News
Why municipal finance is about more than funding
In Tashir, Armenia, the need is clear: the city’s drinking-water system requires rehabilitation. But the route to financing is less straightforward. Before engaging an external funder, the city needs clarity on technical scope, who will operate and maintain the system,…
UNDP launches global AI Foundations for Municipalities course
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched AI Foundations for Municipalities, a self-paced online course open to municipal staff and public servants worldwide, regardless of their role, technical background or prior knowledge of artificial intelligence (AI). Artificial intelligence is…
The (In)Visible Effects of the M4EG Mission Journey: A Balcony View of the Region
The Narrative of Transformation How we speak about change fundamentally shapes the change itself. In development, it is easy to default to reporting in templates with indicators, inputs, outputs, efficiencies, and deliverables. But working with…
UNDP and Exponential Science Foundation launch the Government Blockchain Academy in El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Argentina
Istanbul, Lugano, 26 October 2026 — The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through its Alternative Finance Lab (AltFinLab), and the Exponential Science Foundation (ESF) have launched the Government Blockchain Academy in El Salvador, the Dominican…
On foot or by bike: Four new tourist routes to explore in Sireți
Just 17 km from Chișinău, Sireți invites visitors to slow down and discover the village from a different perspective. Four new tourist routes, two for walking and two for cycling, connect the locality’s better-known landmarks…
BOOSTCamp in Warsaw: Innovation ecosystem builders come together
Twelve organisations from Moldova and Ukraine, selected for the BOOST: Innovation Ecosystem Accelerator, will meet at a BOOSTCamp in Warsaw from 13–15 October. Held at the CIC Warsaw Innovation Campus and hosted with Venture Café Warsaw, UNDP BOOST’s…
UNDP and Exponential Science Foundation launch the Government Blockchain Academy in El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Argentina
Istanbul, Lugano, 26 October 2026 — The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through its Alternative Finance Lab (AltFinLab), and the Exponential Science Foundation (ESF) have launched the Government Blockchain Academy in El Salvador, the Dominican…
GrantsFund4Aid concludes successful on-chain grant management pilot
GrantsFund4Aid, an on-chain grant management platform developed by Innofund, has concluded a pilot testing how blockchain technology can support more transparent, traceable and efficient grant management. It successfully disbursed test grants to ten teams participating…
UNDP and Blockchain for Good Alliance launch Cybersecurity Programme
The United Nations Development programme (UNDP) and Blockchain for Good Alliance (BGA), the global non-profit initiative founded by Bybit, dedicated to leveraging blockchain for societal impact, have signed an agreement to launch a two-year programme…
Circle Foundation announces support for United Nations Development Programme and World Food Programme to advance digital payments for development and humanitarian action
NEW YORK — [September 25, 2026] — Circle Foundation, a philanthropic initiative supported by Circle Internet Group, Inc.’s (NYSE: CRCL) 1% equity commitment, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Food Programme (WFP),…
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…
Blockchain for Public Good: Insights from UNDP’s Paris Convenings
Governments around the world are accelerating their digital transformation efforts. As they do, blockchain has gained attention as one of several technologies that can help strengthen public systems, from digital payments and identity to climate…
UNDP and the Stellar Development Foundation extend partnership to scale proven digital payment solutions
Building on research across seventeen countries and live pilots in five, the next phase establishes the governance and infrastructure for UNDP country offices to use blockchain-based digital payments as a regular part of programme delivery.
What blockchain VDAP opens for UNDP colleagues
UNDP teams are increasingly being asked to make sense of fast-changing digital systems before the institutional playbook is fully written. As part of this shift, blockchain is entering more practical development conversations, and UNDP’s ability…
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…
UNDP convenes high-level event in Paris on scaling blockchain for good
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will convene Scaling Blockchain for Public Good, a two-day high-level event bringing together blockchain ecosystem leaders, governments, development organizations, and academic institutions to explore the practical pathways through which blockchain technologies can strengthen public systems and support sustainable development. The programme is organized by UNDP’s Alternative…
UN Blockchain Talks #8 | Money’s New Rails: Stablecoins and the Last Mile of Financial Inclusion
The eighth session of the UN Blockchain Talks used the story of Mariama, a fictional trader in The Gambia, to bring the discussion on stablecoins closer to the realities of last-mile financial inclusion. Mariama runs…