Bangkok, 23 October 2026 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Tencent, a global technology company, through the company’s philanthropic arm, Tencent Charity Foundation, launched the Youth AI4SDGs Impact Challenge to equip young innovators to build responsible artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for the Sustainable Development Goals, with a primary focus on Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. This initiative is part of an agreement between UNDP and the Tencent Charity Foundation to expand access to AI skills and support youth-led AI solutions for the SDGs across Asia and the Pacific through December 2027.

Across the region, young people are already building AI tools that speed up public service delivery, forecast floods before they arrive, and open essential services to people who have long been left outside them. What most of them lack is not ambition or technical skill. It is the guidance, the early funding, and the right people around the table to take a prototype into real use.

That gap is what the partnership’s Youth AI4SDGs Impact Challenge aims to close. By combining ethical and technical training, targeted innovation grants, high-quality mentorship, and clear pathways to bring solutions into real-world use, the programme accelerates responsible AI solutions that deliver measurable development impact. The initiative creates a model focusing on generating early-stage prototypes, actionable insights, and regionally replicable approaches to turn promising prototypes into solutions that communities can actually use.

The initiative is part of UNDP’s ambitious effort through its Youth Moonshot to bring digital and AI skills to every young person across Asia and the Pacific, in collaboration with Tencent Charity Foundation.

Participants will have access to selected digital tools and technical support made available through the partnership to help participants rapidly prototype, refine, and scale solutions. These tools include Tencent’s WorkBuddy, an AI-powered workspace that supports the development of SDG-focused applications, and Miora, an AI-native creative studio for generating multimedia assets. The challenge will seek innovative solutions across key areas including digital public services, climate adaptation and environmental resilience, disaster risk reduction, and accessibility and inclusion for persons with disabilities.

Beate TRANKMANN, Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific (RBAP) and Director of UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub, said, “Young people across Asia and the Pacific are already embracing the future of AI, and they are the generation best placed to make it responsible, inclusive, and useful to the people who need it most. The objective of our partnership with Tencent Charity Foundation is to support them with training, mentorship, and seed funding to take their AI-for-good solutions from idea to real-world pilots, in areas from public services and climate resilience to disability inclusion."

Dr James LI Tsz-shu, Chief Executive, Tencent Foundation, said, "The true value of AI lies in its power to address real-world challenges. By pairing the UNDP’s deep development expertise with Tencent’s technological innovation and philanthropic commitment, we aim to transform bold ideas into responsible, actionable solutions. Our goal is to validate these models through real-world testing and scale successful outcomes to drive broader, lasting impact across the region.”

Applications are open today. UNDP and Tencent Charity Foundation invite young innovators across the region to apply to the Youth AI4SDGs Impact Challenge and help shape the future of responsible AI for sustainable development.

Contact Information: 

In New York time zone: Raul de Mora Jimenez, Communications Specialist at UNDP Asia and the Pacific, raul.de.mora@undp.org 

In Bangkok: Aminath Mihdha, Regional Partnerships and Communications Specialist, aminath.mihdha@undp.org  

About UNDP 

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality and climate change. Working with a broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and the planet. Learn more at undp.org or follow @UNDP. 

About Tencent 

Tencent’s guiding principle is to use technology for good. Our communication and social services connect more than a billion people around the world, helping them to stay connected with friends and family, access transportation, pay for day-to-day expenses, and have fun. Tencent also publishes some of the world’s most popular video games and other high-quality digital content, enriching interactive entertainment experiences for people around the globe. We offer a range of services such as cloud computing, advertising, FinTech, and other enterprise services to support our clients’ digital transformation and business growth. With headquarters in Shenzhen, China, Tencent has been listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong since 2004. https://www.tencent.com/ 

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