WHY INNOVATION?In a dynamic development landscape, UNDP responds to “wicked” development challenges with agile and flexible solutions, shifting away from business as usual. With the support of the Government of Denmark, UNDP set up a dedicated Innovation Facility to foster the design of a new generation of development services under the motto “innovation happens in practice.” From human-centred design to improve service delivery to strategic foresight that enhances planning processes; from innovation labs that incubate and test ideas to behavioural insights and user led designs that create citizen-government feedback loops, our innovations represent the next generation of development solutions. UNDP is working with a wide range of partners from Government, civil society and the private sector. Partner with us to further scale these innovations and collaboratively explore new ground.

HIGHLIGHTSHow do you ease chronic traffic congestion in the Bangladeshi capital, which eats up the equivalent of USD 4.6 billion every year, roughly the annual incomes of over a million citizens?

Behavioural insights revealed unreliable information was the key deterrent to using public transport. UNDP partnered with the Bangladesh Road and Transport Corporation and a local start up Go-BD and prototyped GPS-tracked buses that help commuters better predict the ebbs and flows of public transport. Commuters are able to access real time traffic data via a mobile application. Since the new Bus Finder Feature was added to one bus route with the GoTraffic app on Dec 1st, 2015, the app has been used 33,685 times by commuters to reliably get to and from work, with daily usage exceeding 3700 times on average.

“Best way to navigate around Dhaka. The interface is great and it also helps to plan the route which is extremely useful considering how temperamental

Dhaka traffic can get. Highly recommended for everyone living in Bangladesh”

~ by sti30, iOS

“Such service type app is the best doing of yours...”~ by Saleh Fs, Android

In the wake of the Gorkha earthquake, how do we jumpstart rural economies and ensure that millions of citizens return to homes that are structurally safe?

In Nepal, UNDP partnered with Microsoft to develop a smart phone application that monitors reconstruction efforts in real time, and ensures that poor families in the cash-for-work programme are paid accurately and on time. The app facilitated consistency of data collection, secure data storage, enhanced project management and planning, and aided in transparency and collaboration between agencies. The app helped demolish and remove debris from over 3,800 houses, employed over 4,300 local people and benefited around 17,000 community members. It can be adapted and deployed across the world.

“Microsoft innovations Center Nepal is really glad to be partnering with UNDP in ensuring that innovative

technology is being used in the humanitarian disaster response in this debris management project

where a phone app is being used.” ~ Allen Tuladhar, Director of Microsoft Innovations Center Nepal.

How can we help China harness technology to address an e-waste problem that will amount to 65 million tonnes by 2017?

Using big data and mobile phones, UNDP in partnership with Chinese tech-giant Baidu links end-users to legally certified e-waste disposal companies for safe

Nepal earthquake / UNDP Nepal.

STRONGER PARTNERSHIPS, GREATER IMPACT: Effectively Scaling Up Development Innovations Across Asia-Pacific

Innovation for DevelopmentEmpowered lives. Resilient nations.

(Left to Right) Mr. Robin Li, CEO of Baidu and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sign the first e-waste product recycled by Baidu Recycle 2.0

PAPUA NEW GUINEA - citizen monitoring

recycling. Developed through iterative design and rapid prototyping, the app is available in 22 cities, and has led to the safe disposal of over 5,900 electronic items in average per month. The app continues to gain popularity with over 253,820 searches every month. Recently, the partnership launched the Baidu Recycle Green Service Alliance to build an internet-based nationwide e-waste management ecosystem. The alliance comprises Intel, ROBAM Appliances, Midea, Joyoung, Changhong, Haier, Lenovo, TCL-Aobo, and the China Resource Recycling Association.

Baidu Recycle App was selected from over 100 applications as a winner at the Global Solutions

Summit 2015 and also emerged as a semi-finalist in the MIT organised Climate Co-Lab Contest 2015.

How do we use technology to bridge the gulf between Governments and citizens living across expanses of oceans?

In the Maldives, UNDP is using mobile crowdsourcing modelled with pro bono support from UK’s Fix My Street to connect communities to their island councils to improve public service delivery. Residents can geo-locate and report garbage violations to authorities using mobile phones. Complaints are recorded on a website and mapped digitally. The council can prioritize resources and effectively respond to issues. Prototyped successfully in four islands in Laamu Atoll, the MakeMyIsland app is officially launched in December 2015, and the initiative is now scaled up to Male and greater Male (HulhuMale & ViliMale). During the first weeks, more than 64 issues were reported and addressed. By end of Feb 2016, of all the reported issues on unattended waste for the greater Malé region, 55% have been addressed and fixed while the rest also being attended to by the concerned authorities.

“Yes! An important step towards a cleaner Maldives”~ Aimon Latheef, Android

“Good initiative So far this app only works for Laamu atoll. As Hulhumale is a developing island,

I believe that this app might be very handy to keep Hulhumale clean.”

~ Sham’aan Shakir, Android

How does Papua New Guinea deal with corruption that costs about $6.5 billion a year, roughly 40% of its national budget?

UNDP partnered with Australian telecom MobiMedia to develop a sms-based reporting system that allows citizens to anonymously monitor corruption to a Government watchdog. The Phones Against Corruption initiative prototyped with 1200 staff in the Department of Finance. More than 6,000 SMS were received from 1,550 different users. 251 cases of alleged corruption are under investigation, two public officials have been arrested for fund mismanagement of more than 2 million US dollars. Based on the success of the prototype, in 2015 this initiative has been expanded to six new departments involving approximately 25,000 government officials, as first step to incorporate all 83,749 civil servants. More than 21,753 SMS were received from 6,157 different users by December 2015.

“We as Department of Finance are accountable for public money that is going to the different sectors, provinces and districts, and this initiative will help

us, at least, to minimize the risk of corruption in the management of public funds”

~ Dr. Ken Ngangan, Acting DOF Secretary

How can we enable diverse groups of rural women to overcome physical and emotional isolation, to inspire and support each other, build their self-confidence, and courage to become leaders and entrepreneurs within their communities?

In Myanmar, a free mobile app called iWomen-Inspiring Women set out to inspire, connect and mentor rural women leaders that are members of a nascent national network of rural women. iWomen was developed by young Myanmar women and co-designed with targeted women’s groups using design thinking. The aim is to inspire, foster self-belief, and provide mentors for rural Myanmar women so they can increase their engagement in the public spheres, to become respected leaders in their communities.

iWomen is a joint initiative of UNDP Myanmar and May Doe Kabar National Network of Rural Women, which has a membership of 22,000 women. As of January 2016, it has more than 800 active users and 472 posts.

Now Comes iWomenWe are afraid of this tricky world

Don’t dare to go farWith great fear in our heart

Like miserable caged birdsNow comes iWomen

We can share knowledge and wisdomGo together hand in hand

Bright future as leaders risen~ Thet Thet Win - Woman Leader & Poet

– Kyaiklatt , Ayeyarwady, Myanmar

Center, inNepal, has developed a knowledge and innovation hub called “Idea Factory” -- an online store of #MadeInNepal products and innovative business ideas designed to facilitate local enterprise development.(not sure what this means). It effectively connects local entrepreneurs with potential buyers and investors.

The launch of the online platform and application in December 2015, has drawn more than thousands of visitors so far about 30 entrepreneurs have sold their products and made transactions using the app, and 100 innovative ideas have been generated, for partnership and investment.

”I can’t afford a trip to Kathmandu and Pokhara to sell my little products, but with the help of this web

application I can sell my items by sitting at my home.” ~ Shanti Pun, local entrepreneur making Dhaka shawls

“We hope that this project will assist us in expanding our business network, increasing our

products portfolio and improving the quality of our products that meet market demands.”

~ Kesha Pariyar, Chairperson of District Micro Entrepreneurs Group Associations (DMEGA), Parbat.

How do we challenge the existing stereotypes that confine women and men to certain roles, and start conversations about changing gender roles to ensure equality and equal opportunities?

In Viet Nam, UNDP launched the #HowAbnormal campaign that uses a series of videos and comics where gender roles are flipped. For instance, one video features women drinking at a restaurant late into the night, and their husbands at home taking care of the kids. The videos are rooted in the Vietnamese context, and focus on women’s leadership. The videos have received over 30,000 views, 1,000 likes, and have been widely shared and commented on by Facebook users in a short span of just two months.

i-women app in use/ UNDP Myanmar

Entrepreneur in action/UNDP Nepal

How do we address issues of limited connectivity, lack of opportunities, and high unemployment in rural and remote regions of Nepal?

UNDP Nepal in partnership with the Microsoft Innovation

The concept of challenging gender-biased roles will be further reinforced through series of events for youth, which will be held in universities and colleges across the country, including in ethnic minority regions throughout 2016. Over 30,000 participants are expected.

This initiative has incorporated lessons from the gender stereotype video innovation project that UNDP Nepal completed in 2014.

“The videos shown today makes me realize how abnormal the social norms are. In my family, I have seen the boy child preferred over the girl and found

it normal. Now, I am aware that these practices are totally abnormal. If we want gender equality,

men and women need to learn to share each other’s pressure. It must be a two-way sharing of

responsibilities and burdens.”~ Nguyen Thi Linh Lam

(Student of Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam)

In a region that requires foresight, innovative thinking and agile solutions how do we ensure

UNDP business processes are cutting edge?

In Indonesia, UNDP in partnership with Akvo, and designed an affordable and reliable survey tool called Do-It-Yourself Survey Application for Monitoring (DIY-SAM) to ensure accurate monitoring of data in real time to provide insights and inform programme design.

During the prototype, DIY-SAM was used to understand how Climate Change impacts farmers and how they are adapting to it. Two hundred households were targeted in the survey that included over 1000 questions. The versatility of the DIY-SAM tool allows for easy data collection, along with a GPS and camera, and seamless and immediate data entry to a server. This makes it dramatically easier to gather, analyze, and share data using a smartphone or tablet.

United Nations Development ProgrammeRegional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific @UNDPasiapacasia-pacific.undp.org

For more information http://www.asia-pacific,undp.org/innovation

Screen capture from gender flip videos/UNDP Vietnam

Real time monitoring/UNDP Indonesia

With thanks to our partners:

gloriouslabs