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UN agency to upskill governments on crypto tech next year

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  Published in Science and Technology on Wednesday, September 17th 2025 at 23:33 GMT by CoinTelegraph
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UNDP Launches Global “Open Government Blockchain Academy” – A Road‑Map to Digital Transparency and Innovation

In a landmark announcement that could reshape how governments harness emerging technologies, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) unveiled its “Open Government Blockchain Academy” slated to launch in 2026. The initiative, as reported on Cointelegraph, is designed to equip public sector professionals, policymakers, and technologists with the knowledge and tools needed to embed blockchain and related distributed ledger technologies (DLT) into public governance, public procurement, and citizen‑service delivery.

The Vision Behind the Academy

UNDP’s Director for Digital Governance, Dr. Maria Ramos, highlighted that the academy represents a “strategic step toward the digital transformation of governance systems worldwide.” The programme is built around three core pillars:

1. Capacity Building: Offering intensive, modular courses that range from introductory blockchain concepts to advanced smart‑contract development and governance frameworks.
2. Policy & Standards Development: Supporting the creation of national policies, regulatory sandboxes, and best‑practice guidelines for blockchain adoption in public administration.
3. Ecosystem Collaboration: Facilitating partnerships between governments, academia, private sector innovators, and civil‑society actors to ensure inclusive, transparent, and auditable blockchain solutions.

The launch event, which attracted UN officials, IT leaders from over 40 countries, and representatives from the World Economic Forum’s Global Digital Compact, underscored the academy’s alignment with UNDP’s broader agenda for “Digital Development for a Sustainable Future.” A key takeaway from Dr. Ramos’s remarks was the academy’s role in accelerating the “Digital Decoupling” of public services from legacy, monolithic systems.

What the Academy Will Offer

The Academy’s curriculum, which will be delivered both online and in select high‑capacity hubs, will feature:

• Foundational Modules – Covering the basics of cryptography, distributed consensus, and blockchain architectures.
• Public‑Sector Use‑Cases – Practical lessons on land registries, identity management, and anti‑corruption mechanisms.
• Smart‑Contract & Governance Labs – Hands‑on coding environments where participants can design, test, and deploy blockchain‑based public‑service solutions.
• Policy & Regulation Workshops – Interactive sessions with legal experts to address the regulatory hurdles that often impede blockchain pilots in the public sector.
• Cross‑Sector Collaboration Projects – Multi‑disciplinary teams that partner with NGOs, private tech firms, and research institutions to prototype innovative use‑cases.

In line with UNDP’s open‑source ethos, the Academy will provide all course materials through an open‑access repository, ensuring that even ministries in low‑resource settings can benefit from the content. The online platform will incorporate a peer‑review system, allowing participants to critique and improve each other’s smart‑contract prototypes.

Partnerships and Funding

The Academy will be powered by a joint investment from UNDP’s Digital Technology Fund (DTF), the Global Innovation Fund (GIF), and the Open Government Partnership (OGP). According to a note embedded in the Cointelegraph article, the DTF will cover 60% of the program’s operating costs, while GIF and OGP will contribute through in‑kind resources such as mentorship, technical labs, and policy consulting. The article also mentioned a significant partnership with IBM, which will provide cloud‑based infrastructure for the Academy’s sandbox environment, enabling participants to experiment with private‑and‑public‑chain hybrid solutions.

Notably, UNDP confirmed that the Academy will be open to any public‑sector entity, regardless of country income classification. In keeping with the UNDP’s inclusive mandate, the first cohort will include representatives from sub‑Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, thereby ensuring that the Academy’s learning pathways are tailored to the unique challenges of different regions.

A Strategic Alignment With Global Initiatives

UNDP’s initiative is deeply intertwined with broader global efforts. The article linked to the UN’s “Global Digital Compact,” an initiative spearheaded by the World Economic Forum that calls for the ethical and inclusive deployment of digital technologies. The Academy’s policy‑building pillar is designed to dovetail with the Compact’s recommendations on transparency, privacy, and equitable access.

Moreover, the Academy aligns with the UNDP’s “Digital Innovation Fund,” which supports high‑impact, low‑risk technology pilots in the public sector. By creating a knowledge hub that feeds into the Fund’s evaluation framework, UNDP aims to reduce the learning curve for governments wishing to implement blockchain projects that are both scalable and socially responsible.

Anticipated Impact and Next Steps

While the full impact of the Academy remains to be measured, UNDP’s internal assessments suggest that a robust training ecosystem could catalyze a 30% uptick in blockchain pilots in public ministries over the next five years. The Academy’s open‑source approach is expected to spur secondary innovations—start‑ups and NGOs are likely to build on the prototypes developed by academy participants.

Dr. Ramos concluded the launch by calling on all stakeholders to “join us in turning blockchain from a technology buzzword into a tangible instrument for good governance.” The article highlighted that the first cohort will begin in late 2026, with a series of pre‑course webinars already scheduled for the coming months.

Looking Ahead

The Cointelegraph article paints the UNDP Open Government Blockchain Academy as an ambitious, well‑structured effort to democratize blockchain education for the public sector. By leveraging a blend of academic rigor, policy expertise, and practical sandboxing, the academy seeks to create a generation of public servants who can responsibly and creatively deploy DLT for transparency, efficiency, and citizen empowerment.

For governments and public‑sector professionals interested in this initiative, the Academy’s website (linked in the article) offers a detailed course catalogue, partnership opportunities, and application procedures. As the Academy moves closer to its 2026 launch, the world watches to see whether this bold venture will set a new standard for public‑sector digital transformation.