Istanbul, Türkiye, July 7, 2026 — The UNDP Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (ICPSD) SDG AI Lab hosted its Summer 2026 Demo Day on July 7, bringing together policymakers, technology experts, and development partners to explore AI-powered solutions for sustainable development. As part of its commitment to inclusivity and multilingual knowledge sharing, the Lab hosted its first-ever French-language Demo Day on July 8, bringing together members of the Francophone digital community to exchange knowledge and explore AI-powered solutions for sustainable development.

The SDG AI Lab's team demonstrated tools built with Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Generative and Agentic AI, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Highlights included the AI for Tourism Platform (Malawi and Tanzania), the Public Finance Simplification Platform (Fiji), the Audit Recommendation Tracking Tool (Fiji and Micronesia), the Guinea Environmental Digital Hub, and the Madagascar Multi-Hazard Early Warning System. Dr. Gülçin Salıngan, Deputy Director, stressed that "innovation works best when it is inclusive, practical, and scalable". This theme was reflected throughout the whole event.

The SDG AI Lab also presented preliminary findings from its Digital Social Vulnerability Index (DSVI), supporting vulnerability analysis of Roma communities in Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.

The Lab highlighted Tech Volunteers for Resilience (Tech4R) initiative with UN Volunteers, which has mobilized over 100 volunteers to deliver 20 digital solutions across 10 countries. They also reported continued growth in their skills programmes, including the Frontier Tech Leaders Programme, the Innovation Campus with Samsung, and new Game Development Bootcamps with HP

The SDG AI Lab is a joint initiative of UNDP’s BPPS Data, AI & Innovation Hub and the Sustainable Finance Hub, hosted under ICPSD. Established in 2019 and based in Istanbul, it has delivered more than 50 digital projects and 15 knowledge products, trained over 3,000 learners, and engaged more than 3,500 online UN Volunteers across 25 countries.

Demo Day – Summer 2026 reaffirmed the Lab’s commitment to leveraging frontier technologies to advance the Sustainable Development Goals, while continuing to grow its network of partners and volunteers.