At the 2019 UNDP Social Good Summit, the session explored Türkiye’s SDG Impact Accelerator the country’s first global initiative uniting government, UN agencies, private sector leaders, and social entrepreneurs to address systemic challenges faced by displaced and vulnerable communities. The programme mobilized applicants from 37 countries to focus on two urgent development issues: digital identity and clean sanitation, enabling global innovators to test solutions directly with beneficiaries and public institutions in Türkiye.

The discussion emphasized that the accelerator’s defining strength lay in its partnership architecture. Drawing my role at Globesight as a convener and strategic advisor, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation became a core partner, bringing technical expertise, credibility, and global reach. This collaboration enabled Türkiye to pilot next-generation sanitation solutions for seasonal agricultural workers, an area where 3.4 billion people worldwide still lack safely managed sanitation services and children remain at high risk of preventable diseases. Nine start-ups engaged in intensive field visits, met directly with public authorities, and tested prototypes, allowing global technology partners and local stakeholders to co-design applicable, scalable models.

The panel also showcased how the accelerator fostered synergy among participating entrepreneurs. In the digital identity track, three start-ups organically formed a consortium that later presented their unified solution at a high-level UN General Assembly event. In the sanitation track, the winning innovation, capable of evaporating 90% of waste to reduce cost and environmental burden, advanced toward implementation in Türkiye.

These outcomes highlighted the accelerator’s ability not only to surface promising solutions but also to weave together cross-sector and cross-country alliances capable of transforming complex challenges into measurable impact.