A new report from the United Nations Development Program explains how blockchain can support public systems.
Government agencies are under pressure to upgrade faster than their systems can process. In its latest report, New Technologies, New Partners: Transforming Development in the Digital Age, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) describes a model for using blockchains as part of a broader effort to modernize public systems. The publication showcases more than 40 pilot projects around the world that use blockchain technology to improve the transparency, speed and accountability of government systems. This ranges from payment infrastructure and social safety nets to climate finance and community-level funding mechanisms enabled by fundraising platforms, wallets and digital certificates.
UNDP uses a pipeline model that creates targeted partnerships that bring together governments, blockchain startups and local companies to solve public sector challenges. Organizations have the opportunity to test new tools through small initiatives, challenges and specific use cases. These tools are implemented at the local level and are designed to solve specific problems, such as inefficient payment rails for small businesses or regional ESG controls.
Within its framework, the UNDP considers blockchains as a trusted ledger of coordination and verification. The ability of blockchains to support shared records, trace transactions, and rule-based processes among multiple participants makes them a useful tool for government systems. UNDP also makes it clear that these benefits are conditional. Poor governance, weak privacy protections, and poor technical design can create serious risks, such as flaws in smart contracts or illegal use of payment systems. The report reaches a pragmatic conclusion: Blockchain can be useful, but only when institutional safeguards are built from the ground up and the technology is adopted responsibly with strong controls.
Central to UNDP’s approach is a commitment to platform-agnostic methods that ensure that no single provider or protocol creates new dependencies, and that the digital infrastructure being built today remains open, interoperable, and truly at the service of people and public purposes.
The report shows how blockchains can be used to make public institutions more efficient and transparent, with examples from more than 40 countries across payments, financial access, identity systems and climate-related applications. Examples include projects such as cryptographic wallets for informal business payments, the use of eco-credit tokens, and more. The cases also show how digital tools can help institutions expand services in developing countries where trust is limited and infrastructure is fragmented.
Explore the full UNDP report to see the framework, lessons and case portfolios.
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