This year, our Network expanded.

After a promising global experiment to deploy an unconventional recruitment campaign in 2019, we decided to do it again to expand our Network with 31 new Accelerator Labs.

Through intense recruitment activities, ask me anything sessions in four languages and a wide range of outreach activities to find unusual talent, we welcomed 93 new recruits to the fastest and largest learning network for development.

Our new recruits are joining a vibrant network of 91 Labs and 273 talented professionals: leaders, experts, and enthusiasts from around the globe, many with biographies completely new to our organization. They include entrepreneurs, engineers, architects, urban planners, data scientists, grassroots innovators, researchers, designers, architects, and have taken up roles as UNDP Heads of Exploration, Experimentation, and Solutions Mapping.

They bring new skills and capabilities to 31 more countries to re-imagine development for the 21st century. 76% of our new recruits have experience with prototyping,​62% can deploy ethnographic research, 49% have experience with citizen-generated data,​ and 28% have high-level knowledge of artificial intelligence and machine learning. These new skills and capabilities will help test new ways of working to address social and environmental challenges.  

Now that we’ve expanded, the world’s largest lab network now covers 79% of Least Developed and Low-Income Countries and over 66% of Small Island Developing States. From Guinea-Bissau to Panama and North Macedonia, check out how they launched their Labs in style.

Meet 13 of these new talents, as they share a glimpse of who they are, why they joined, what challenges they will be tackling, and how they can accelerate learning on what works and what doesn’t when it comes to making the planet a more equitable and sustainable place.

Ready?
Set.
Go!

I’m Yomna Saleh, Head of Experimentation at UNDP Egypt Accelerator Lab

What did you do before joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs?
A whole bunch of things: I was building the first marketplace for scientific research experiments in the region, doing my second master’s degree in public policy, facilitating innovation and design thinking cycles, and figuring out a new life as a mom!

How would you describe your new job to a child?
It’s like someone gives me a Rubik’s Cube and asks me to solve it in five minutes. I quickly study it, put a rough plan, and start trying out different moves as fast as possible. Some moves work, and some don’t, but I learn from them and try again.

I’m Sesil Verdzadze, Head of Solutions Mapping at UNDP Georgia Accelerator Lab

What did you do before joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs?
I was the head of a government innovations laboratory ServiceLab, housed within the Public Service Development Agency (PSDA) of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia. My mandate was to bring user-centered design into the way public services are designed and delivered in Georgia.

How would you describe your new job to a child?
Imagine building a bridge or a boat with Legos, and while playing, you imagine how you'd cross the river with this boat? My job is to find and support people like you who build and invent things to overcome obstacles and further strengthen your solutions.

What are your passions?
I like to travel and understand how different people approach things, how different societies act, and how they address common problems.

Where do you draw inspiration?
From observing people's behavior. I also like to read about climate change, innovative tools invented by pioneer companies, and recent trends in technologies. I always try to be up to date on the most pressing issues and develop ideas to address them.

What are you most excited about joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs? What drove you to apply?
I see how the UNDP Accelerator Labs can contribute significantly to the development of Georgia. I find it also interesting and challenging to work on any of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, engage with the local population, and learn about how they tackle local problems.

Describe one skill you are bringing to UNDP that will help us create actionable insights and reimagine sustainable development for the 21st century.
I bring a good understanding of reform implementation and knowledge of innovative methodologies like Design Thinking, Behavioral Economics, and Foresight in public service and incorporate them into UNDP's work modality.

What is the first challenge you and the team aim to tackle? Why does it matter to your country today?
Our Lab aims to tackle waste management (with a particular focus on plastics), raise awareness on climate and air pollution among general public, and identify how to support better uptake of e-services among the rural population and vulnerable groups. Since the establishment of the UNDP Georgia Accelerator Lab, we have received several requests for cooperation and have already established new partnerships around sustainable packaging and awareness-raising campaigns against vaccination disinformation. Additionally, the lab has organized a solutions safari to identify the pandemic related solutions. The initiative was transformed into the Museum of Georgian Inventions.

Share a glimpse of the first mission you will embark on?
Through UNDP Georgia's Accelerator Lab, there is a chance to engage with local partners more efficiently (making partnerships and cooperation flexible, tangible, and fast), which will help us accelerate our efforts to achieve the SDGs. And as a learning collective, we play a crucial role in making the SDGs truly global through mutual exchange of experiences and demonstration that most of the challenges are common or similar.

Ask your fellow Lab member a question:

• Sesil Verdzadze: Hi Nutthapon, if you had all the resources you need, what would be your dream experiment? Why?
• Nutthapon Rathie: Hi Sesil, I'd say, with great power comes great responsibility. The more funds you get, the more headaches you have. Hahaha. But if I had all the resources I need, I'd design experiments in a way that included as many stakeholders as possible to ensure that I gain insights from all dimensions and leave no one behind.
  
   

I’m Nutthapon Rathie, you can call me “Nut”. I’m the Head of Experimentation at UNDP Thailand Accelerator Lab

What did you do before joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs?
I worked as IDE Fellow at Innovation-Driven Entrepreneurship (IDE) Center at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, designing curriculum and teaching the course IDE101 to more than 10,000 students. I also led Social Lab at Artipania Co., Ltd. and conducted workshops on design thinking, visual thinking, business model canvas, and lean startup. Before that, I worked as Programme Assistant in UNIFEM and UN Women in Gender & HIV/AIDS and Migration.

How would you describe your new job to a child?
It’s like... you are going to prepare a meal and have no idea what to do. You open your refrigerator and see what you have, maybe chicken, carrot, onion, something left over from yesterday. Then your friend (Solutions Mapper) comes and says, “Hey, I’ve got something cool. It’s a local vegetable from a village.” And another friend (Explorer) says, “I also have a new cooking appliance.” Then you put everything on a table (portfolio) and cook it, test it, and if it works, you can ask your neighbors (Accelerator Lab Network) to try it too!

What are your passions?
A one-million-dollar question. Frankly, I tried to find my passion for a long time and found... nothing. I’d say it was education, gender, culture, and technology in the past. But the more I work, I found that everything is related. So maybe my passion is to find something I don’t know every day.

Where do you draw inspiration?
Talking to people and nowadays, Clubhouse!

What are you most excited about joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs? What drove you to apply?
All the UNDP Accelerator Lab members! Every time I join the global weekly session, I feel like I’ve found long-lost friends. I couldn’t believe that those crazy people like me are here.

Describe one skill you are bringing to UNDP that will help us create actionable insights and reimagine sustainable development for the 21^st century.
Unusual viewpoint (or putting it a bit nicer as “lateral thinking”) by looking and solving problems using an approach that is not immediately obvious. In a world overwhelmed with complex development problems, a top-down solution seemingly reasonable for policymakers may not work in the field. With support from the Head of Solution Mapping, I design a portfolio of solutions from traditional to non-traditional ones using techniques such as systematic inventive thinking (SIT) or random pairing. Most of them may fail, but some work amazingly and worth taking further experimentation.

What is the first challenge you and the team aim to tackle? Why does it matter to your country today?
One of the main topics we are exploring is how innovation can be used to empower people with disabilities (PWDs). There are more than two million PWDs in Thailand which is almost three percent of the Thai population. 49.77% are mobility disabled, 18.41% are hearing impaired, and 9.99% are visually impaired. Although there are innovations such as smart devices, most of PWDs cannot access them. Our frontier challenge then is to bridge the gap of the digital divide among PWDs. We are seeking insights and extraordinary practices among PWDs and leverage existing technology to scale the solutions.

With only a decade of action left, what ways can you contribute to reaching our collective Goals on time?
I talked to lots of people and found that... they have far better ideas than mine. My approach is to find better ways and spaces for ordinary people to share and bounce their in-depth problems and ideas.

Ask your fellow Lab member a question:

• Nutthapon Rathie: Hi Aldaraa. You’re the first one I talked to when joining the breakout room! So glad I’ve got this chance. My question is:  as a Head of Exploration, what would be the most valuable data that you need to obtain before taking further actions for your lab?
• Aldarsaikhan Tuvshinbat: Depending on the challenge, we try to get diverse data from traditional and non-traditional sources. But we always end up focusing on the public’s experience of the particular issue. I would say the most valuable data is the user experience data.
  
   

I’m Aldarsaikhan Tuvshinbat, Head of Exploration at UNDP Mongolia Accelerator Lab

What did you do before joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs?
I worked on an urban planning project focusing on informal settlements in Mongolia, which underwent rapid urbanization in the past 20 years. These informal settlements have limited infrastructure and planning. I helped develop and design an eco-district with affordable and green housing. 

How would you describe your job to a child? 
Suppose there was a problem in the classroom that affects many students. Instead of letting the teacher 

decide on a solution, I would talk to the students and look at factors outside the classroom. I will try to understand where, how, and with whom to address the issue. But it doesn’t stop there, I will continue trying different solutions and learn until we get it right.

What are your passions? 
I enjoy learning new things and figuring out a way to improve challenging situations. I try to help others make the most out of the available opportunities to enrich their lives. As an urban planner, I also believe if we help each other, we can create better communities where everyone benefits. 

Where do you draw inspiration? 
I am excited by new ideas and creativity: from beautiful films like the Florida Project and Ex-machina, depicting the complexities of modern society to a great engineering feat. I think achievements extending human potential inspire me to become more optimistic towards solving our problems.

What are you most excited about joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs? What drove you to apply? 
While working in urban planning, I realized that most of these cutting-edge ideas and innovations are tested in developed nations. I thought this was problematic as developing countries can greatly benefit from technology and innovation. I saw the Accelerator Labs as an opportunity to explore new ideas in the context of developing countries.

Describe one skill you are bringing to UNDP that will help us create actionable insights and reimagine sustainable development for the 21^st century? 
I have diverse experience and background in urban planning, architecture, and real estate. I think these attributes help me approach issues holistically while putting the human experience at its center.

What is the first challenge you and the team aim to tackle? Why does it matter to your country today?
UNDP Mongolia’s Accelerator Lab identified digital transformation in public service as the first challenge. The accelerated digitalization brings new opportunities, but it also exacerbates the existing inequalities. We believe extensive digital service delivery is inevitable, and our focus is to ensure that this impending future is inclusive.

With only a decade of action left, what are ways you can contribute to reaching our collective Goals on time?
I can contribute by keeping an open mind and including as many ideas from as many people as possible. Hopefully, this approach helps us integrate unusual ideas and approaches in our work that could potentially accelerate the process.

Ask your fellow Lab member a question:

• Aldarsaikhan Tuvshinbat: Hi Neuza, what constitutes good experimentation and what kind of attitude one should have to perform good experiment?
• Neuza Buque: Hi Aldarsaikhan, I believe that in performing good experiments, one needs to have an attitude that is comfortable with the unknown and failing. While well-researched and designed experiments are often used to test ideas whose success we believe in, we must acknowledge that we don't always know if the experiment will, in fact, work. When these cases occur, we must unpack why the experiment didn't work with the same level of care that we reserve for successful experiments.
  
   

I’m Neuza Buque, Head of Experimentation at UNDP Mozambique Accelerator Lab.

What did you do before joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs?
I worked in the private sector as an Architect and Project Manager in Mozambique. My work in public infrastructure and urban planning projects required engagement with government and local communities, raising my awareness of development challenges in my region and led to my career shift from the private sector to the United Nations.

How would you describe your new job to a child?
My job is about testing ways of solving problems. If other people had similar problems before me, I get to ask for their help and see if what worked for them also works for me. If my problem is brand new, I get to

experiment with new ways to solve it. The best part is, imperfection is okay, as long as I keep learning, sharing, and experimenting.

What are your passions?
I am passionate about bringing people from the fringe into mainstream forums. I believe those exchanges are key for sustainable development in Africa. For example, I worked with low income and marginalized communities to develop housing plans that addressed specific local cultural needs, and construction methodologies that made use of regional materials and labor force.

Where do you draw inspiration?
I draw inspiration from people around me. Whether from direct interaction or observation from a distance, I always learn new ways of being and doing, from simply paying attention to how people around me live.

What are you most excited about joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs? What drove you to apply?
I grew up in a family where community development was a regular part of our dinner conversations. I always knew I would find a career that can contribute to the development of my country. Joining the Network allows me to use my skills to re-think development.

Describe one skill you are bringing to UNDP that will help us create actionable insights and reimagine sustainable development for the 21^st century.
I am very comfortable operating in an environment of unknowns and complex briefs, testing dozens of approaches, and understanding what works and what doesn't. I believe that way of thinking is needed to drive development forward- not the idea that we maintain the tried and tested status quo, but the notion that we need to be more innovative and braver because our problems are more complex and greater.

What is the first challenge you and the team aim to tackle? Why does it matter to your country today?
We're exploring how data is produced and managed to inform decision-making in disaster and crisis management situations in Mozambique. As a country currently managing a few crises caused by natural disasters and political instability, data availability and quality is crucial to managing these fast-paced situations. We believe that in understanding and mapping out the existing systems, we can find gaps and opportunities for improvement that can lead to more efficient results.

With only a decade of action left, what ways can you contribute to reaching our collective Goals on time?
My key contribution is utilizing the Lab as a platform to introduce local people to environments where their ideas can flourish. I believe that we have often ignored local solutions in favor of tried and tested external ones and that the Lab is a great opportunity to break that pattern and truly grow from the ground up.

Ask your fellow Lab member a question:

• Neuza Buque: Hi Beto, I’d like to ask if you could share an example of progressive change in Bolivia that you would like the world to know about? Why?
• Beto Saavedra:  Hi Neuza, Bolivia introduced a communitarian paradigm called Vivir Bien (good living) back in the late 2000s, which is based on the interaction in a respectful, harmonious, and balanced way with all living things and the notion that everything is interconnected, interdependent and interrelated. The Planetary pressures–adjusted Human Development Index (PHDI) introduced in HDR 2020 shows the paradigm is worth considering. We should use the opportunity to improve the new normal by enabling active participation from everyone in balancing human development with our planet.
  
   

I’m Beto Saavedra, Head of Solutions Exploration at UNDP Bolivia Accelerator Lab

What did you do before joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs?

I led a global startup’s technical product management team based in Bolivia that leverages the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Machine Learning & Blockchain to disrupt the management of inventory. My responsibility was on the API developer experience, and the fun part was driving the innovation efforts using emerging tech.

How would you describe your new job to a child?
My job is to be a curious explorer. I am always looking for things to see, measure, to check if that information can help us better understand the surroundings. I also try to use the hidden gems, the diverse point of views 

and the new ways to use tools I uncover to predict the future.

How would you describe your new job to a child?
My job is to be a curious explorer. I am always looking for things to see, measure, to check if that information can help us better understand the surroundings. I also try to use the hidden gems, the diverse point of views and the new ways to use tools I uncover to predict the future.

What are your passions?
Learning new things, unlearning unconscious bias, iterating approaches which have worked before, and connecting people with similar interests. This year, those passions are focused on learning more about data equity and justice, socio-digital inclusion, resilient circular economies, and learner-centered schooling.

Where do you draw inspiration?
Nowadays, I see Twitter as a space to learn more about trends, discussions, new topics, and news. Before, I loved the casual gatherings after conference or meetups where you learn interesting ideas which are not easily accessible and shared publicly.

What are you most excited about joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs? What drove you to apply?
The pandemic forced me to think about how I was spending my working hours. I joined the OneShared.World movement and realized I wanted to help fix power imbalances. And when I learned about the UNDP Accelerator Lab's Explorer position as part of a global network, I realized it was time to do something more impactful. I am excited to try to co-design a fairer world.

Describe one skill you are bringing to UNDP that will help us create actionable insights and reimagine sustainable development for the 21^st century.
I am a patient observer until I realize there is a way to optimize what was working before. I have a bias towards applying emerging tech as a potential solution and learned that I need to understand the problem space before sharing any possible improvement.

What is the first challenge you and the team aim to tackle? Why does it matter to your country today?
Our first challenge targets women's employment recovery. As seen globally, the women's workforce has been most affected by the pandemic-driven recession, and women took on more childcare duties than men. There is an opportunity to balance this gender inequality, but (first) we need to get more women back to work

With only a decade of action left, what ways can you contribute to reaching our collective Goals on time?
We need more citizen participation to make substantial progress, so I aim to:

• Provide as much open data as possible
• fork existing systems to experiment and merge the successful ones
• enable participative consensus-making
• explore alternative public goods funding.

Ask your fellow Lab member a question:

• Beto Saavedra: Hi Larissa, if you have enough resources and support to co-design a regional portfolio of experiments, what is the development challenge you would like to focus on, and how do you envision a promised land for Latin America, after successful experimentation on that development challenge?
• Larissa Demel: Hi Beto, as a young person and educator, I feel strongly about tackling the quality of education as well as the lagging transfer of knowledge and innovative ideas in the region. Successful experiments would focus on innovative ways to quickly improve the quality of education, grow a critical mass of human capital, and create functioning ecosystems of innovation
  
   

I’m Larissa Demel, Head of Solutions Mapping at UNDP Panama Accelerator Lab

What did you do before joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs?
I was trained as a psychologist; I've therefore always enjoyed looking at social innovation through the behavioral lens. Before joining UNDP, I'd been doing the Master of Public Policy at the London School of Economics School of Public Policy, where I specialized my research in innovation policy. My professional background is a mix of public, academic, and private sector experience that spans various sustainable development fields in Germany, Panama, the United States, and the Netherlands.

How would you describe your new job to a child?
I usually tell the younger audience in my family that I'm like Disney's Gyro Gearloose, Duckburg's most genius

inventor, even though the inventions don't always work the way he wants them to. The outrageous productivity of the UNDP Accelerator Lab and its 'fail fast’ approach is similar to the cartoon scientist we watched growing up.

What are your passions?
At the risk of sounding overly keen: I truly am passionate about making development better, faster, stronger.

Where do you draw inspiration?
Any place that lets me draw inspiration from! One of the most inspiring activities we do as a Lab is solution safaris – that's going out with a pen and paper into the field and spotting local innovations in food markets, on the road, and anywhere else.

What are you most excited about joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs? What drove you to apply?
When I saw the job description, I thought: "My whole life has prepared me for this role!" Few places are as good a place to re-define development as the United Nations Development Program. I applied because I wanted to help solve complex problems and reduce the relevance gap between current development approaches and 21st-century solutions.

Describe one skill you are bringing to UNDP that will help us create actionable insights and reimagine sustainable development for the 21^st century?
Despite being a social scientist, I bring a healthy level of organization or execution skills that help balance the messy landscape of innovation: I know how to balance scientific robustness with speedy implementation.

What is the first challenge you and the team aim to tackle? Why does it matter to your country today?
UNDP Panama Accelerator Lab's first learning cycle addresses solid waste management. Waste is increasingly creating environmental and health issues caused by river pollution and open burning practices. Our Lab works to accelerate community-generated learning, explore new pathways for environmental sustainability and support public policy design.

With only a decade of action left, what ways can you contribute to reaching our collective Goals on time?
By learning from the people closest to the problem and understanding their needs as well as solutions they've built. Our Lab has already been conducting field visits ranging from half-day solution safaris to week-long multi-community visits where we've trekked to landfills and interviewed communities and local policymakers on their perceptions of the solid waste value chain. These insights have become the base in building our first portfolio of experiments.

Ask your fellow Lab member a question:

• Larissa Demel: Hi Hassanatou, I’m curious to know what are some of the most exciting solutions you’ve found so far in Senegal?
• Hassanatou Sow: Hi Larissa, we are working on flood prevention in Senegal, and we have mapped solutions that can reinforce the existing early warning system. So, at the national and local levels, they can better prevent flooding and mitigate the risk. Also, we have found some good initiatives from local communities that can be added to the management framework and deployed during a disaster.

I’m Hassanatou Sow, Head of Solutions Mapping at UNDP Senegal Accelerator Lab

What did you do before joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs?
Before the UNDP Accelerator Labs, I held several positions in the Financial Services industry and worked as an engineer and consultant for information and technology companies in Senegal and West Africa. My roles supported organizations to ensure the continual improvement of their processes or services to achieve their strategic goals. From there, I went to the field of development, being part of the Global Masters in Development Practice program.

How would you describe your new job to a child?
I work with people closest to the problem to understand their needs and support solutions that they've

created to tackle the challenges they face. I also support providing a space for people from all backgrounds to share and learn innovative solutions from each other.

What are your passions?
Abstract art, traveling, discovering new things, meeting people, music, and walking.

Where do you draw inspiration?
Working in the field, engaging with people while observing and understanding their needs. I am also inspired by the UNDP Accelerator Lab's innovative tools and methods and how I can use these tools to accelerate development. Lastly, I'm also inspired by people's willingness to contribute and take action. 

What are you most excited about joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs? What drove you to apply?
I was fascinated by the new paradigm of innovation and system transformation within UNDP. A new model to foster change on how we address development. And the idea of collective intelligence and empowering local solutions while giving space for learning within a large global learning network.

Describe one skill you are bringing to UNDP that will help us create actionable insights and reimagine sustainable development for the 21^st century? 
My design thinking skills to understand needs, the context, and unseen patterns so we can map what could work or not.

What is the first challenge you and the team aim to tackle? Why does it matter to your country today?
We are working on floods, a major and recurring problem causing lots of damage, specifically to vulnerable groups in Senegal. Exacerbated by climate change, floods are negatively impacting all sectors in the country from education, to health, economy, infrastructure, or agriculture, to name a few. There is a need for urgent action to prevent floods and mitigate the risk.

With only a decade of action left, what ways can you contribute to reaching our collective Goals on time?
To learn from the Network, empower changemakers and policymakers, engage with unusual suspects, embrace complexity and uncertainty through collective intelligence, and accelerate what already exists and bring new solutions.

Ask your fellow Lab member a question:

• Hassanatou Sow: Hi Claudia, where do you see system transformation in El Salvador?
• Claudia Olmedo: Hi Hassanatou, I believe transforming how public institutions perceive development challenges and solutions is key to a broader and positive systems transformation in El Salvador. We need to strengthen institutional capabilities and governance and encourage a sustainable Systems Thinking mindset to change how public policy is created while translating this into enabling infrastructures and frameworks.

I’m Claudia Olmedo, Head of Exploration at UNDP El Salvador Accelerator Lab

What did you do before joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs?
I led and co-founded an innovation and technology startup and started a financial inclusion initiative to promote savings and crowdfunded credits for unbanked and underserved minorities. For the last two years, I served as VP for the Salvadorean Technology Chamber, promoting female participation in STEM fields through the platform Women in Tech SV (which I founded in 2015 and supported more than 800 women). I'm also a trainer and speaker in public policy design, innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship.

How would you describe your job to a child?
As an Explorer, my job is to observe and ask questions about the world around us and how to make it better.

I try to find answers, new understandings, and discoveries to these questions by searching for information, reading, and talking to other people.

What are your passions?
I find happiness in science, technology, arts, behavioral economics, public policy design, thus, searching and discovering unusual relations and crossroads between these fields. The pursuit of these passions has led me to explore various subjects and activities such as exhibition design, interactive technology, data science, female leadership, social entrepreneurship, technology & public space design.

Where do you draw inspiration?
I mostly draw inspiration from observing nature's shapes and patterns and how they are expressed in ecosystems, populations' behaviors, and interconnected variables.

What are you most excited about joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs? What drove you to apply?
I'm excited to be part of a growing learning network where I work alongside colleagues who bring diverse knowledge to the table. This role lets me bring in my passion for research and exploration of new concepts while contributing knowledge and expertise to discover information-driven, innovative & sustainable solutions to development challenges.

Describe one skill you are bringing to UNDP that will help us create actionable insights and reimagine sustainable development for the 21^st century?
It would be my ability to weave human-centered design and technology into gamified experiences useful in education, research, communication, and behavioral insights.

What is the first challenge you and the team aim to tackle? Why does it matter to your country today?
Our first challenge focuses on water quality, access, and its impact on preserving livelihoods. This issue is important in our country today because several reasons, including El Salvador's current hydric stress, vulnerability to climate events, weak water governance, and the fact that lack of access to basic water and sanitation services in communities means a considerable amount of families' income goes to bottled and pipe-sourced water expenses, which then reduces people's ability to invest in education and health, thus reinforcing social imbalances.

With only a decade of action left, what ways can you contribute to reaching our collective Goals on time? 

• By facilitating human-centered horizon scanning and future forecast processes that contribute to developing an inclusive ecosystem empowering communities through actionable knowledge, sustainable infrastructure, and people-centered public policy design.
• By exploring the crossroads between development challenges and the actors concerning them.
• By transforming "extractive" research models into participatory models that "give back" actionable information to communities, organizations, and institutions.

Ask your fellow Lab member a question:

• Claudia Olmedo: Hi Lamarane, what are the challenges you’re finding in your current mission and in what creative ways are you overcoming them?
• Lamarane Barry: Hi Claudia, the UNDP Accelerator Labs mandate is not always understood by our colleagues in the UNDP Country Office. Oftentimes, “innovation” is seen as technological improvements through digital applications. An evidence-based approach is the best way to bring people together toward the actual issue in such a context.

I’m Lamarane Barry, Head of Experimentation at UNDP Guinea Accelerator Lab.

What did you do before joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs?
Before joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs, I was a senior consultant in charge of local content at the International Trade Centre in Guinea. Previously, I worked for the International Organization for Migration as an analyst and at UNDP, working on entrepreneurship for people with disabilities. I also worked in the private sector as a marketing manager and project officer in investment assessment.

How would you describe your new job to a child?
To do your homework, you will need to use the lessons learned and apply different methods to answer the questions posed. But not all the methods can answer the problems you are asked to solve. My work is the same: I learn how people solve their problems and then look at what works and what doesn't by applying various methods.

What are your passions?
Professionally, I am passionate about international development-related issues, including possible sustainable development models for Africa. On a personal level, I am passionate about history, discovering cultures, computer programming, writing, and reading.

Where do you draw inspiration?
My mother, the great historical figures, and the resilience capacity of the most vulnerable people.

What are you most excited about joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs? What drove you to apply?
The UNDP Accelerator Labs is not common in the development world. The idea of learning from communities and re-imagining development suits my personality. I'm not too fond of routines and conformism. The Network allows us to be dynamic, creative, curious, active, and close to reality.

Describe one skill you are bringing to UNDP that will help us create actionable insights and reimagine sustainable development for the 21^st century?
My skills in analyzing and understanding causes, trends, the logic behind a particular phenomenon, and data. I believe this is particularly relevant to the Accelerator Labs as the Network uses multiple analysis tools and new methods to tackle 21st-century challenges.

What is the first challenge you and the team aim to tackle? Why does it matter to your country today?
We aim to tackle household waste management as our first challenge. It is a health and sanitation problem for the country and presents an opportunity to create sustainable jobs.

With only a decade of action left, what ways can you contribute to reaching our collective Goals on time?

With my Lab team, we aim to design a suitable business model around households' waste management. We also want to influence public policies positively by exploring pathways towards framing an Urban Cleanliness Index from now to 2022. 

Ask your fellow Lab member a question:

• Lamarane Barry: Hi Yulia, what do you think is the greatest challenge facing the world in relation to demographics and migration?
• Yulia Sugandi: Hi Lamarane, I believe greed is one of the root causes of social inequality. Demographics and migration within high social inequality contexts lead to a humanitarian crisis. As Mahatma Gandhi said, "The world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed."

I’m Yulia Sugandi, Head of Solutions Mapping at UNDP Indonesia Accelerator Lab.

What did you do before joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs?
I’ve been a humanitarian worker for the last two decades, specifically in the field of social-ecological justice. Working in the development sector, I’ve worn several hats: director, coordinator, consultant & board member for various projects such as the Center for Transdisciplinary and Sustainability Sciences- IPB University, Protection International Brussels and Empatika. I combined this with teaching and researching social equity, inclusive social change & human ecology.

How would you describe your new job to a child?

I’m Dora the explorer! I keep on learning about new and better ways to make people and the planet happier. As an explorer, I’m curious and determined. The best part of my job is working together with many other people and listening to their stories and experiences.

What are your passions?
Years of looking into people and cultures taught me to value community resilience in creating opportunities for their desirable quality of life. I love to use a wide range of research methods and participatory approaches so that ordinary people can be listened to and responded to through appropriate public policies. 

Where do you draw inspiration?
I am inspired by empathy, agility & solidarity. It can come from anything, anywhere – kind and empathetic people, the strength of a tree facing the storm, and even the teamwork displayed by ants lifting a crystal of sugar.

What are you most excited about joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs? What drove you to apply?
Being a single working mom while fully immersed in other vulnerable communities made me hyper-aware of the imbalanced power relations in our social context. I am mindful of the bottlenecks rooted in these relations and highly appreciate social innovation models developed by vulnerable communities. UNDP Accelerator Labs gives me opportunities to support social innovation, which is the basis to accelerate collective action. 

Describe one skill you are bringing to UNDP that will help us create actionable insights and reimagine sustainable development for the 21^st century?
Social innovation represents society’s power to collectively bring change and create a future in which we would want to live. My ethnographic skills allow me to immerse myself in communities to understand the complexities of social innovation. Here I can identify grassroots solutions as well as barriers that prevent the development of these solutions.

What is the first challenge you and the team aim to tackle? Why does it matter to your country today?
We aim to learn more about flooding, one of Indonesia's most urgent and recurrent development challenges. In recent decades, Indonesia has grown accustomed to a string of devastating floods.

With only a decade of action left, what ways can you contribute to reaching our collective Goals on time?
We want to accelerate collective action by building awareness about the value of social innovation.  We are on a mission to build a resilient system against water-related disasters by addressing bottlenecks that prevent some low-income urban communities from developing their own solutions.

Ask your fellow Lab member a question:

• Yulia Sugandi: Hi Ana, what does organic social change mean to you?
  
• Ana Dju: Hi Yulia, organic social change, in my opinion, means a change that comes about in response to circumstances, in response to need. Change that is led by those who view the need for change as an opportunity to better their circumstances, therefore making it sustainable.

I’m Ana Djú, Head of Solutions Mapping at UNDP Guinea Bissau Accelerator Lab

What did you do before joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs?
I am the co-founder of a social enterprise called Djú&Có, which focuses on providing guidance and support to the Afro-Lusophone community living in the UK. I dedicated my time to this niche community for two years, before I moved to Guinea-Bissau to join the Accelerator Lab.

How would you describe your new job to a child?
When you need help solving a problem, you go to your friends and family because they know you best and understand the nature of the problem. My job is to be part of your friends and family circle to support you in understanding the different perspectives of your problem and present possible solutions.

What are your passions?
I am very passionate about African self-determination, youth empowerment, and community development.

Where do you draw inspiration?
I draw inspiration from global movements for change led by the youth. Being a One Young World ambassador has exposed me to many approaches to development and has shown me that we must all do what we can to achieve a better world. No matter how small the change, it makes a huge difference in the grand scheme of development.

What are you most excited about joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs? What drove you to apply?
I have always been firm about decolonizing the development sector, and when I heard of the UNDP Accelerator Labs and read about what the first Lab cohort was doing, I thought, “there is no better job for me!” The bottom-up approach of the Lab scraps the idea that solutions must be “transplanted,” handing over the baton to those who understand the context best which inevitably leads to sustainable solutions toward development.

Describe one skill you are bringing to UNDP that will help us create actionable insights and reimagine sustainable development for the 21^st century?
Malleability. I can speak to and engage with communities in-depth, understand their context, view limitations through their eyes, and deliver messages without removing the essence. I believe this is an essential skill to the work of the UNDP Accelerator Labs.

What is the first challenge you and the team aim to tackle? Why does it matter to your country today?
The lack of quality public services in the country. This is important because how can the Accelerator Lab possibly consider any other areas to start with when the vast majority of the population does not have access to basic social infrastructure? It’s UBUNTU from here!

With only a decade of action left, what ways can you contribute to reaching our collective Goals on time?
I will contribute by making the most of the invaluable Global Accelerator Lab Network because although we have the context, we don’t have all the answers or methods. We have a lot to gain from exchanging experiences with our global Labbers!

Ask your fellow Lab member a question:

• Ana Dju: Hi Piotr, why do you think women’s economic empowerment is necessary in Belarus? And in what ways will this improve your country as a whole?
• Piotr Sachek: Hi Ana, women in Belarus are talented and tolerant. World’s first woman-mathematician learned math here. Imagine if we could accelerate women’s potential! It could positively influence on the whole economy.

I’m Piotr Sachek, Head of Exploration at UNDP Belarus Accelerator Lab

What did you do before joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs?
I was working in UNDP Belarus as a Grants Coordinator supervising environmental initiatives. My duties were to support NGOs in embodying their ideas.

How would you describe your new job to a child?
See how many clever and kind people around! My job is to help them find common ground, agree on joint actions and inspire them to act together.

What are your passions?
I like programming and making computer music. I am always ready to play a puzzle game or solve some riddle together with friends.  

Where do you draw inspiration?
Admiring the results of other people. It is always a pleasure to see how surrounding life becomes better when people achieve important goals. I also take power from nature.

What are you most excited about joining the UNDP Accelerator Labs? What drove you to apply?
I find it exciting to have the opportunity to work with brilliant people who are all driven to make the world a better place. I see how the UNDP Accelerator Labs Network can accelerate learning to achieve SDGs.

Describe one skill you are bringing to UNDP that will help us create actionable insights and reimagine sustainable development for the 21^st century?
I know science deeply. It helps the team unpack complex problems quickly and promptly prepare comprehensive reviews for decision-making.

What is the first challenge you and the team aim to tackle? Why does it matter to your country today?
During our first 100 days, our Lab will be working on two challenges – women's economic empowerment and the Green Economy. We see promise in strengthening the Green Economy as a possible way out for Belarus to increase its GDP by 1 - 1.5%.

With only a decade of action left, what ways can you contribute to reaching our collective Goals on time?
The UNDP Belarus Accelerator Lab is a suitable platform to engage the widest variety of partners to tackle complex barriers to achieving sustainable development. I find that the UNDP Accelerator Labs is a mechanism that helps us connect and understand the world and its complexities better.

---

Welcome aboard Yomna, Sesil, Nut, Aldarsaikhan, Neuza, Beto, Larissa, Hassanatou, Claudia, Lamarane, Yulia, Ana, Piotr, and the rest of our new recruits. Our journey has just begun, and we look forward to learning more about your discoveries, insights, and reflections as you join UNDP to work to re-imagine sustainable development for the 21st century. 

Share and follow us on @UNDPAccLabs.