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Event
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Published
April 8, 2026
Author
Lauren Parater

United Nations Global Pulse is pleased to attend the 11th Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals and warmly invites our network to sign up and join us online for this exciting event.

Scaling What Matters: Innovation for a Changing World

When: Thursday, 07 May 2026

Time: 8.30 – 9.30 EST (New York time)

Location: Online

In a rapidly changing technological landscape, responsible innovation has never been more critical to meeting the world’s most pressing challenges. 

In this event, UN Global Pulse brings together teams from FAO, OHCHR and WFP to showcase how AI, data and digital platforms are being harnessed to tackle child labour, protect civic space and improve school nutrition at scale. More than a showcase, the event is a practical demonstration of the UN80 initiative in action: proving that the right collaboration between governments, technology partners and civil society, emerging technologies can move beyond isolated pilots to deliver real, measurable change for people and planet.

Speakers:

  • Tapio Vahtola – Head of Office, UN Global Pulse
  • Patricia Loh – Senior Analyst, UN Global Pulse
  • Adriano Bolchini – Child Labour Specialist, FAO
  • Isaac Niwamanya – Information Technology Officer, Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development
  • George Hodge – Data Solutions Head, OHCHR
  • Venkatesh Balaji – Information Systems Officer, UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission to Ukraine
  • Hugo Marchand – Information Technology Officer, WFP
  • Ricardo Marques – Digital Solutions Innovation Consultant, WFP

Register: To join us, you can sign-up here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/CwFa2DEjRAef_ceGRTbqww

Kits that Fit: Using Data and Digital Feedback to Engage Markets in Emergencies

When: Tuesday, 5 May 2026

Time: 8.00 – 9.30 EST (New York time)

Location: Online

Humanitarian aid kits, such as hygiene, dignity, and non-food item kits, are widely used in emergencies to rapidly reach affected populations. However, these standardized kits often fail to fully meet the needs and priorities of diverse communities and individuals. 

Kits that Fit is an innovation approach developed by UNICEF that uses digital and non-digital tools for community feedback to tailored kits to fit people’s needs. By combining rapid digital feedback mechanisms (such as RapidPro, U-Report, and QR-based surveys) with qualitative methods like focus group discussions, the data is then shared with local suppliers, where the approach enables humanitarian actors to systematically collect and analyse end-user feedback and adjust and localise kits accordingly. 

Tested in countries like Kenya, Türkiye, Palestine, Egypt and Ukraine, the approach has reached over one million people, demonstrating how innovative approaches and technology can strengthen accountability to affected populations while improving the relevance and efficiency of humanitarian assistance. 

This side event will share lessons from Kits that Fit and explore how humanitarian agencies and partners can adopt similar feedback-driven approaches. By working together with shared data platforms and feedback collection we can maximize resources, strengthen preparedness efforts and support more equitable and responsive humanitarian action aligned with the SDGs. 

Speakers:

  • Marc Kaeraa – Innovation Manager for Humanitarian Initiatives, UNICEF, Office of Innovation
  • Patricia Loh – Senior Analyst, UN Global Pulse 
  • Rasha Marzouk – UNICEF Egypt


Register here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/181e83ba-21ca-4fc9-9f5c-8885e35fcc53@77410195-14e1-4fb8-904b-ab1892023667