AppIdea2R Contest – System App for Sustainable Development Goals

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Concept Proposal

AppIdea2R Contest – System App for Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction:

The Sustainable Development Goals represent a unique opportunity for the world to work together on 17 critical measures that embody the collective aspirations of the world’s citizens. Reaching the SDGs will enable all of us to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. It will not be an easy task, and to make meaningful progress, we will need to leverage the best tools available.

Role of ICT is irrefutable in terms of different fields of life including sustainable water management, combating climate change, healthcare, poverty alleviation, food security, education, efficient energy use or management, sustainable industrialization and foster innovation, protection of terrestrial ecosystems, and revitalization of global cooperation etc.Therefore, Information Communication Technology has tremendous potential to accelerate progress towards reaching the SDGs. In essence, ICTs are “leapfrog” and transformational technologies can enable all countries to close many technology gaps at record speed. It is also claimed that future advances in ICTs including mobile broadband, the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics and artificial intelligence, 3-D printing, and others will provide the tools for additional, unprecedented advances in healthcare, education4, energy services, agriculture, and environmental monitoring and protection.AppIdea2R Contest aims to develop software applications related to one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The app submitted in the Contest should address at least one of the 17 SDGs, either for awareness creation or to contribute to progress towards meeting the SDGs. The AppIdea2R Contest will be an open opportunity for university students mainly in Pakistan but will also be circulated  in other ECO countries viz Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to win prizes as well as become part of an international team to solve the social problems.  This activity will help Pakistan in connecting the youth in ECO region with particular reference to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal set of goals, targets and indicators that UN members will use to frame their policies over the next 15 years.The SDGs are a United Nations-sponsored effort to create a common set of development goals for all communities in every country, with a deadline for attainment of 2030. The idea is to get governments, aid organizations, foundations and NGOs on the same page about what global problems most urgently need to be solved and how to measure progress and solutions.

List of SDGs

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include:

1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere.
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries.
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.

Role of SDGs in future development

The thought of the SDGs has immediately made progress in light of the fact that of the developing earnestness of supportable improvement for the whole world. The SDGs will, fundamentally, have an alternate vibe about them. Economic advancement is escaping the whole planet. The SDGs ought to in this way renderopportunities and challenges for all nations—not what the rich ought to accomplish for poor people, be that as it may, what all nations together ought to accomplish for the worldwide well-being of future generation.

Need of Strong commitment and cooperation

The governments at all levels need cooperate and reduce trans-boundary gaps to promote sustainable development worldwide. This target includes array of policies that have traverse of commitment to the rule of law, human rights, transparency, participation, inclusion, and sound economic institutions that support the private, public, and civil-society sectors in a productive and balanced manner. Power is held in trust to the people, not as a privilege of the state.

Role of ICT in achieving different SDGs

The Information Communication Technology (ICT) role is irrefutable in terms of different fields of life including sustainable water management, combating climate change, healthcare, poverty alleviation, food security, education, efficient energy use or management, sustainable industrialization and foster innovation, protection of terrestrial ecosystems, and revitalization of global cooperation etc.

Scope

AppIdea2R Contest aim to develop software applications related to one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The app submitted to the Contest should address at least one of the 17 SDGs either for awareness creation or to contribute to progress towards meeting the SDGs.

Submissions may be any kind of software application, be it for the web, a personal computer, a mobile handheld device, console, SMS, or any software platform broadly available to the public.

The AppIdea2R Contest is designed for university students of ECO region which include: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. 

AppIdea2R Contest is a two phase contest: first phase is consists of App Idea Contest; second phase comprises of App Development Contest.

AppIdea2R – Phase I (App Idea skills)

The contest will provide solution for social problem from Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) announced by United Nationsand that can be developed into any kind of System App. In this phase of the Contest, contestants don't have to develop the App on their own;they merely have to come up with the concept of social problem solution. They will submit their idea (not exceeding 900 words in English/Russian) in a concept note and will enter this opportunity, not only to win wonderful prizes but to be part of an international team to solve the social problems.

AppIdea2R – Phase II (App Development skills)

The AppIdea2R Contest second phase aims to bring together the best app development teams from ECO member state universities to create innovative apps using AppIdea2R Contest Phase-I winning ideas.It is an open source, open platform contest designed to promote and inspire competition among the ECO region’s future coders, testers, developers, whatever they want to call themselves!

AppIdea2R: Objectives

The AppIdear2R Contest provides separate opportunity for ECO region university students who can generate ideas or have app developing skills to use their ideas and technological knowledge, their ingenuity and their creativity to come up with an original System App that can be use every day. The goal of this Contest is to provide an engaging and empowering learning experience to increase student interest and knowledge in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

To develop software applications for web, personal computer, mobile handheld device, console, SMS, or any software platform broadly available to the public on SDGs to:

• Make progress towards SDG by developing solution to local problem.
• Create awareness of SDGs at national & international levels, especially in ECO member states.

Expected Outcomes

We are entering in the new era of SDGs. Emerging innovative technologies are changing the earlier communication practices. New technologies are forcibly delineating the structure of communications. That’s why we need to redefine how citizens involve with the structures that govern their lives.

The AppIdea2R Contest is expected to generate the following outcomes and results:

• Youth will become part for awareness raising on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and will become future ambassadors to promote and popularize SDGs
• Technology will advantage to facilitate and monitor the progress on SDGs
• Youth will be empowered with the skills and confidence to develop System Apps for Sustainable Development
• New tools will be created to access open data in an accessible way
• Development Sector will engage the Ideas and Apps, which will ultimately help to achieve SDGs
• Inter-university coordination among ECO member estates universities will enhance
• Cultural exchange will grow among ECO member state university students
• Will help to bring closer the ECO region student community

Judgmentcriteria

• Innovation
• Business value
• User experience
• Presentation

Methodology

Applications will be invited from university students across the ECO member countries through partner organizations for innovative ideas App. The effective media campaign and social media pages will play lead role in extending the reach of the contest. Additionally, Technology Times will engage the Campus Correspondents for spreading the contest in the university and ensuring adequate participation. The Ideas will be evaluated by jury of experts which will be constituted by mutual coordination and agreement of the partner organizations.

Collaborative partners 

1. ECO Science Foundation – ECOSF
2. Mehran University of Engineering & Technology
3. Technology Times

Click Here to visit AppIdea2R Website.