UN Global Pulse is thrilled to announce the fourth cohort of its Accelerator Programme!
Launched in 2023, the UN Global Pulse Accelerator is the United Nations’ programme for turning promising UN-led innovative ideas into real-world impact at scale, ensuring that exceptional pilots reach more communities through adaptable delivery models and future-fit strategies.
After receiving a record-breaking 185 eligible applications from 45 UN entities working across 194 countries, nine UN-led teams have been selected to participate in an intensive workshop from 8-12 June 2026 in Helsinki, ranked among the most innovative cities in the world.
The chosen teams for cohort four include:
- IOM: LandLedger: From Memory to Evidence for Land Rights
- UNFPA: AI-Augmented Futures Trends Analysis System
- UNFPA: M-SCAN, Ultrasound for Safe Pregnancy
- UN-Habitat: AI for Knowledge Hub
- UNICEF: Accessible Digital Textbooks for All Initiative
- UNICEF: Kits that Fit: Customized Humanitarian Kits
- UN Women: Track-It! Real Time Evidence Generation
- WFP: Route The Meals
- WHO/PAHO: PAHOabc Analyses Beyond Coverage
The UN teams will receive support from a pool of multidisciplinary experts to strengthen their pathways to impact. Following the week-long workshop, teams will submit their scaling strategies to an expert panel for review. The two teams with the most promising strategies will be awarded a USD 60,000 Scale Catalyst Grant, along with dedicated mentoring and technical support to drive their scaling journey.
In a moment when technology continues to accelerate, opportunities for innovation at scale have become even greater. Each selected team incorporates data, digital technologies or responsible AI into their solution, demonstrating tangible results from pilots as well as alignment with UN80 priorities and the wider transformation agenda.
Read more about the fourth cohort of the programme and their exceptional UN-led initiatives:
International Organization for Migration (IOM) – LandLedger: From Memory to Evidence for Land Rights: LandLedger is a digital tool for recording informal land and housing claims. It captures people’s narratives and supporting evidence, and uses AI to structure this information into clear, shareable records that reflect how people came to occupy a place. Currently piloted in disaster-affected communities in the Philippines and South Sudan, it aims to make invisible land rights visible and reduce exclusion from humanitarian assistance.
The participating team: Melina Marie Holder – Housing Land and Property Officer, Ibere Landulpho Alves Lopes – Housing, Land and Property Advisor, Paula Gil Baiza – Innovation and Systems Specialist/LandLedger Project Strategic Advisor
UN Population Fund (UNFPA) – AI-Augmented Futures Trends Analysis System: This AI-powered foresight system scans 1,000+ sources in 20+ languages to detect emerging “weak signals” and trends, enabling UNFPA country offices and governments to anticipate risks and plan more strategically. It has already reduced processing time from 2 months for 20 signals to 10 hours for 60+ signals, and is now active across a 15-country cohort.
The participating team: Wenwen He – Programme Analyst, Foresight, Tharanga Godallage – Head of Foresight and Development Results, Marielle Inger Charlotte Sander – Resident Representative
UN Population Fund (UNFPA) – M-SCAN, Ultrasound for Safe Pregnancy: M-SCAN is a portable, affordable ultrasound service paired with a geospatial software that brings pregnancy scanning and antenatal care to refugee women in hard-to-reach settings. Trained midwives use the devices to detect risk factors early, with AI-assisted image diagnosis and the GetIn app ensuring mothers don’t miss critical care visits.
The participating team: Roy Asiku – Humanitarian Analyst, Innocent Menyo – Lead
UN-Habitat – AI for Knowledge Hub: The AI for Knowledge Hub is a platform that aggregates fragmented global housing data and applies AI analytics to transform it into actionable insights for policymakers and implementers working to address the housing crisis. Already supporting programmes across seven countries, it aims to help governments design more inclusive, evidence-based housing interventions for the 2.8 billion people lacking adequate shelter.
The participating team: Matthew Michael Garner – AI for Knowledge Initiative Lead, Liam Kristoffy – AI for Knowledge ML Lead, Charlotte Albin – Programme Management Officer
UNICEF – Accessible Digital Textbooks for All (ADT) Initiative: The ADT Initiative uses an open-source, AI-powered tool to convert static printed textbooks into interactive, accessible digital formats for children with disabilities across 18 countries. Features like text-to-speech, sign language video and easy-read formats support inclusive learning while reducing conversion costs.
The participating team: Julie de Barbeyrac – Innovation Manager, Sara Saljic – ADT Coordinator, Elias Constantopedos – ADT Technical Lead
UNICEF – Kits that Fit: Customized Humanitarian Kits: Kits that Fit redesigns emergency aid delivery by collecting direct community feedback and working with local suppliers to tailor humanitarian kits to the specific needs and preferences of affected populations. The approach has reached over 1.7 million people across Kenya, Palestine, Türkiye and Ukraine, improving both the relevance and dignity of aid provided.
The participating team: Hira Hafeez-Ur-Rehman – Innovation Strategy Advisor, Marc Kaeraa – Innovation Manager, Ihab Hamdnallah – WASH Officer
UN Women – Track-It! Real Time Evidence Generation: Track It! is a real-time monitoring system that captures data on the needs and experiences of women and girls in crisis settings. It combines surveys and partner inputs to generate timely insights for decision-making. Currently used across crisis-affected countries in the Arab States, it aims to strengthen gender-responsive humanitarian action through better, faster data.
The participating team: Iris Sawalha – Regional Programme Specialist, Evidence for programming, Olivia Schmitz – Crisis Response Specialist, Wael Eskander – Data and Results Management Specialist
WFP – Route The Meals (RTM): Route The Meals is a state-of-the-art analytics tool developed by WFP Supply Chain that helps logisticians optimize humanitarian supply chains, resulting in cost-efficient and environmentally sustainable delivery networks that minimize the risk of disruptions to people in need. Piloted across 15 WFP operations, it has already saved approximately $3 million USD, enough to feed an additional 200,000 beneficiaries for a month.
The participating team: Anna Melchiori – Supply Chain Planner, Koen Peters – Head of Optimization, Magdalena (“Male”) Aguilar – Executive Director A.I
PAHO/WHO – PAHOabc Analyses Beyond Coverage: PAHOabc is a standardized analytical framework that helps countries analyze electronic immunization registry data beyond traditional vaccination coverage indicators. It processes large vaccination datasets to generate actionable insights for decision-making. Currently being implemented in several countries across the Americas, it aims to strengthen immunization programmes and reach all populations more equitably.
The participating team: Rafael Antonio León – International PAHO Consultant, Data Analytics, Pineda Marcela Contreras – Immunization Data Quality Advisor, Dan Isaí Alvarez Ruano – International Consultant
Since the first cohort of the programme was launched in 2022, the number of UN applications has consistently increased by up to 165% over the last four years, signalling a remarkable commitment and courage within the UN system to drive and scale innovation that makes a change where it matters most.
If you’re interested in partnering with UN Global Pulse for this cohort or future cohorts, learn more about collaborating with us and send us a message to set up an initial conversation!
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The UN Global Pulse Accelerator Programme is generously funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, reflecting Finland’s long-standing commitment to the United Nations and its leadership in advancing innovation for sustainable development. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs plays a key role in promoting the responsible use of innovation across UN operations, with a strong emphasis on people-centred design, data, digital tools and artificial intelligence.