23 August 2017: Over 1,000 participants from 129 countries came together during the UNLEASH Innovation Lab 2017 to create real, disruptive and scalable solutions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The event focused on seven topics: education and information and communications technology (ICT); food; energy; health; sustainable consumption and production; urban sustainability; and water.

UNLEASH brings together individuals from around the world with the vision and drive to “disrupt conventional solutions and create a better and more sustainable world.”

UNLEASH identifies talented individuals from around the world with the vision and drive to “disrupt conventional solutions and create a better and more sustainable world.” The initiative partners with investors, companies, foundations, government agencies, NGOs, and individuals that are at the forefront of innovation and global development to accelerate next generation ideas through a venture fund setup, ongoing support and online hubs.

In a speech at the UNLEASH Awards Ceremony, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Achim Steiner stressed the “meaningful involvement of youth in SDG implementation and monitoring” as essential for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He expressed commitment to support the participants and other “young people around the world to develop innovative solutions” to shared global challenges and put those solutions into practice.

The Innovation Lab 2017 took place in Copenhagen and Aarhus, Denmark, from 12-23 August 2017. Every year until the culmination of the 2030 Agenda, UNLEASH will be held in a new country, exploring the SDGs through the lens of the host country, using local ways of living, thinking and working to ignite discussion and unlock new perspectives. [Innovation Lab Website] [UNLEASH Twitter Account] [UNDP Administrator Statement]