UNICEF Innovation

The future of digital learning will be co-created – not coded in isolation. The innovators and educators who convened in Helsinki for the Global Partnership for Education (GEP) Forum 2025 are proving this to be true. Alongside colleagues at UNICEF’s Global Learning Innovation Hub, they explored how to shape an equitable digital future for learning. Organized by FinCEED - the Finnish Centre of Expertise in Education and Development and Education Finland, the session – Co-creation and Innovation in Action introduced the EdTech for Good Framework, the Learning Cabinet, and the Blue Unicorn Portfolio — showcasing how collaboration drives impact. These initiatives help connect bold ideas with real-world classrooms — from tools like Matific and GraphoGame to new models that link evidence, equity, and scale. When learning innovation is co-created with those it serves, technology doesn’t just transform education — it transforms opportunity. Opetushallitus | Utbildningsstyrelsen | Finnish National Agency for Education, Pasi Hellman, Craig Shotland, Jesper Ryynänen, Carlos Ferrari

As access to water in Kabul worsens, innovation may have an answer.    Our colleague Jay Matta describes how Danish-advanced technology could help improve the speed, ease and accuracy of finding underground water sources for children grappling with the impact of climate change in Afghanistan and across the world.     Ahead of #COP30, learn more about his inspiring career pivot from drilling for oil, to drilling for water 👉🏼 https://lnkd.in/d6UbYkdb #Innovation #Water #COP #hydrogeology

“My hope is that fewer families are caught off guard by floods, storms or heat waves. Rapid warnings and simple early actions can save lives and reduce damage,” says Hamza Oun from UNICEF Libya.     Together with Atiyah Alhasadi, Hamza leads Mozn, a youth-driven early warning system, supported through the UNICEF Spark Accelerator, now reaching 1 million people through social media and 100,000 through its app with clear alerts, guidance, and updates with communities, first responders and local authorities.     Read Hamza’s reflections on how this initiative is evolving into Libya’s 1st national early warning system. 👉🏽 https://lnkd.in/dCa8hxCE 

Engaging communities through early-warning systems: Spotlight on Libya’s Mozn.    ⚠️ When every second counts, information saves lives. Early warning systems (EWS) are vital tools for adapting to climate change — especially when they’re accessible, inclusive, and linked to response plans. Yet many communities and children still lack access to them. Innovative, locally driven solutions are changing that.  Through the UNICEF Spark accelerator, the youth-led astronomy foundation Mozn in Libya built an EWS open-source platform now connecting nearly 1 million people through social media — and expanding nationwide. 📱 Learn more about how innovation is helping communities stay safe and be prepared 👉🏽 https://lnkd.in/dzG9fthd UNICEF Libya

No one size fits all. Not when it comes to humanitarian response. Every community is unique, and so are the challenges they face.      That’s where UNICEF’s Kits that Fit comes in. This award-winning initiative listens to communities in critical need and adapts life-saving supplies accordingly. 📦      Speaking at #Aidex2025, Shalini Subbiah highlighted the value of the initiative in improving humanitarian response by capturing direct feedback from communities at scale using digitial platforms.    Since its launch in 2023, over 1 million people across 10+ countries have  benefited from Kits that Fit.     Find out more 👉🏽 https://lnkd.in/dYa5FyuW     Humanitarian Innovation Programme, Humanitarian Logistics Association, UNICEF Supply   

How can every child experience the magic of reading – no matter their background? 📘     At this year’s Helsinki Book Fair, the UNICEF Global Learning Innovation Hub hosted leading figures from Finland’s education and creative sectors to explore exactly that.     In a panel on Unlocking the Joy of Learning, we discussed how Accessible Digital Textbooks —  now used in 11 countries —  are opening up a world of information and knowledge for students, while equipping teachers with the tools to create more inclusive classrooms. 💙  A heartfelt thank-you to Anna Helminen of Sanoma Pro, Fredrik Rahka of Moomin Characters, and Virva Rantanen of Valteri for joining us to champion the power of inclusive learning.     UNICEF Finland 

What if every community could know when disaster was coming — and had the tools, data, and systems in place to act before it hit?  UNICEF supported climate initiatives are turning this possibility into a reality, including:   🟢 EQUINOCT in India: an AI-powered flood detection and early warning system that strengthens climate preparedness and response with support from youth volunteers. 🟢 Similie in Timor Leste: an – end-to-end early warning system collecting community-level data through a network of low-cost internet of things sensors.  🟢 Zed Labs in Trinidad and Tobago: a blockchain-based climate action platform that rewards local climate-positive actions with community currencies to fund local initiatives.   Learn more about why we’re backing locally sourced climate breakthroughs 👉🏽 https://lnkd.in/dsCgCN-S   

“Smart femtech companies are embedding their products into established healthcare, tech and consumer systems that already have credibility and reach,” writes Theresa Neil in Forbes. She highlights 4 partnership pathways helping startups scale faster and demonstrate clinical value: https://lnkd.in/dmWeGUtJ Femtech solutions have the potential to radically improve health, wellbeing and socioeconomic outcomes for girls and women in emerging economies. With support from Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Sida and Temasek Foundation, our 5-year Femtech initiative will identify and support such bold solutions. 🌍 Find out more 👉🏾https://lnkd.in/ddy4jQ-7 

🎮 Designing Games that Help Children Thrive Digital games can do more than entertain — they can help children feel control, freedom, achievement, balance, and connection. 💡 That’s why RITEC (Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children) — developed by UNICEF, the LEGO Group, The LEGO Foundation, and partners — helps game developers put children’s well-being at the heart of design. At this week’s For Devs Conference in Stockholm, UNICEF’s Mariam Tabatadze and Lulu Li joined Petter Karlsson (Toca Boca), Aksel E. (Mojang Studios), and Pussel Widegren (Hazelight Studios) to explore how to redesign the gaming industry. Many thanks to them for sharing their reflections.  “The RITEC Toolbox is an amazing resource and a great conversation starter in game development,” — Aksel Englund, Mojang Studios. 🎯 Based on research with 700+ children in 18 countries, the RITEC Toolbox offers practical tools for safer, more inclusive play. 🌍 Through UNICEF’s Game Changers Coalition, we’re empowering girls with digital skills to become the next generation of game creators. Explore the Toolbox 👉🏽 https://lnkd.in/dsCZhjDc   UNICEF Innocenti, UNICEF Sweden, Micron Foundation, Video Games Europe, Entertainment Software Association, Bitget, #GVGC #ForDevs2025 

Gender lens investing has the power to close the critical financing gap for women and girls.   Women and girls represent half of the world’s population (or 4.1 billion) and half of its potential, yet they have been historically underrepresented in innovation and research. Recent data paints a stark picture of what it means to be a twenty-first century woman and girl and highlights the urgent need for investment in solutions.   Join UNICEF UK and SAGANA for a dynamic workshop, exploring how capital and UNICEF's Venture Fund drive innovative, FemTech solutions.    Hear from leading voices including Raya Papp, Founding Partner at Sagana; Milena Bacalja Perianes, Senior Consulting Director at Sagana; Patty Alleman, Catalytic Partnerships lead, and Hanna Burkhardt, Head of Venture Fund, both from UNICEF Innovation.    📆 Thursday 6 November 2025 12:30 - 14:45 The Conduit Club, London.   👉 Join us if you have an interest in gender lens investing, FemTech innovations, or women’s health investments - please RSVP to UUKEvents@unicef.org.uk as soon as possible, as places are limited.   ⬇️Pictured is Tagreed Hussein, a 12-year-old displaced girl, from Sana’a. She’s so excited to be back at school and learning again. Tagreed said: “I felt bored at home and I wanted to go to school. I only want to study and I don't want anything else, because learning is the most beautiful thing in life for me.”