Innovation

Deadline: July 26, 2020 **Female-founded start-ups are  encouraged to apply  The UNICEF Innovation Fund is looking to make up to $100K equity-free investments (in USD and/or cryptocurrency) to provide early stage (seed) financing and mentoring to for-profit technology startups that have the potential to benefit humanity.  Applicants have the…, Apply Now, Who we're looking for, We are currently looking to invest in companies developing blockchain-based software solutions. Examples of areas of interest include, but are not limited to: Finance Financing enables individual people to participate in and contribute to various ecosystems. We are seeking solutions that : Enable people to use, earn, and hold cryptocurrencies…, What does the UNICEF Innovation Fund provide?  , Seed funding The Fund provides up to $100,000 in equity-free seed funding, in USD. The investment is intended for prototype testing and validation, and to get it to a stage where the company has proof that the solution works. Crypto funding Selected startups also have the opportunity to receive part of their funding in cryptocurrency. The UNICEF…, How to apply:, Step 1) Check the general eligibility criteria: You must be registered as a private company in a UNICEF programme country; You are working on open source technology solutions or willing to be open-source under the following licenses or their equivalent: BSD, GNU, MIT (software), CERN, MIT, TAPR (hardware), or CC-BY (content); You have an existing…, What happens after your submission?, The submissions deadline is on 11:59 PM ET July 26th, 2020. Only shortlisted companies will be contacted and then requested to submit a more in-depth proposal.   Two young girls working on a laptop *Female-founded start-ups are  encouraged to apply .

When you think of an atrium, you likely think of a greenhouse where vegetables grow, protected from external elements; or of the glass lobby of a building, where you’re greeted and welcomed when entering a new environment. This is all similar to the concept of The Atrium, an interagency platform that allows any UN entity to learn and experiment…

Myanmar’s coronavirus lockdown has served to spur youth on to boost young people’s health, rights and opportunities, all from the safety of their own homes.  A new, online youth task force, organised through U-Report, UNICEF’s safe, free and anonymous mobile empowerment platform, is also driving ideas and actions in the fight against COVID-19. …, Raising youth voices  , In a recent poll covering online education in Myanmar, most of the nearly 10,000 respondents said they favoured waiting for schools to re-open for face-to-face lessons rather than moving all classes online.  And in an ongoing poll around mental health, nearly two-thirds of over 9000 respondents say COVID-19 is impacting on their mental health and …, Crucial global tool  , Since the coronavirus pandemic began, U-Report has evolved into  a vital platform in the fight against the virus , sharing clear, scientific facts through SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Viber worldwide.  As a result, U-Reporter numbers have surged to over 10.5 million globally, with new and existing users across 68 countries including…

The COVID-19 outbreak has created a climate that poses a colossal threat, now and in the future, to children and their families —a grim reality especially compounded among children already affected by poverty, disability, or social exclusion. The global school shutdowns and health crisis have exacerbated already challenging realities for lower-…, Giga Initiatives supporting communities during COVID-19:, Critical Software and Content: We’re identifying, strengthening, and scaling proven and new innovations in software, learning systems, and content that support telework, tele-education, tele-health, and financial services –all of which can be deployed at low-cost, scale, and customized to local languages.   Broadband Connectivity: We’re developing…, Examples of Giga's Impact, Giga has helped the Government of Kyrgyzstan generate $200k savings per year (40% of its education connectivity budget). By seeing all the schools and their corresponding connectivity on a map, the Government was able to renegotiate contracts and subsequently reduce prices by almost half (from $50/month to $28.5/month) and to almost double speeds…, Global Updates, Girl looking at an ipad UNICEF/UN0299581/Herwig Giga is anchored and recommended in the Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation: Recommendation 1B which calls for the UN to create and provide access to vital “Digital Public Goods,” and Recommendation 1A which calls for universal access to connectivity. IHS Towers joins Giga. …, What's next, Moving full-speed to connect every school, raising public and private funding to connect every school by putting forward several countries as “accelerated” actors in Giga.  Sharing key open-source remote education tools, as well as innovations in software, learning systems, and content that support tele-work, tele-education, tele-health, and…

The COVID-19 pandemic poses an extraordinary challenge to the world, our societies, health care systems, and economies. Currently the virus has been confirmed in more than 200 countries and territories.   In this context, many countries are using physical distancing policies (from school closures to travel restrictions or full lockdowns) as tools…, Magic Box, Through data and data science partnerships with private sector companies and leading research groups,  Magic Box  — UNICEF's big data initiative — is working to provide data, tools and insights that allow timely monitoring of physical distancing, evidence on the suitability and sustainability of mobility reductions for low income settings, and…, Reports, Countries are colored according to the first day of maximum policy stringency. UNICEF Countries are colored according to the first day of maximum policy stringency. 10 Oct 2020 This report investigates how the timing of physical distancing policies introduced by governments to mitigate COVID-19 transmission affects both human mobility (measured…, The MagicBox Science Team, Manuel Garcia-Herranz, Chief Scientist  Dohyung Kim, Principal Researcher and Remote Sensing Lead  Vedran Sekara, Principal Researcher and Machine Learning Lead , Our Collaborators and Partners, Frank Schlosser  Humboldt University Berlin & Robert Koch Institute  Laura Alessandretti  Section for Cognitive Systems, Technical University of Denmark   Sune Lehmann  DTU Compute, Technical University of Denmark   Rachel Oidtman  Perkins Lab, University of Notre Dame  Alex Perkins  Perkins Lab, University of Notre Dame  Kelton Minor  Center…

In December 2019, six blockchain companies -- our first blockchain cohort -- started their UNICEF Innovation Fund portfolio experience.  The companies were thoroughly supported during the year-long portfolio experience and have now ‘graduated’.  The start-ups are Atix Labs (Argentina), OS City (Mexico), Precrypto (Mexico), StaTwig (India), W3…, Here are the main achievements, impact and growth over their investment period:  , Coinsence.org logo utopixar, Utopixar   , Utopixar developed a platform that enables collaborations amongst communities and organisations to facilitate participative decision making and value transfer. Finished the development of their platform allowing communities to easily create their own currencies, take collective decisions, share resources and reward contributions.  Around 1300…, Prescrypto, Prescrypto is providing a digital solution to the lack of electronic prescriptions in developing countries with a platform that allows medical service providers to view one common history of a patient, and improve the level of care. In 2019, monthly doctor sign-ups grew 20x  Closed a deal with  an important pharma lab to develop a personalized…, Statwig , Statwig is using a blockchain-based solution to ensure the efficient logistics delivery of vaccines through an enhanced supply-chain management system. Tracked 1.2M vaccines at batch level from the central warehouse to districts and then to villages. These vaccines were used for a children’s immunization program in Arunachal Pradesh (rural India…, W3 Engineers , W3 Engineers built a mobile connectivity platform. It allows users within the network to give connectivity access to other users directly between smartphones, instead of relying on internet and cell networks. Successfully completed pilots on three different locations in Bangladesh including: Pilot in Cox’s Bazar Town that connected 53 people (…, Atix Labs , Atix Labs developed the Circle of Angels platform for small to medium-sized enterprises to gain access to funding, while creating traceability in where the funds are used and measuring impact. Finished the minimum viable prototype of the platform Three enterprises were matched with angel funders for a total of US$115K, using the impact tracking…, OS City, OS City is a company that uses blockchain and artificial intelligence to help city authorities provide digital services. Its purpose is to improve governments’ efficiency and trust, aiming to build a more sustainable future. Within a year of collaborating with UNICEF Innovation, OS City: Successfully created and integrated blockchain digital…

Allan Van Der Muelen, 24, grew up hard in South Africa’s Cape Flats. With gang violence, little hope and less opportunity, things could have gone a very different way. Yet lured by live Jazz to a workshop as a teenager, he began a journey of innovation that would change the lives of thousands of young people from some of South Africa’s toughest…

COPENHAGEN, Denmark and NEW YORK, New York – On World Innovation Day, UNICEF demonstrates 10 ways the organization innovates for children. This includes system-changing innovations that improve a country’s service-delivery system, co-creation innovations that bring manufacturers to the field to understand user needs for a new product, high-tech …

In partnership with U-Report, UNICEF’s free and confidential mobile empowerment platform, Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness has hosted a live, online town-hall meeting for children and young people on the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Just twenty-four hours from a poll that asked Jamaica’s 10,000 U-Reporters for their ideas…

In February 2020 the U-Report for Humanitarian Action initiative, a joint effort of Office of Innovation , Programme division , Communication for development and Office of Emergency programmes developed a U-Report Information chatbot to support COVID-19 Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE). As of 20 th  June 2020, U-Report’s Covid-19…, Young people and communities can access:  , Safe, speedy and accurate information on the Coronavirus direct to your phone on five messaging channels: SMS, Facebook, Viber, WhatsApp and Telegram. Life-saving information on Corona Virus available in multiple languages, English, Spanish, French, Bahasa, Arabic, Vietnamese, Thai, etc. Translation to new languages can be easily done during…, The COVID-19 Information Chatbot Interface,  Below are screenshots from people using CoronaVirus chatbot. Version 3 of the chatbot has been developed where the content and navigation have been revised based on current UNICEF and WHO guidelines. The new version also makes it easier for country teams to localize the content and introduces misinformation and rumour tracking functionality.…, Try the COVID-19 Information Chatbot yourself using U-Report Global! , Using WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger you can access the current version of the COVID-19 Information Chatbot, WhatsApp: Send “CoronaVirus” to +66 80 024 9442.   Facebook Messenger: Send ‘CoronaVirus’ using Facebook Messenger at  http://m.me/UReportGlobal Viber: Follow ‘U-Report’ Public Account on Viber (Go to Discover), Send the message ‘…

The challenge, Globally, 1 in 3 children under 5 are not growing well due to malnutrition, and almost half do not eat a diverse diet with fruit, vegetables, eggs, dairy, fish and meat in the complementary feeding stage (6 - 23 months).   The quality of children’s diets is more important before the age of 2 than at any other time in life. Insufficient nutrients…, The response, UNICEF developed a Complementary Feeding Bowl and Spoon to provide caregivers with a simple tool to remember nutrition messages when they are preparing food for their child. This will help ensure children receive a diverse and nutrient-dense diet at the right frequency. The kit is designed to be used by counsellors during IYCF behaviour change…, The impact, Through equipping caregivers with knowledge on improved nutritional practices we can help prevent malnutrition and give millions of children the best start in life. This project will increase the number of children who receive optimal nutrition during the critical first two years of life, ensuring they grow up healthy and can fulfil their full…, Resources, Stories and media coverage

The challenge, There is a significant body of evidence demonstrating that household water treatment along with improved water storage and handling significantly improves microbial water quality and has an critical impact on diarrhoea morbidity.  In many emergency situations, chlorine tablets are distributed as a means to protect water at the household level. …, The response, Specifications for household water treatment systems in emergency settings As there have been many notable advances in water treatment recently, UNICEF is asking if it is now possible to create a household level water treatment product that can be used in emergency settings.   The following parameters have been identified that would allow…, Resources