UNDP and the Tencent Charity Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Tencent, have launched the Youth AI4SDGs Impact Challenge. It supports young innovators in building responsible artificial intelligence solutions for the Sustainable Development Goals, with a primary focus on Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

The challenge combines ethical and technical training, targeted innovation grants, mentorship and pathways to move early prototypes into real-world use. It is part of a partnership between UNDP and the Tencent Charity Foundation, running through December 2027, to expand AI skills and support youth-led AI solutions across Asia and the Pacific, and forms part of UNDP's Youth Moonshot.

Participants get access to selected digital tools and technical support, including Tencent's WorkBuddy (an AI-powered workspace for building SDG-focused applications) and Miora (an AI-native creative studio for multimedia assets).

Solutions are sought in areas including digital public services, climate adaptation and environmental resilience, disaster risk reduction, and accessibility and inclusion for persons with disabilities.

Applications opened on 23 October 2026. Apply via the official application form: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/Np0Rntt5VF. A closing date has not been published in the announcement.