The Stockholm Challenge is a well established global networking program for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) entrepreneurs since over ten years. It continues to be a leader in demonstrating how information technology can improve living conditions and increase economic growth in all parts of the world. One of the main features of the Stockholm Challenge is the ICT prize, the Stockholm Challenge Award, which has attracted over 3000 projects over the years.

The UNESCO mandate commits the Observatory to pay due attention to the impact of globalization on knowledge societies through the collection of pertinent information and monitoring of main trends. As a part of UNESCO’s strategy to build knowledge societies and in compliance with UNESCO’s function as “clearing house”, the UNESCO Observatory on the Information Society aims at monitoring the development of knowledge societies.