About UNICEF
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children's lives, to defend their rights, and to help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. And we never give up.Activities by UNICEF
UNICEF Venture Fund
Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean ArgentinaBrazilChileGuatemalaIndiaKenyaMexicoPhilippinesSouth AfricaTanzaniaThe UNICEF Venture Fund makes early-stage investments in technologies for children developed by UNICEF country offices or companies in UNICEF program countries. The fund has made specific calls for solutions in the data science and AI space, including investments in startups developing AI solutions in the health and education space.
Activity Type AI Tools/SolutionsResearch/Reports/AssessmentsSafer Chatbots
Africa, Asia and the Pacific BulgariaTanzaniaUgandaThe Safer Chatbots project aims to standardise safeguarding mechanisms within any chatbot reaching vulnerable communities, especially those engaging girls and women. Safer Chatbots includes 3 options for chatbot implementers who wish to improve the ability of their chatbot to detect and respond automatically to safeguarding disclosures, for example, messages from users indicating they have experienced or are at risk of serious harm including Gender Based Violence or suicidal ideation.
Activity Type AI Tools/SolutionsPolicy/Regulatory GuidanceAir Quality Monitoring for Children’s Health
Asia and the Pacific Lao People’s Democratic RepublicThis project set out to provide accurate and granular estimates of air quality for Lao PDR through the installation of 154 air quality sensors in schools across the country and the development of a machine learning model to infer air quality from geospatial and weather data. This modeling work builds upon and extends air quality modeling work previously done with partner Thinking Machines in Thailand.
Activity Type AI Tools/SolutionsResearch/Reports/AssessmentsNowAssist Virtual Agent
Global Not Applicable
NowAssist is a generative AI-powered virtual agent deployed within UNICEF’s ServiceNow platform (Service Gateway) to enhance self-service and improve service management efficiency.
The solution provides:
A conversational chatbot interface that guides users using knowledge articles and AI-powered search
Automated SAP (VISION) password reset functionality directly within the chat interface
AI-driven summarization and incident support to streamline case handling
The initiative addresses key operational challenges such as difficulty navigating knowledge articles, high volume of repetitive service requests, and delays in password reset processes.