In 2014 UNDP launched the Innovation Facility to support innovation in addressing development challenges. The Innovation Facility was made possible with the generous contribution of the Government of Denmark and co-investments from UNDP’s core resources. 

This review lays out why innovation is becoming increasingly important in international development and for UNDP. It describes our approach to innovation as well as brief descriptions of the initiatives funded by the Innovation Facility in 2014, though many more UNDP projects not highlighted in this report embraced and tested novel methods. UNDP has invested over time in the uptake of new ways of doing business and over the past three years has invested in strategically exploring innovation under the motto “innovation happens in practice.” Through the Innovation Facility we strive to accelerate this approach by putting innovation in development solutions on a new trajectory. ​