Introduction to the Drones for SDGs Toolkit
Learn more about UNICEF's work in Drones and how to access and contribute to the Drones for SDGs Toolkit

About
Since 2018, UNICEF’s Office of Innovation has been exploring the application of drones across three main application areas: imagery, delivery, and connectivity. Our work has led to the establishment of four humanitarian drone corridors; funding seven drone companies creating open source digital solutions for humanitarian use; and supporting UNICEF Country Offices in using drones for medicine and vaccine delivery. All of UNICEF’s investments in drones are open source, and under an open license for non-commercial use; the Office of Innovation supports these solutions including by growing their reach through the UNICEF Global Drones Technical Working Group and by making promising solutions available to the UN system through Long Term Agreements (LTAs).
Leveraging UNICEF’s position as a global leader in drone innovations, the Office of Innovation has developed the Drones for SDGs Toolkit, which is a collaborative repository for the sharing of drone software, open data, open AI models, standards, courseware, and guides that address the SDGs, all of which are or are eligible for nomination as a digital public good. The Office of Innovation and partners, such as the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) and UNICEF’s Supply Division, will seed the repository by contributing the foundational assets.
The toolkit, after launching, will continue to expand with contributions across the following categories:
- Analytics: Open Source AI and data
- Guides: Policy and How-To guidelines
- Learning: Open source learning material and online courses
- Regulations: Standard operating procedures and model regulations
- Software: Open source drone software
- Startups: Long Term Agreements and UNICEF-funded drone startups
This deck introduces the Drones for SDGs Toolkit and how it can be accessed and used. Submission and review guidelines are also be covered.
