SDG Blockchain Accelerator Welcomes Sui as Technical Partner to Advance SDG‑Aligned Pilots

Sui’s high-performance blockchain will power pilots advancing censorship-resistant access to healthcare and other critical development initiatives.

September 29, 2025 — The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is expanding the SDG Blockchain Accelerator, a global initiative that helps scale blockchain and AI solutions to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), through a new partnership with leading Layer 1 blockchain Sui. As a technical partner, core contributors to Sui will provide their expertise and resources to help teams advance their solutions toward implementation, including support for pilots built on the Sui network.

This builds on the Accelerator’s multi‑partner model, strategically led by UNDP’s Alternative Finance Lab (AltFinLab) in partnership with the Blockchain for Good Alliance, EMURGO Labs, FLock.io, and Stellar Development Foundation. The Accelerator is made possible through catalytic funding from the Cardano treasury, through Project Catalyst, and alongside contributions from other partners.

Run in cohort cycles, the Accelerator connects innovators with real-world challenges to turn ideas into impact. Cohort 2, to be announced in late September 2025, brings together the winning teams from a recent two-week global hackathon. Each team pairs a UN Challenge Owner – a representative from a UN office who brings a real-world development challenge and local expertise – with a Solution Maker, such as Sui, from the forefront of the blockchain industry.

The teams will now advance into the 12-week acceleration program, receiving tailored mentorship, technical guidance and access to key stakeholders from governments and development organizations to develop pilot-ready solutions and move into fundraising for implementation or scaling. 

As part of the SDG Blockchain Accelerator, the Sui Foundation will mentor at least one pilot building a private, secure, blockchain-enabled system to support access to healthcare on Sui, providing hands-on developer support, ecosystem connections, and post-acceleration guidance to increase the likelihood of practical deployment and long-term impact.

The collaboration complements UNDP AltFinLab’s broader work to educate, prototype and scale blockchain solutions across the UN system – through its portfolio of educational programs, including the Blockchain Academy, UN Blockchain Community of Practice and a growing partner network supporting pilots in areas like financial inclusion, climate action, and transparent governance.

About UNDP    
UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries and territories, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and the planet. Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP. 

About UNDP AltFinLab 
AltFinLab is a flagship UNDP initiative, pioneering alternative and innovative finance solutions. It supports UNDP, governments, civil society and private sector partners by testing and scaling new financing mechanisms, leveraging blockchain technology, crowdfunding, impact investing, and emerging financial instruments to mobilize resources for sustainable development.

About Sui 
Sui is a first-of-its-kind Layer 1 blockchain and smart contract platform designed from the ground up to make digital asset ownership fast, private, secure, and accessible to everyone. Its object-centric model, based on the Move programming language, enables parallel execution, sub-second finality, and rich on-chain assets. With horizontally scalable processing and storage, Sui supports a wide range of applications with unrivaled speed at low cost. Sui is a step-function advancement in blockchain and a platform on which creators and developers can build amazing user-friendly experiences. Users can learn more at sui.io.