News
UNDP releases 2025 Slovak Transformation Fund Annual Report
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Europe and Central Asia has published the 2025 Annual Report for the Slovak Transformation Fund (STF), highlighting how cities across the region are strengthening their capacity to manage complex urban transitions and connect…
M4EG: Leading cities when the compass fails
Originally posted at M4EG’s website, read the full article here. When familiar maps no longer work and the compass starts to spin, leadership is about learning to navigate the unknown. Tools alone are not the answer; if anything, cities have…
M4EG: What if the project is not the point?
Originally posted at M4EG’s website, read the full article here. Cities rarely move in straight lines. A tourism problem is also a skills problem, a public-service problem, a business-confidence problem and often a community-belief problem.…
UNDP and DFINITY Foundation Collaborate on Exploring Sovereign Cloud Infrastructure and Decentralized AI Deployment for Public Good
New York, Istanbul, Zurich, 25 August — The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the DFINITY Foundation today announced a new partnership to explore the deployment of sovereign cloud infrastructure and decentralized artificial intelligence to…
UNDP AltFinLab invites UN teams to apply for the 2026 SDG Blockchain Accelerator
The UNDP Alternative Finance Lab (AltFinLab) has launched an open call for the third edition of the SDG Blockchain Accelerator, inviting UNDP Country Offices and other UN entities to submit development challenges linked to active…
UNEP provides US$1.95 million to scale up Armenia’s circular bioeconomy transition
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), through its Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), has approved over US$2.2 million in funding to accelerate Armenia’s transition towards a circular bioeconomy – strengthening municipal systems, reducing organic…
UN Blockchain Talks #9 | AI Agents, Federated Learning, and the Sovereign AI Stack
The ninth and closing session of the spring UN Blockchain Talks handed the floor to three private-sector builders working at the edge of AI and blockchain, and asked them a blunt question: what do you actually…
UN Blockchain Talks #7 | Environmental sustainability and blockchain: where does it actually help?
Environmental sustainability has become one of blockchain’s favorite talking points. Even so, carbon credits, drought insurance, climate adaptation loans, renewable energy certificates, and biodiversity finance do not usually occupy the same conversation for long. In…
SDG Blockchain Accelerator: Driving SDG Impact in 2025
In 2025, the SDG Blockchain Accelerator delivered 46 pilot- and implementation-ready solutions, with 12 already entering real-world testing. Developed across two global cohorts, 70% of these solutions are embedded within ongoing national and regional programmes…
UN Blockchain Talks #6: What real supply chains demand from traceability systems
By the time a product or service reaches the end user, most of the difficult work has already been done elsewhere. Someone had to collect the right data and keep it attached to the right…
UN Blockchain Talks #5: What Bhutan’s national digital identity tells us about privacy and implementation
During the fifth session of the UN Blockchain Talks series, the discussion moved beyond whether blockchain can support digital identity. A more useful examination was what kind of identity system would give people greater control…
Where the United Nations blockchain work meets practice: UN Blockchain Talks 2026
Blockchain work across the UN system has grown steadily, but not always in a coordinated manner. Some teams are piloting real solutions; others are still assessing whether the technology fits their operational reality. This creates…
Visioning a future-ready workforce in the Western Balkans: Digital skills and regional competitiveness
At the Western Balkans Digital Summit 2025 in Skopje, we asked six regional experts¹ from across the Western Balkans 6 (WB6) two questions: what works, and what is missing in digital skills in the region? Through lightning talks, an interactive “harvest” workshop and a…
Digital payments that work under real constraints: Three UNDP SDG Blockchain Accelerator pilots show what last-mile readiness actually looks like
There’s a question that doesn’t get asked enough in digital finance: what does “working” actually mean when you’re operating at the last mile? Digital payments solve obvious problems on paper: instant settlement, lower fees, and…
UNDP launches new publication on blockchain and public-purpose digital systems
UNDP has released a new publication, “New Tech, New Partners: Transforming development in the digital era – A snapshot of UNDP’s blockchain practice,” offering a practical look at how blockchain technologies are being tested and…
Blockchain Academy launches its second global cohort
The UNDP Alternative Finance Lab (AltFinLab), in partnership with the Algorand Foundation, has launched the second global cohort of the Blockchain Academy, drawing unprecedented interest from across the UN system. Designed to strengthen practical understanding of responsible…
Six digital experiments that were never meant to scale
Governments are under pressure to move on digital transformation and AI. But many don’t know where to start – and honestly neither do we much of the time. And that’s OK. Landscapes are shifting quickly, institutional…
From dialogue to action: Building a shared vision for blockchain and sustainable development
As the world moves closer to 2030, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires not just new resources and tools, but new forms of collaboration. UNDP’s most recent Strategic Plan recognizes digital transformation as a key accelerator for…