Talent Network
العربية

Cutting Edge UNRWA IT Hub in Blockaded Gaza Strip

At its newly renovated offices in Gaza, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) celebrated the relaunch of the UNRWA Information Technology Service Centre (ITSC). Leni Stenseth, the deputy commissioner-general of UNRWA, Kaan Cetinturk, the director of the information management and technology department, Karim Amer, the director of partnerships, and Thomas White, the director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, were all present at the ceremony.

The recently reopened centre offers state-of-the-art information technology (IT) services and effective IT solutions across the Agency’s five fields of operations, as well as to United Nations agencies around the world, in keeping with the Agency’s modernization and innovation strategy. Web and mobile application development, software quality assurance, UI/UX design, cyber security, cloud computing, data science, project management, and service desk are among the services provided.
(From left) UNRWA Deputy Commissioner-General, Leni Stenseth, and CIO and Director of UNRWA Information Management and Technology Department, Kaan Cetinturk.

"The UNRWA IT Service Centre has become the largest IT employer in Gaza, thus contributing to the livelihood opportunities in the Gaza Strip. The establishment of the Service Centre is also very much in line with the Agency’s strategic goal to modernize and digitally transform its services, business processes, and information management systems. It is very exciting to think of this IT centre as a small Silicon Valley in Gaza!"
Leni Stenseth
Deputy Commissioner-General


The Agency’s goal of empowering the digital generation of Palestinian refugees in Gaza is consistent with the existence of a cutting-edge IT hub. UNRWA joined the United Nations International Computing Centre (UNICC) as a partner, and as a result, it now offers IT support to the UNICC technical team. With 120 employees today, the Centre has expanded 20 times since its founding in 2020.

“Gaza is full of skilled, educated, and passionate IT graduates. This IT Service Centre has created a huge opportunity to tap into the potential of youth in Gaza and strengthen their capabilities. By investing in the human capital of Palestine refugees, UNRWA actively contributes to the realization of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We need support from all our donors and the private sector to be part of this successful journey,” said Mr. Cetinturk.
Kaan Cetinturk
CIO and Director of UNRWA IMTD
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