ABOUT

In 2018, Call for Code was launched at the VivaTech Conference in Paris—a bold initiative from UN Human Rights, supported by French President Emmanuel Macron and founding partner IBM. The program began with a remarkable $30 million commitment, underscoring IBM’s deep belief in technology’s power to tackle humanity’s most pressing challenges. Following the success of the inaugural Call for Code Global Challenge, IBM pledged an additional $25 million within the first ten months to further develop and deploy winning solutions, raising its first-year commitment to an impressive $55 million.

Over the last seven years, Call for Code has evolved into the world’s largest mobilization of developers, uniting innovators from over 180 nations who have created more than 27,000 applications to address pressing global issues. The Call for Code Global Challenge is an annual rallying cry to 24 million developers worldwide: channel your skills and harness cutting-edge technology to forge solutions to the planet's most urgent problems.
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ABOUT CALL FOR CODE

The Call for Code Global Initiative is the Largest Engagement of Developers in History, with Developers from 165 Nations Participating.

Developers have revolutionized the way people live and interact with virtually everyone and everything. Where most people see challenges, developers see possibilities. That’s why David Clark Cause created and launched Call for Code with UN Human Rights, and why technology giant IBM pledged 30 million dollars to the initiative and became the Founding Partner. This initiative is a call-to-action to the 24 million developers around the world to use their skills and mastery of the latest technologies, to solve some of the world’s toughest challenges and drive positive and long-lasting change across the world with their code. The initiative was launched with an assist from French President Macron and IBM CEO Ginni Rometty at The VivaTech Conference in Paris in 2018.
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ABOUT 
CALL FOR CODE

The Call for Code Global Initiative is the Largest Engagement of Developers in History, with Developers from 165 Nations Participating.

Developers have revolutionized the way people live and interact with virtually everyone and everything. Where most people see challenges, developers see possibilities. That’s why David Clark Cause created and launched Call for Code with UN Human Rights, and why technology giant IBM pledged 30 million dollars to the initiative and became the Founding Partner. This initiative is a call-to-action to the 24 million developers around the world to use their skills and mastery of the latest technologies, to solve some of the world’s toughest challenges and drive positive and long-lasting change across the world with their code. The initiative was launched with an assist from French President Macron and IBM CEO Ginni Rometty at The VivaTech Conference in Paris in 2018.
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CALL FOR CODE
GLOBAL CHALLENGE

At the heart of this visionary initiative lies the Call for Code Global Challenge - a dynamic four-month global competition that unites developers, human rights experts, and specialized teams in a shared mission: to engineer solutions for some of the world’s most urgent issues. Backed by the United Nations and an expansive coalition of tech leaders, including IBM, The Linux Foundation, sponsors, celebrities, and global organizations, the challenge transcends borders, drawing submissions from nearly every country. Each year, this grand mobilization of talent underscores the belief that technology, when guided by purpose, can bring real change to the world’s most pressing challenges.

The pinnacle of the competition is the coveted Call for Code Global Prize. The winning team, selected by an eminent jury featuring a former U.S. President, United Nations leaders, industry authorities, and coding luminaries, is awarded $200,000 at a celebrated event held at the United Nations in New York. But beyond the prize, the true honor lies in the opportunity to partner with IBM and key ecosystem partners, to bring their solution to life on a global scale. This distinction, often referred to as “The Nobel Prize for Developers,” epitomizes the transformative power of innovation when championed by a worldwide community.
CALL FOR CODE
GLOBAL CHALLENGE

At the core of the initiative is the Call for Code Global Challenge, a 4-month long global competition where teams comprised of developers, human rights experts and other specialists develop solutions to solve for some of the world’s toughest challenges. The annual Call for Code Global Challenge is promoted by the United Nations, a global coalition of tech companies including IBM and The Linux Foundation, sponsors, celebrities and supporting organizations that results in submissions from virtually every country around the world. The Call for Code Global Challenge winning team takes home the Call for Code Global Prize, receives $200,000 at the annual Call for Code Global Prize event at the United Nations in New York and perhaps more importantly has the opportunity to partner with IBM to develop and deploy their solution around the world. The eminent jury that selects the winning team is comprised of a former US President, leaders from the United Nations, industry experts and coding icons. The Call for Code Global Prize is referred to as “The Nobel Prize for Developers.”
UNITED NATIONS
HUMAN RIGHTS

As Call for Code’s Charitable Partner, UN Human Rights embodies the global commitment to the universal ideals of human dignity. Representing human rights concerns for all 193 United Nations Member States, UN Human Rights holds a singular mandate from the international community to champion and safeguard human rights for everyone, everywhere.
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UNITED NATIONS
HUMAN RIGHTS

Call for Code Charitable Partner UN Human Rights represents the world's commitment to universal ideals of human dignity. They represent human rights issues for the 193 Member States of the United Nations, and thus have a unique mandate from the international community to promote and protect human rights for all.
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UNITED NATIONS
HUMAN RIGHTS

Call for Code Charitable Partner UN Human Rights represents the world's commitment to universal ideals of human dignity. They represent human rights issues for the 193 Member States of the United Nations, and thus have a unique mandate from the international community to promote and protect human rights for all.
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THE INSPIRATION

In 2017, reports of malicious hacking swept across the globe, revealing a sobering truth: rogue developers wielded unprecedented power to disrupt elections and spread confusion on an astonishing scale. For David Clark, this was a wake-up call—a stark realization of the profound influence and potential impact that developers held in shaping the modern world.

OPPORTUNITY TO
REBRAND DEVELOPERS

Clark recognized that these rogue developers, though powerful, were far from representing the broader developer community, whose integrity was now shadowed by the actions of a few. The skill, reach, and ingenuity on display made him wonder: what if such talents could be harnessed for good? What if developers became celebrated as problem-solvers tackling society’s toughest issues? This spark ignited a groundbreaking vision—a movement to rewrite the narrative around developers by creating an initiative that championed their potential to drive social impact.

From this vision emerged the Call for Code Global Initiative – an ongoing endeavor to unite developers and innovators worldwide in a “Justice League for Good,” inspiring millions to use their skills collectively to address the planet’s greatest challenges. Fueled by a mission to turn talent into tangible change, the Call for Code Global Initiative aims to propel developers into new frontiers, guiding them on a quest to solve critical global issues through innovative technology solutions.
THE INSPIRATION

In 2017 news of malicious hacking around the world was rampant, and David Clark was unsettled by how much power individual rouge developers had to disrupt elections and sew confusion and chaos on such a massive scale. Clark understood for the first time how much potential power and impact developers had. 

OPPORTUNITY TO
REPOSITION DEVELOPERS

Clark realized these rogue developers were not representative of the developer community at large and were giving law abiding coders a bad name. The power, reach, and ingenuity these rogue developers possessed made him wonder—what if these skills were used to innovate for good? What if we could change the narrative about developers and create a ground-breaking initiative that celebrated developers, ones who helped solve social issues? 

That sparked an idea. With that much creative power working independently, what would happen if a “Justice League for Good” could be created, where millions of creative developers could be inspired to work together for a common purpose, to create software solutions for some of the biggest social challenges of our time. With that inspiration, the multi-year Call for Code Global Initiative was created to tap into the awesome power and potential of the millions of developers around the world by inspiring them to use their skills to become agents of positive change and help people in need. 

The Call for Code Global Initiative aims to propel developers on uncharted quests to solve the world’s most challenging problems using innovative technology solutions.
THE INSPIRATION

In 2017 news of malicious hacking around the world was rampant, and David Clark was unsettled by how much power individual rouge developers had to disrupt elections and sew confusion and chaos on such a massive scale. Clark understood for the first time how much potential power and impact developers had. 

OPPORTUNITY TO REPOSITION DEVELOPERS

Clark realized these rogue developers were not representative of the developer community at large and were giving law abiding coders a bad name. The power, reach, and ingenuity these rogue developers possessed made him wonder—what if these skills were used to innovate for good? What if we could change the narrative about developers and create a ground-breaking initiative that celebrated developers, ones who helped solve social issues? 

That sparked an idea. With that much creative power working independently, what would happen if a “Justice League for Good” could be created, where millions of creative developers could be inspired to work together for a common purpose, to create software solutions for some of the biggest social challenges of our time. With that inspiration, the multi-year Call for Code Global Initiative was created to tap into the awesome power and potential of the millions of developers around the world by inspiring them to use their skills to become agents of positive change and help people in need. 

The Call for Code Global Initiative aims to propel developers on uncharted quests to solve the world’s most challenging problems using innovative technology solutions.
GLOBAL SCALE

To mobilize developers worldwide, David Clark understood that he needed more than just a compelling vision—he needed a formidable coalition of organizations and stakeholders that could ignite the tech community’s desire for social impact. Convincing the United Nations of Call for Code’s transformative potential was a milestone; with the UN’s endorsement, he sought a purpose-driven, globally influential company as a “Founding Partner” that would embrace the mission of elevating developers as the true “change agents they are.” After an exhaustive, international search, Clark found an ideal partner in IBM, whose history of visionary projects aligned seamlessly with the initiative’s ambitions.

With the UN’s backing, Clark approached IBM’s senior leadership, who recognized the audacious scale of Call for Code and saw its resonance with the company’s legacy of groundbreaking innovation—after all, IBM was the company that helped put a man on the moon. The partnership was immediate and wholehearted, as IBM grasped the powerful humanitarian role developers could play through Call for Code, and how aligning with such a cause could positively shape both their business and the tech community at large.
GLOBAL SCALE

To galvanize that many developers, Clark knew he would need to create a powerful coalition of organizations and stakeholders to inspire the tech community into action. After convincing the United Nations that Call for Code had tremendous potential to address social challenges on a global scale, he knew he needed to find a purpose driven company with global reach to be an authentic “Founding Partner,” that would also see the need to rebrand and elevate developers as the “change agents they are.” After a careful international search and selection process, Clark felt IBM fit the bill perfectly, and with the support of the UN, he reached out to their senior management who felt the global scale of Call for Code was audacious, but as the company that literally helped put a man on the moon, they felt it was possible, timely and relevant. IBM immediately understood the humanitarian impact developers can have, and how Call for Code could positively position and impact their business.
GLOBAL AMPLIFICATION

Each year, to amplify the mission of the Call for Code Global Initiative, a resonant Cause Flash campaign is launched with purpose and precision, aligned with pressing global issues like natural disasters and climate change. These carefully timed, celebrity-powered social media blitzes tap into moments of significance to drive awareness around social justice themes integral to the initiative. Through this campaign, the collective reach of influential voices—spanning Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram—engages hundreds of millions worldwide, creating an instant call-to-action that cascades across social networks.

The campaign's core message is clear and urgent: a rallying cry to developers, innovators, and the public to rally behind the cause and propel the impact of the Call for Code Global Initiative. As followers and fans are inspired to share this message within their own communities, the reach and influence of the Cause Flash multiplies, fueling a wave of global awareness and mobilizing support for action on the critical issues we face today.
GLOBAL AMPLIFICATION

To help promote the cause theme behind the annual Call for Code Global Initiative and Global Challenge (i.e. Natural Disasters, Climate Change), celebrity-driven Cause Flashes are launched on a prearranged date selected due to its relevancy to the social justice issue promoted by the initiative. Each year’s social media campaign consists of the aggregated “Social Media Voices” (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram followers) of prominent individuals and organizations with specific cause messages that instantly reaches the social media feeds of a massive global audience of hundreds of millions of followers and fans. The campaign messaging is meant to be a call-to-action to developers, innovators and the public at large to help support the cause and the Call for Code Global Initiative. Cause Flash messaging also invites the followers and fans to share the message with their own followers – further amplifying the Cause Flash and Call for Code Global Initiative around the world.
GLOBAL AMPLIFICATION

To help promote the cause theme behind the annual Call for Code Global Initiative and Global Challenge (i.e. Natural Disasters, Climate Change), celebrity-driven Cause Flashes are launched on a prearranged date selected due to its relevancy to the social justice issue promoted by the initiative. Each year’s social media campaign consists of the aggregated “Social Media Voices” (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram followers) of prominent individuals and organizations with specific cause messages that instantly reaches the social media feeds of a massive global audience of hundreds of millions of followers and fans. The campaign messaging is meant to be a call-to-action to developers, innovators and the public at large to help support the cause and the Call for Code Global Initiative. Cause Flash messaging also invites the followers and fans to share the message with their own followers – further amplifying the Cause Flash and Call for Code Global Initiative around the world.
HIGHLIGHTS
2021 Call for Code Awards Highlights
Andra Day supports Call for Code for Racial Justice
Pitbull discusses Call for Code 2020
Lady Gaga encourages developers to participate in Call for Code
Highlights from the 2020 Call for Code Awards Celebration hosted by Van Jones and featuring Chelsea Clinton, Rivers Cuomo and the Soweto Gospel Choir
David Clark talks about the inspiration behind creating Call for Code and how the initiative has become the largest engagement of developers in history
Call for Code 2019 Explained
Call for Code 2020 Theme
Call for Code on EXTRA
Ron Livingston on Call for Code
Amber Heard - Call for Code
Call for Code 2019 Global Winner Prometeo takes care of firefighters health
2018 Call for Code Global Prize Winner - Project Owl
Chelsea Clinton on 2020 Call for Code Global Challenge

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