Geneva serves as a global hub for multilateralism and innovation, hosting UN agencies, international organizations, academic institutions, and NGOs working at the intersection of technology and sustainable development. This unique ecosystem brings together policymakers, technical experts, and implementers who shape global agendas while responding to local needs.

Our goal is to strengthen Geneva's role in advancing trustworthy data systems for sustainable development. We focus on leveraging AI and machine learning to improve how development data is collected, analyzed, and used - particularly for addressing Africa's SDG challenges.

The approach connects two key elements:

Geneva's concentration of international organizations that set global standards and policies

Emerging technologies that can structure and analyze development data more effectively

We work with UN agencies and other Geneva-based actors to apply these technologies to real-world challenges - from processing satellite imagery to analyzing survey data - while ensuring systems remain grounded in local contexts and needs. The work involves developing practical tools and facilitating knowledge exchange.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) drive Africa’s economic growth, job creation, and innovation. Yet many lack access to the data and tools needed to scale sustainably, navigate value chains, or secure financing. This priority area focuses on empowering African SMEs with actionable insights to make informed decisions—while improving the quality of data available to policymakers and investors.

Our Goal
We enable SMEs to harness data for growth, sustainability, and access to opportunities—from green finance to new markets. At the same time, we generate better knowledge on SME ecosystems to inform policies and investment strategies that support their development.

Our Approach
Working with local partners, we design and test practical data solutions tailored to SME needs. In Zambia, we are piloting the SME Data Boost, a program that combines:

Open data dashboards to improve visibility of SME activity

Sector-specific training on using data for business decisions

Alignment with global standards like CSRD and ACT to prepare SMEs for sustainable finance

Key partners like BongoHive, IGC Zambia, and Tandem Circular co-design these interventions, ensuring they meet real market needs.

While significant effort has gone into collecting gender data globally, too often it fails to translate into tangible improvements in policies, budgets, or social behaviors. This priority shifts the focus from gathering data to activating its power. We use gender insights to reshape systems and drive measurable progress toward equality.

Our Approach
Building on the Gender Data Lab model, we target high-impact areas with transformative potential, like:
The childcare economy
Gender responsive budgeting
Recognition of unpaid care work

Key Actions:
1. Develop actionable evidence through a focused Zambian case study, linking insights to Rwanda’s established Gender Lab for cross-country learning.

2. Reframe narratives to position gender data as an economic accelerator and policy essential, attracting donor investment.

3. Capitalize on political opportunities to fund and scale data-driven interventions where they can achieve maximal impact.

We move beyond reporting disparities to demonstrating how gender data can redesign public spending, influence corporate practices, and redistribute care responsibilities. This is data mobilized not just to document inequality, but to dismantle it.