Finland and the United Nations Join Forces to Scale Innovations for Global Impact

Finland and the United Nations Join Forces to Scale Innovations for Global Impact

Finland continues to strengthen its collaboration with the United Nations to scale responsible innovations that support sustainable development. In October 2025, the UN Global Pulse Accelerator Programme held its third cohort workshop in Helsinki, co-hosted by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.

The UN Global Pulse Accelerator is the United Nations' programme for turning promising innovative ideas into real-world impact. It brings together shortlisted UN teams working on tested solutions to global challenges and supports them in developing strategies for scaling those solutions across countries and contexts.

This year, eight UN-led innovation teams, chosen from more than 150 applications to the Accelerator, gathered in Helsinki to focus on solutions related to digital inclusion, job creation, and the climate and biodiversity crisis. Participating teams included teams from UN Women, the World Food Programme (WFP), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), UN Human Rights (OHCHR), and the World Health Organization (WHO), among others. The solutions ranged from circular-economy models in displacement settings to AI tools protecting civic freedom and real-time digital innovations designed to streamline and standardize school meal programmes.

The Accelerator Programme reflects Finland's long-standing commitment to the UN and its role as a champion of innovation for sustainable development. The presence of UN Global Pulse in Finland offers an excellent opportunity for close collaboration between the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the UN's innovation initiatives. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs plays a key role in promoting the responsible use of innovation across UN operations, emphasizing people-centered design, data, digital tools, and AI.

"UN Global Pulse is an important partner for Finland in strengthening the UN's innovation work. The Accelerator programme provides a valuable channel for identifying the most promising UN innovation initiatives and supporting their growth. Through the programme, we bring Finnish expertise to the UN and help strengthen cooperation between Finland and the United Nations," says Kent Wilska, Director of the Unit for Technology and Sustainability at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.

The Accelerator's Helsinki edition drew from Finland's unique innovation ecosystem, where government, universities, civil society, and startups work side by side, to develop solutions with global relevance. It also highlighted the importance of a multidisciplinary approach and cross-sector partnerships in addressing multifaceted and systemic development challenges.

Head of Office of UN Global Pulse Finland, Tapio Vahtola, describes the importance of partnerships to advance solutions for people and planet: "Innovation can't happen in isolation. It requires collaboration, shared purpose, and the confidence to take solutions beyond the pilot stage - responsibly and at scale."

The Accelerator Programme is built on partnerships and collaboration with the University of Helsinki, Demos Helsinki, the UNICEF Office of Innovation, Data Insights for Social and Humanitarian Action (DISHA), and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

United Nations Global Pulse

UN Global Pulse is the Secretary-General's Innovation Lab. The team works at the intersection of innovation and the human sciences to inform, inspire and strengthen the ability of the United Nations family and those it serves to anticipate, respond and adapt to the challenges of today and tomorrow.