INTERVIEW: Unicef Latin America Child Rights and Business department representative Marcelo Ber praised operators in the region for their contributions to fighting the spread of disease and addressing high levels of child poverty.

In an interview with Mobile World Live, Ber (pictured) highlighted the charity’s work with Tigo and Millicom on registering births in Bolivia, and the provision of free helplines for children across the continent – courtesy of a number of operators.

Big data platforms have also been used by Unicef in association with the industry to track the spread of diseases and viruses, including recent Zika outbreaks.

Ber noted while progress was being made to address the social issues across the continent, there are still 70 million children living in poverty out of a youth population of 200 million.

“There are several ways we are using [wireless] and we want to use more technology,” Ber said: “We are working with Millicom and Tigo in Bolivia and many other countries to give an ID in the hospital when the mother leaves with their children. Technology is helping us register them online in a cheap way.”

“In terms of emergencies, the mobile industry is helping us understand the spread of viruses and using big data for good. This is a really important area of contribution for the mobile industry.”

To view the full interview, click here.