The United Nations Development Programme Launches “Government Blockchain Academy”
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is preparing to introduce a “Government Blockchain Academy” aimed at educating the public sector about cryptocurrencies and other emerging technologies.
On Monday, the agency announced its collaboration with the Exponential Science Foundation, a non-profit organization that advocates for blockchain and artificial intelligence, to establish the academy next year.
According to the UNDP, “The Academy will provide specialized education and implementation programs that harness blockchain, AI, and other emerging technologies to help governments drive transformative change.”
The UNDP’s mission is to assist countries in fostering long-term economic growth to combat poverty. This year, developing nations such as India, Pakistan, and Vietnam were cited as leading adopters of cryptocurrency technology, as reported by Chainalysis.
The academy will emphasize educational initiatives that seek to deploy blockchain technology to tackle “pressing development challenges,” stated the UNDP.
Irena Cerovic, a UNDP team leader for Europe and Central Asia, mentioned that the academy’s goal is to enable countries to “tackle complex development challenges in new ways and move from experimentation to implementation in ways that strengthen transparency, inclusion, and resilience.”
Key areas of interest include leveraging the technology to create “trusted, verifiable digital credentials that enhance access to services,” alongside improving accessibility to financial services and digital payment systems.
In addition, the academy will provide insights on utilizing blockchain for tracking and accounting in public procurement processes and promoting “tamper-resistant recordkeeping” to address corruption. It will also cover the use of tokens and smart contracts for climate finance, including the monitoring of carbon credits.
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While the UNDP did not specify exact timelines, it mentioned that the academy is set to begin launching in specific countries starting in 2026, with curriculum development already underway this year.
The program will offer instruction through in-person sessions, online platforms, and forums, providing governments with “structured support” to create “high-impact blockchain initiatives that address national priorities.”
This initiative follows the UNDP’s introduction of a similar “blockchain academy” that was launched last year.
In late 2023, the UNDP partnered with the Algorand Foundation to train its 22,000 staff on blockchain technology, enabling them to assist countries in achieving sustainable growth.
