About us

The Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability was founded in 2021, in response to the UN Secretary-General’s roadmap for digital cooperation.

The UN Secretary-General’s report, Our Common Agenda, calls for a new landscape of digital governance and collaboration through a Global Digital Compact. CODES serves to  bring this landscape to life by setting priorities for a sustainable planet in the digital age in global fora and related communities of practice, and by cultivating action through the broader CODES network.

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About Us

The Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability was founded in 2021, in response to the UN Secretary-General’s roadmap for digital cooperation.
The UN Secretary-General’s report, Our Common Agenda, calls for a new landscape of digital governance and collaboration through a Global Digital Compact. Our work aims to inform the Compact’s emerging priorities.

The eight founding co-champions

In close collaboration with the Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology

Logo for the Republic of Kenya, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and ForestryLogo for the United Nations Development ProgrammeLogo for Sustainability in the Digital AgeLogo for UmweltbundesamtLogo for Future EarthLogo for the United Nations Environment ProgrammeLogo for the International Science CouncilLogo for the United Nations Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology

The Secretariat

Steering Group

Catalin Marinescu
Head of Strategy and Planning Division, International Telecommunication Union
Dirk Messner
President, German Environment Agency
Golestan (Sally) Radwan
Chief Digital Officer, UNEP
Micheline Ayoub
Executive Director, Sustainability in the Digital Age; Global Hub Director, Future Earth Canada
Philip Thigo
Senior Adviser, Data, Innovation and Open Government, Office of the Deputy President of Kenya
Reina Otsuka
Lead Digital Innovation for Nature Climate and Energy, UNDP
Vanessa McBride
Science Director, ISC

Coordination Group

Abhik Sen
Digital Public Infrastructure and Engagement Specialist, UNDP
Christian Schmitt
International Relations, President's office, UBA
Dirk Osiek
Research Associate, Socio-economic issues of digitalization, water management and marine conservation, German Environment Agency
Freshia Wairimu
Digital Transformation Associate, UNDP
Marcel Dorsch
Senior Expert Digital Change and Sustainability Transformation, German Environment Agency
Megha Sud
Science Officer, ISC
Michael Nxumalo
Director, Future Earth Africa Hub
Nilushi Kumarasinghe
CODES Focal Point, Sustainability in the Digital Age & Future Earth
Polina Koroleva
Associate Data Scientist, UNEP
Poonam Maskeri
Research Assistant, Sustainability in the Digital Age & Future Earth
Robin Zuercher
Programme Officer, International Telecommunication Union

Our Members

As a member-powered network, we are always seeking participation from contributors worldwide, from any sector Sign up to receive our updates and explore our action options, or apply directly to add your initiative to the official CODES network map.
Get Involved
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CODES uses an inclusive co-design process to develop its key resources.

We are now in a collective action phase, working to galvanize global support and action to advance our nine impact initiatives, and help us achieve our three goals (Align, Mitigate, and Accelerate)

Explore our Initiatives
2023
Apr
Submission to Global Digital Compact
The submission is based on the CODES Action Plan principles.
2022
Jun
CODES Action Plan Launch at Stockholm+50
The Action Plan was developed using broad stakeholder engagement of over 1,000 people, who collaboratively developed our goals, principles, and priority initiatives.
May
Online Consultations
Feedback Processes, including Stockholm +50 National and Regional Dialogues
Mar
UNEA Side Event
CODES high-level side event at UN Environmental Assembly in Nairobi
Feb
Second CODES Roundtable
Second CODES Roundtable to generate feedback for the Action Plan
Feb
Online Consultations
Feedback process on the draft Action Plan for a Sustainable Planet in the Digital Age
2021
Jun
CODES Conference
Review of the key recommendations of the flagship report and next steps to transform it into an action plan
May
Online Consultations
Feedback sessions for the first draft of the report
May
First CODES Roundtable
Feedback generation for the Action Plan
Mar
UN General Assembly
Debate on Digital Cooperation and Connectivity
The digital movement for sustainable development
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Three Shifts
Our initiatives
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