UN Global Pulse: Inspiring Hope through Innovation

As the United Nations transforms its skills and culture to meet the challenges of the 21st century, UN Global Pulse is becoming a centre of excellence, supporting change that can take the world in a positive direction.

Global Pulse is the Secretary-General’s Innovation Lab, a worldwide network to advance responsible innovation. We are supporting a shift towards a UN 2.0, with more modern expertise to better support people and the planet.

The UN has vowed to “leave no one behind” as it works with countries across the globe towards 17 Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty, protect the environment and ensure all people enjoy peace and prosperity. To make sure the UN can be a strong partner on this journey, the Secretary-General envisages a 21st-century UN system, rejuvenated with a forward-looking culture and cutting-edge skills. And this is where Global Pulse comes in to give its support.

2023 was challenging internationally, with new conflicts and growing evidence of climate change. But for Global Pulse, it was also a year of progress, as we entered a new phase, unlocking more innovation, digital, data and foresight know-how for the UN family.

Empowered by the Secretary-General’s UN 2.0 agenda – and with a new leadership team, financing platform and greater reach – Global Pulse stands at the forefront of the UN’s transformation.

Learn more about our impact in 2023.

Download our 2023 Annual Report

21

projects

31

countries reached

58

project partners

60

events

Milestones that shaped us

In 2023, UN Global Pulse spearheaded one of the UN’s largest multi-partner AI initiatives, which rolled out successful pilots for natural disaster response teams in the Philippines.
And with G20 support, our Jakarta office became a hub for the Asia Pacific region, with a stronger focus on scaling new solutions across 35 countries.
We transformed early investment in foresight into a programme that will support UN Country Teams across the globe. We grew our innovation scaling with new research, blueprints and a community of practice that engages hundreds of colleagues from different UN agencies.
And years of work on privacy paid off, contributing to the UN Secretariat’s first data privacy policy and the creation of a new office that will implement it.

These were just some areas where Global Pulse co-created with partners to scale impact across the UN family – ultimately for the benefit of ordinary people around the world.

Inherent to innovation is collaboration, and we aim to be the UN family’s go-to platform for it. Applying both digital and non-digital approaches, we support our partners in their experimentation. We are not only looking for technical solutions but to make room for new ways of thinking. We work with open minds, though ethical principles remain firm. Our teams work across four continents, with bases in Jakarta, Kampala, Helsinki and New York, supporting the Secretary-General’s vision for a UN 2.0 for the 21st century.