UNDP ICPSD Highlights Pathways from AI Skills to Economic Opportunity at AI for Good Global Summit 2026

July 10, 2026

Panel discussion on stage with four speakers, left banner with logos and purple lighting.

Geneva, 8 July 2026 — The United Nations Development Programme’s Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (UNDP ICPSD) joined HP, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the World Alliance of YMCAs and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for a luncheon session on connecting artificial intelligence skills with employment, entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods.

Held during the AI for Good Global Summit 2026, the HP-sponsored luncheon session, titled “From AI Skills to Opportunity: Enabling Entrepreneurship in the Future of Work,” attracted 480 participants. The discussion examined how governments, development organizations, businesses and community institutions can help people move from acquiring AI skills to applying them in the labour market and in business.

The session was moderated by Raj Suri, Global Head of Applied AI at HP. Speakers included Carlos Madjri Sanvee, Secretary General of the World Alliance of YMCAs; Gökhan Dikmener, Chief Technical Advisor for AI, Digital Transformation and Skills at UNDP ICPSD; Robyn Fysh, Senior Digital Skills Officer at ITU; and Dr Andrea Kanneh, National Digital Workforce Leader at the Ministry of Public Administration and Artificial Intelligence of Trinidad and Tobago.

The session brought together perspectives from the private sector, the United Nations, civil society and government. Participants considered how access to technology and AI skills can support productivity, while entrepreneurship pathways, market connections and inclusive ecosystems can help convert those capabilities into livelihoods and business growth.

Photograph of a man in a dark suit and glasses speaking at a panel, purple backdrop.

Connecting learning with economic opportunity

Representing UNDP, Dikmener stressed that technical training alone is not sufficient to create economic opportunity.

“AI skills must be connected to entrepreneurship capabilities, market demand, mentorship, trusted local institutions and private-sector networks. These connections are essential for helping people move from learning to earning,” he said.

Dikmener outlined four conditions that can help AI-enabled entrepreneurship generate jobs, livelihoods and business growth: programmes must respond to evidence and market demand; technical skills must be combined with entrepreneurial and business capabilities; delivery must be locally anchored; and individual skills must be connected to wider institutional systems.

He also highlighted the role of local institutions, including universities, non-governmental organizations and business associations, in adapting global knowledge to local labour-market conditions.

“Skills must become usable capabilities; capabilities must connect to markets; and market participation must be supported in ways that are inclusive and resilient,” he said.

Panel discussion on stage with four people; a man speaks into a mic while a woman listens.

Through initiatives including the Entrepreneurial Skills Development Initiative for the SDGs, the SDG AI Lab, Frontier Tech Leaders and the Skills for an Inclusive Future network, UNDP ICPSD works to connect research, capability development, locally anchored delivery and private-sector engagement.

The session concluded with a shared recognition that an inclusive future of work depends on more than access to technology. It requires systems that help people apply their skills, connect with markets and participate meaningfully in the economy.