New York – In a special event on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA-79), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), launched the AI4SD platform – a new online platform powered by artificial intelligence (AI) that offers open-source AI models, datasets, training resources, and a collaborative space for exchanging insights on leveraging AI to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among policymakers, business leaders, and development professionals across the Arab States region and beyond.  

“The AI4SD platform will provide critical data and meaningful insights in real-time to government policymakers, corporations, startups, development organisations, aid agencies, and donors with to drive accelerated informed action for the SDGs across Arab States region,” said Abdallah Al Dardari, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States at UNDP. “We greatly value our pioneering knowledge collaboration with the Government of the United Arab Emirates and the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, our main partners on this initiative.” 

Initially, AI4SD the platform will cover the topical areas of inequalities and poverty; social cohesion; climate action; environmental protection; water resource management; sustainable energy; and food security— subsequently adding other development priority issues. The platform is a product of the Digital for Sustainable Development (D4SD) multi- stakeholder partnership that the UNDP Regional Bureau of Arab States launched last year at UNGA-78, to foster the use of digital tools to accelerate progress towards the achievement of the SDGs by 2030. 

HE Omar Sultan AlOlama, UAE’s Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications stated that the UAE is keen to enhance partnerships that unlock innovative approaches to global challenges. AlOlama further said: “The collaborative effort between the UAE and UNDP to launch AI4SD is rooted in a shared vision and well-defined goals that seek to leverage the power of artificial intelligence to drive meaningful change. By providing open-source models, datasets, and resources, we aim to empower policymakers, business leaders, development professionals, and relevant stakeholders worldwide in pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals. Through this platform, we intend to implement scalable, AI-driven solutions that will create a lasting impact.” 

Her Highness Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, President and CEO of the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA), said: "UICCA is looking forward to our upcoming partnership with UNDP to support their efforts in empowering the region with real-time, AI-enabled access to valuable insights for addressing its most pressing challenges. Initiatives like the AI4SD platform align closely with UICCA’s approach of hyper-collaboration across sectors to accelerate climate action and sustainable development, driving inclusivity and impactful progress across the region." 

The Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) supports the ongoing development of the AI4SD platform through its AI research, capacity building and knowledge transfer—helping to integrate effective policy-decision-making-support models, based on the latest innovations of their research and development departments; facilitating interaction with AI solutions; and providing cutting-edge AI expertise to help update capabilities of the platform to respond to emerging challenges facing the Arab States region and hindering the achievement of the SDGs.  

MBZUAI President and University Professor, Eric Xing, said: “At MBZUAI, we are proud to contribute to the AI4SD platform by making six AI models accessible to tackle some of the most urgent global challenges. Our focus on AI for health and sustainable development reflects our commitment to driving real-world impact. As a leading research university dedicated to artificial intelligence, we are committed to harnessing the power of AI responsibly to empower policymakers and social entrepreneurs to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.” 

Media Contact: 

UNDP | Lujain Ramadan | Program Analyst - Digital for Development | lujain.ramadan@undp.org  

MBZUAI | Aya Sakoury | Head of Public Relations and Strategic Communications | aya.sakoury@mbzuai.ac.ae  

About UNDP: UNDP is the leading United Nations organisation 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 planet. Learn more at undp.org or follow us at @UNDP. 

About the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence: MBZUAI is a graduate research university focused on artificial intelligence, computer science, and digital technologies across industrial sectors. The university aims to empower students, businesses, and governments to advance artificial intelligence as a global force for positive progress. MBZUAI offers various graduate programs designed to pursue advanced, specialized knowledge and skills in artificial intelligence, including computer science, computer vision, machine learning, natural language processing, and robotics. For more information, please visit www.mbzuai.ac.ae.  

About UICCA: UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators Ltd. (UICCA) is a nonprofit climate action organisation on a mission to accelerate climate action by driving the UAE’s transition to a green economy through effective innovation, collaboration, and policy advocacy in support of the UAE Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative. UICCA empowers and enables organisations to fulfil their sustainability commitments through data-driven research and insightful policy advocacy, bespoke capacity building programmes, and technology acceleration.