Vision
UN Global Pulse envisions a world where responsible, inclusive digital innovation advances sustainable development and protects the planet.
Mission
UN Global Pulse is the place where digital innovation and the human sciences meet. The team works to make the UN and those we serve better at anticipating, responding and adapting to challenges.
To achieve this, UN Global Pulse draws on a range of approaches and tools, including data science, strategic foresight, behavioural science and digital technologies. It brings together multidisciplinary teams of engineers, designers and social scientists as well as communications, data privacy and legal experts, to support a more dynamic and relevant “next-generation” United Nations.
What we do
UN Global Pulse brings together governments, UN entities and partners from academia and the private sector to design, co-create and scale innovations. Strategic partnerships at global, regional and country level are crucial to collaborative innovation at UN Global Pulse.
Imagine
Think outside the box on challenges and strengthen the UN’s ability to apply strategic foresight in its programming.
Build
Collaborate to find solutions that contribute to sustainable development goals as well as other emerging needs, such as crisis prevention and response.
Mobilise
Function as a go-to convener for coalitions, bringing the public and private sectors together to catalyze and scale innovation.
Programmes
UN Global Pulse manages its innovation projects through portfolios. We have five programmes that provide thematic focus on challenges and opportunities and we review their relevance frequently. This approach keeps our work flexible and responsive to the emerging priorities of the UN and our partners.
Restoring Trust
We mitigate risks of technologies and build trustworthy digital ecosystems.
Digital Inclusion
We contribute to improving diversity, equity and inclusion in the context of digital transformation.
A Fair Digital Commons
We seed and grow new digital infrastructure and public goods and services.
Crisis Prevention and Response
We run crisis anticipation experiments and provide support for proactive crisis response.
UN Transformation
We contribute to the transformation of the United Nations system and support the Secretary-General’s “Quintet of Change”.
News, thoughts and ideas about strategic foresight, big data and AI, data privacy and ethics from across the UN Global Pulse Network. Read more on the blog.
2022 Annual Report: UN Global Pulse showed its value in a changing world
Download UN Global Pulse’s 2022 Annual Report here. 2022 was a troubled year for the world, as it went from the COVID-19 pandemic to a new crisis in Ukraine. Despite
Dialogue is the Key- Shaping AI for Africa
At UNGP, we believe in dialogue. This is why we participated in the Conference on the State of Artificial Intelligence in Africa (COSAA) held in March 2023. The conference was
Press Release: Indonesia and Australia Boost Innovation in Asia Pacific with Pulse Lab Expansion
PRESS RELEASE Indonesia and Australia are joining forces to transform Pulse Lab Jakarta (PLJ) into a regional innovation powerhouse. This pledge, announced during the Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology, and
Explore our white papers, data innovation guides, project briefs and other publications. See more in the library.
Goals
Digital Innovations
Advance digital innovations to achieve the SDGs, respond effectively to crises and address emerging global challenges.
Global Frameworks
Facilitate the development of global frameworks to maximize the impact of digital innovation, minimize the risk of harm and create pathways to scale and sustainability.
UN Transformation
Support the transformation of the UN family into a more dynamic and resilient ‘next-generation’ institution.
Below you can find our newest digital tools, prototypes and microsites. For more, go to the microsites & tools page.
Below you can find our latest examples of our collaborative research, prototypes and experiments, where we analyse digital data to advance global development, support humanitarian action, and promote peace. For more, go to the research projects page.
Understanding population movement from Venezuela to Brazil related to COVID-19 border closures
An estimated 5.4 million Venezuelans live abroad, with over 220,000 residing in Brazil as of 2019. Many Venezuelans cross regularly between these countries for economic or family reasons, but border
Operational response simulation tool for epidemics within refugee and IDP settlements
To support data-driven decision making in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a team made up of Cox’s Bazar public health and information management professionals, scientists and domain experts from UN
UN Open GIS Initiative: Geo-AI Working Group
UN Global Pulse has joined the UN Open GIS Initiative as co-chair of a newly formed Geo-AI Working Group alongside the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). UN Open GIS is
