Tech gaps and budget cuts threaten global efforts to track and help the vulnerable

This article is published in association with United Nations.

Digital tools are changing the way countries manage everything from tracking refugees to caring for the elderly. 

But as nations gather at the UN this week to discuss the future of our population growth, two major hurdles are taking centre stage: a lack of funding and a widening gap between those who have access to new technology and those who do not.

For almost two decades, Nigeria has grappled with large-scale displacement of people in the country’s restive northeast, with around two million people forced from their homes.

Responding to this humanitarian crisis is a huge undertaking, compounded by climate shocks, disease outbreaks and shrinking aid budgets.

OCHA/Yasmina Guerda

Mafa, a camp for internally displaced people in Borno State, north-east Nigeria (file, 2018)

Tracking matrix

Historically, a lack of reliable information about the displaced people has hampered efforts to help them but, in recent years, the government has made use of the Displacement Tracking Matrix, a tool developed by the UN migration agency (IOM), which has allowed them to accurately assess the number of internally displaced persons, their locations and their specific needs.

Today, the tool supports decision-makers and humanitarian responders in some 91 countries worldwide, underscoring the growing importance of technology in the area of population research.

The role of technology will be central to discussions at the latest session of the Commission on Population and Development, taking place at UN Headquarters this week, from 13 to 17 April.

Whilst digital tools such as the matrix are expanding access to information, they are also creating new challenges, including a growing digital divide, data-privacy risks, misinformation and technology-facilitated violence. 

These urgent issues will also be addressed during the session.

UN Women

Prosthetics created using AI tools, by Bioniks Technologies, a company in Pakistan (file)

Tech is changing how people live and age

The talks are guided by three reports from UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The first highlights how digital tools are transforming access to healthcare, education, jobs and information: medical technologies are extending life expectancy, while changes in work and communication are influencing where people live, when they have children and how families are formed.

The Secretary-General also cautions that many people, particularly in low-income countries, rural areas and marginalised communities, still lack access to the internet, digital services and modern health technologies. 

These gaps – often called the digital divide – risk deepening inequality between and within countries. Women, older persons and people with disabilities are often the most affected.

The second report focuses on ageing societies and the growing demand for elder-care services, geriatric medical specialists, and the use of assistive technologies. To prepare, countries must strengthen their internet infrastructure, expand the use of digital tools and invest in science and technology training.

Several countries have launched innovative digital health care initiatives to improve knowledge about migration and humanitarian needs, including during crises such as pandemics and natural disasters. 

Examples include Bangladesh’s mHealth project, which uses SMS to connect mothers with healthcare advice, India’s eSanjeevani platform, which has delivered over 150 million telemedicine sessions, and Nepal’s SITA AI, developed by the UN sexual and reproductive rights agency (UNFPA), which rapidly analyses national datasets to produce detailed reports and briefs.

Funding freefall

Funding for international development has dropped sharply since 2023, affecting funding for population-related programmes, especially in low and middle‑income countries.

The third report charts this decline, which includes aid for technology and research, a worrying trend that is widening global inequalities in knowledge, skills and innovation capacity. 

The Secretary‑General warns that current funding levels are not sufficient to meet the goals of the Commission or achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and calls for stronger and more predictable financing focused on sexual and reproductive health, population data, and research and technology – especially in the poorest and most vulnerable countries.

The 59^th Session of the Commission on Population and Development runs from 13 to 17 April 2026. You can watch proceedings live on UN WebTV.

From birth rates to bytes: How the commission helps shape the future

• The 59th session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD59) takes place in New York under the theme “Population, technology and research in the context of sustainable development.”
• The commission is a group of countries that meets to talk about how population changes affect people’s lives and development.
• It was created in 1946, just after World War Two, when governments around the world were realising that population trends matter: changes in birth rates, death rates, and migration can affect food supply, housing, employment, and social stability.
• In 1994, the UN decided that the commission’s mandate should be expanded, linking population issues with development and quality of life issues, and renamed it the Commission on Population and Development.