.