Headquartered in Stockholm and backed by the Government of Sweden, the UNICEF Office of Innovation (OOI) brings together communities, public and private sector partners and collaborators across 190 countries to turn frontier technology and innovative approaches into scalable solutions for global social impact.
THE PROBLEM WORTH SOLVING
Nearly 5 million children under five die every year from preventable causes. One billion lives in poverty. Two-thirds of global commitments to children are off track.
These statistics reveal clear problem statements that demand solutions. Addressing them demands bold, scalable, systems-level innovation – the kind that compresses time, closes equity gaps and embeds durable change into the public systems that children depend on.
Great ventures start with a problem worth solving. OOI is committed to one that holds dividends across generations: unlocking the potential of innovation to address the challenges affecting the lives of children and young people. As of 2025, OOI had advanced innovation through 258 initiatives across 118 countries, reaching more than 55 million people directly and contributing to positive outcomes for 180 million more.
THE PARTNERSHIP STACK
No single actor can deliver change at the scale and pace children need globally. OOI operates as a catalytic platform: convening governments, development finance institutions, multilateral organisations, multinational corporations and innovation ecosystems around shared values. These partnerships reflect an alignment of capital, technology and market reach galvanized around the mandate to unlock the potential of innovation to accelerate progress for every child everywhere. We work alongside young people and local communities, helping shape institutional infrastructure to embed what works in national systems with the ambition to scale where the needs exist.
For instance, AI in Play, OOI’s purpose-driven partnership platform, connects leading technology companies with AI builders, tools and communities at the frontier of children’s wellbeing. It is grounded in a conviction that AI built to the highest standards of responsibility, inclusivity and openness reaches further, works better and earns the trust of the governments and communities where it is most needed.
The UNICEF Venture Fund – OOI’s frontier tech investment infrastructure – has backed over 92 start-ups and 71 country office projects across 88 countries over a decade. UNICEF Femtech Ventures (2025–2030) operationalizes this model into women-centred solutions in emerging markets. UNICEF Climate Ventures (2025–2030) is building a shared pipeline of climate-resilient solutions for children.
Young people are not just the beneficiaries of this work. They are among its most powerful drivers. UPSHIFT, UNICEF’s social innovation and entrepreneurship accelerator, equips young people aged 10–24 with the skills, mentorship and seed funding to tackle challenges in their own communities. Fundoo, a chat-based digital life coach deployed via mobile messaging platforms, is equipping adolescents with life skills and career readiness in development and humanitarian settings alike. Alongside the video game industry, the UNICEF Game Changers Coalition is building the next generation of women in tech through video game development, equipping adolescents in emerging economies with critical STEAM skills.
In humanitarian settings, OOI deploys and scales proven solutions at speed. With 183.5 million people requiring humanitarian assistance in 2024 alone and nearly half the world’s children living in countries extremely vulnerable to climate impacts, the need for innovation that performs under pressure has never been greater. OOI helps deliver it.
With global innovation hubs addressing innovative finance, learning, sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene – UNICEF’s position on innovation is unambiguous: innovation must accelerate results for children.
“The great paradox of our time is this: never have we had more technology, more talent, more tools to tackle the challenges affecting children and young people, or more capital seeking meaningful impact. Yet those who need these advances most are still waiting to see them translate into real change in their daily lives.
“OOI bridges that gap through bold bets on AI and blockchain to improve learning and health outcomes, and through partnerships that deploy these solutions and embed them sustainably in national systems. Also central to this is unlocking the billions already committed to sustainable finance, using blended financing, first-loss guarantees and other mechanisms to deliver long-term impact in sectors traditionally seen as public responsibilities.
“That is the invitation. That is the opportunity not to be missed” says Thomas Davin, Global Director, UNICEF Office of Innovation.
ACCELERATE WITH US
Through catalytic partnerships, OOI continues to stand for the guardrails and the opportunities that help adapt and develop the frontier technologies that shape children’s lives.
With the values of a UN mandate, the agility of a venture platform and a decade of proof, the UNICEF Office of Innovation is one of the most consequential innovation partners operating today. Based in Stockholm. Impacting the world.
“The tools exist today. What is needed are new ways of partnering across industries and the resolve to push beyond limits once thought insurmountable.”
