Olivier Alais is a program coordinator at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), where he leads efforts to embed human rights into technical standardization processes. A computer engineer by training, he brings over two decades of experience at the intersection of technology, development, and human rights.
Prior to joining the ITU, Olivier served as digital task team leader at the French Development Agency (AFD), where he helped design national digital infrastructure programs. He also led an online protection initiative for civil society organizations in developing countries, developed a micro-insurance health platform in Thailand, contributed to the creation of a federal digital social security system in Mexico, and supported the development of e-government tools in Liberia.
His fieldwork includes launching community-based internet radio stations in northern Mali and establishing the first rural computer centers in Burkina Faso, where he also taught at university.
Olivier was a Fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. His work continues to focus on bridging technical innovation with inclusive, rights-based approaches to digital transformation.
Project: This work seeks to embed human rights into the development of technical standards—an often-overlooked but critical foundation of global digital technologies. Despite their far-reaching influence, standardization processes rarely account for the human rights implications of the technologies they shape. By piloting a rights-based framework within the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and fostering collaboration with other standards development organizations, this work aims to catalyze a systemic shift toward rights-respecting technical governance. Its broader ambition is to influence practices across the ICT sector and support the emergence of technical standards that uphold human rights by design, particularly in fast-evolving areas like AI, the metaverse, and smart infrastructure. This effort aligns with ongoing multilateral initiatives, including the UN's Global Digital Compact, and responds to calls from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN Member States to ensure that technology development is firmly grounded in respect for human rights.