UNICEF Innovation

Q: What happens when you gather a diversity of public and private institution investors, and social entrepreneurs delivering climate impact in emerging economies in a room to share their stories? A: Brave, bold and honest conversations about overcoming resourcing hurdles- funding, community networks and access to technical assistance. That’s exactly what happened at our inaugural Innovation Insights Dialogue today in Stockholm. Insights from an eclectic group of speakers and attendees stimulated truly energising and inspiring conversations, collective consciousness, and opened up real-time possibilities for co-creation on blended financing mechanisms, validated impact data standards, convincing storytelling on the immense scalability potential in emerging economies. The perspectives shared were fresh, deep and rich. The dialogue highlighted the opportunities, frustrations, and expectations of both climate startups and investment mandates and motivations. UNICEF Office of Innovation is truly grateful to all our speakers and guests for participating in a culture of multi-sectoral alignment and knowledge exchange. We have good reason for optimism and to build on our shared commitment to act on the urgency of climate action and lean in to the possibilities of innovation.

The demand for climate finance is vast, yet current funding flows fall drastically short for many underinvested entrepreneurs who are driving innovative change. That’s why we’re excited to showcase tonight at our annual Innovation Insights Dialogue networking event, 4 climate entrepreneurs who are illustrative of the global pipeline of talent and investment ready solutions:    🔵 Achim Haug, Founder and CEO, AirGradient Ltd.   🔵 Beren Kayali, Co-Founder, Deploy™   🔵 Kyle E. Cordova, Founder, AquaPoro.  🔵 Mohamed M. Khaled, Co-Founder, NoorNation. By having our UNICEF division headquartered in Stockholm, UNICEF Innovation has the unique privilege of convening these 4 founders alongside key actors in the Swedish and global climate ecosystem- including key partner the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden. By bringing together government representatives, social impact organizations and climate finance leaders to share and learn, together we can truly unlock climate innovation at scale. Kicking off the two-day event focused on unlocking innovative climate financing, Diana Janse, State Secretary to Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, at Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, in her opening remarks highlighted innovation and entrepreneurship as a key part of taking climate action. She noted that climate smart solutions are about driving sustainable economic development, job creation and poverty reduction in communities most affected by the climate crisis and that we need to spend more time talking about the impact of what is working. These “four heroes” … communicate good stories that cut through the clutter.

Nare, a 15-year-old from Armenia, is driven by a vision of equal opportunity for girls and boys. And she’s using her own video game to help make that vision a reality. 💪 Selected to participate in the The Game Changers Coalition, she had the chance to hone her game development and storytelling skills, creating her own characters and narratives based off an epic Armenian poem. “We often talk about the male heroes in our epic, but at its core stands a woman- strong, courageous and thoughtful,” Nare explains.  Her story 👉 https://lnkd.in/dzHmkq5d The #GameChangersCoalition aims to reach 3 million girls by 2027 with skills-building opportunities to go from playing, to learning, to earning in the tech and video gaming sectors and beyond. 🎮 Entertainment Software Association, Video Games Europe, UNICEF Europe & Central Asia #GVGC 

How is UNICEF currently deploying blockchain to support children and young people around the 🌎?  And what key trends and predictions lie ahead for the tech within the development and humanitarian sector?  In ‘Blockchain in 2025: Beyond Transactions’ Arun M. highlights how we’re working with country offices to: 🔵 Pilot a credit scoring mechanism in Burundi to reduce lending risks and improve financial inclusion for marginalized youth.  🔵 Support the institutional adoption of blockchain-based vaccination tracking solutions in Bangladesh. Read more on blockchain’s potential to deliver greater impact👉🏼 https://lnkd.in/ddp2YA-j      GSR Foundation, Ethereum Foundation 

🚨 Reminder: Funding Opportunity 🚨  Applications are open until 08 May for funding and mentoring support from the UNICEF Venture Fund.  Eligible applications should be from tech start-ups from emerging economies working on fem tech solutions that are; 🔵 Expanding financial inclusion and access to economic opportunities. 🔵 Closing the gender data gap to drive inclusive decision making.  🔵 Digital health solutions for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.  Learn more about this exciting opportunity here 👉🏽 unicef.link/FemTechCall  Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, GSR Foundation, Ethereum Foundation, Sida,    #OpenSource #DigiHealth #FemTech #GirlsHealth #WomensHealth #GenderSensitive

Video games can teach and equip. 💪🏽 In ‘How video games can support children’s wellbeing’ Fiona Scott of the The University of Sheffield highlights key benefits to digital play, including: social connection, critical digital literacy, creativity, and identity exploration. Read her piece in The Conversation UK, here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dNZMCZ8q UNICEF’s Game Changers Coalition is using video games to help equip girls with the skills and experiences they need and want in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM)… to become coders, designers and leaders of our inclusive, diverse, and safer digital future. Learn more in the comments. 👇 Entertainment Software Association, Video Games Europe, #GVGC 

Over 5 million people in more than 70 countries have had improved access to health systems. 🌏 With a focus on leveraging frontier technologies developed in and for emerging economies, the UNICEF Venture Fund, in partnership with Takeda, supported 29 early-stage tech solutions in five years to reach this milestone. For instance, Eyebou, it uses AI to detect vision problems among children in Colombia and Zambia.  By 2030, we aim to double our efforts to reach more children and their communities in more countries. We're driven by the possibilities of what we could achieve with partnerships like these. 🚀 Learn more 👉🏽 https://unicef.link/Takeda   

At UNICEF Innovation, we explore how technology innovations can drive possibility-driven progress for children, everywhere. Our partnership with Arm is a powerful example of how AI can be used to create real-time opportunity, and lasting impact. Together, we're co-designing and testing AI solutions that support children's education, climate resilience, and healthcare. Partnerships like this are essential to ensuring that technology works for humanity, especially the most vulnerable. Read more in Charlotte Eaton's article in The Times about how our collaboration is driving positive change for people and the planet.

📢 Two vacancies from our team at UNICEF Innovation. You'll get to use your skills to advance the evidence base and data analytics for innovation initiatives globally (as part of our Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Knowledge Management team). 1️⃣ Knowledge Management and Content Creation Consultant (Remote): https://lnkd.in/gp2SqPE4 Seeking experienced writers, editors, and knowledge management experts to develop strategic content on our innovation initiatives (applications close 6 April). 2️⃣ Data Analytics and Insights Specialist (UNV in Stockholm): https://lnkd.in/gcbjCzWe Seeking early career professionals to develop interactive data products and analytical reports on innovation initiatives (applications close 4 April). Apply now or share this with someone in your network! #unitednations #innovation #stockholm

“There’s huge potential for AI to create a more level playing field in education,” says Luke Jinu Kim of Liner in Gary Drenik’s Forbes article discussing ways AI platforms are stepping up to cater to the needs of individual students. Read here 👉🏽 https://lnkd.in/d2D_xin4 In diverse environments with limited resources, identifying and scaling effective tech solutions, including AI platforms, is crucial. Our EdTech for Good Framework is designed to do just that; evaluate educational tech solutions across 5 critical pillars with a focus on child-centered learning. Find out more in the comments.  Arm, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Asian Development Bank (ADB)