LocationsFilipina Tech Startup Co-founder shines at Asia-Pacific Youth Co:Lab Summit
July 22, 2022
PHILIPPINES — At the Youth Co:Lab Regional Summit 2022, Filipina startup co-founder Lei Motilla of AI4GOV shined as she shared how the enterprise uses the power of artificial intelligence (AI) in improving the delivery services of government and civil society organizations.
Lei Motilla was one of the Philippines’ representatives gathered in Singapore, along with nearly 250 participants representing 20 countries and territories for this year’s Youth Co:Lab Summit. Centered around the themes of Youth in Climate Action and Leaving No Youth Behind, attendees united behind a common agenda to accelerate the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through leadership, social innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Lei took the stage to share how AI4GOV has grown since they started in 2019 through Youth Co:Lab, a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Citi Foundation-led initiative. AI4GOV developed the KIRA chatbot that the Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH)deployed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, providing citizens the much-needed information and guidance on COVID-19 regulations. KIRA is just one of the many products that AI4GOV has developed to improve public services and promote citizen participation through automation, data science, and community organizing. This is made possible by a team of 12 young Filipino leaders in the field of computer science, statistics, and social development.
“In AI4GOV, we believe the future is in building relationships, and this means building trust. We can build trust by making public services accessible right at your fingertips and shaped by the voices of the citizens themselves. So, if we want to accelerate the SDGs by 2030, we have to build a digital infrastructure that can help build trust between the government and its citizens,” said Lei as she addressed the audience of young leaders and entrepreneurs, and public and private sector players.
“We are no longer going to talk about why it is important for young people to have a seat at the table. Instead, let’s look at how young people have already claimed the table.”Lei Motilla of AI4GOV
Many more changemakers united and made their voices heard at the Youth Co:Lab Regional Summit 2022, co-organized by UNDP and Citi Foundation in partnership with the National Youth Council Singapore (NYC). The two-day Summit featured panel discussions on climate action, women entrepreneurship, and the future of work. A series of talks on Youth Champions and a showcase of social entrepreneurs across Asia-Pacific also took place. The summit ended with the youth and other stakeholders inspired to take action and step-up collective efforts in empowering young people and forwarding transformative solutions to accelerate the achievement of the sustainable development goals by 2030.
About Youth Co:Lab
Youth Co:Lab positions young people front and center in order to solve the region’s most pressing challenges. Co-created in 2017 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Citi Foundation, Youth Co:Lab aims to establish a common agenda for countries in the Asia-Pacific region to empower and invest in youth, so that they can accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through leadership, social innovation and entrepreneurship. Youth Co:Lab has been implemented in 28 countries and territories across the Asia Pacific. https://www.youthcolab.org/
About Citi Foundation
The Citi Foundation works to promote economic progress and improve the lives of people in low-income communities around the world. We invest in efforts that increase financial inclusion, catalyze job opportunities for youth, and reimagine approaches to building economically vibrant communities. The Citi Foundation's "More than Philanthropy'' approach leverages the enormous expertise of Citi and its people to fulfill our mission and drive thought leadership and innovation. For more information, visit www.citifoundation.com.
About UNDP
UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and the planet.