Winners of the SDG 8.7 Innovation Challenge

Three Winners of the global category of the SDG 8.7 Innovation Challenge

Three proposals were selected to develop and implement their innovative ideas to develop digital information systems to promote collaborative work among relevant partners in the fight against child labour, forced labour and human trafficking in Pathfinder Countries.

News | 15 November 2021
ILO, as the Secretariat of Alliance 8.7 - a global inclusive partnership to achieve SDG Target 8.7 - launched a competition calling for all innovators to participate in the SDG 8.7 Innovation Challenge.

In total, 116 innovative ideas from all over the world were submitted. The challenge focused on Alliance 8.7 pathfinder countries as beneficiaries.

Pathfinder countries are an integral part of the Alliance 8.7. This community of 26 countries has committed to accelerate efforts and to try new approaches from which others can learn to achieve SDG Target 8.7’s urgent deadlines.

Proposals awarded

The jury of experts selected three winning proposals. They will receive financial support of USD 30,000 to develop and implement the proposed solution.
  • Ulula
    Proposal title: Ulula AI tracker for child labour, forced labour and human trafficking prediction
    Pathfinder Country where solution will be implemented: Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
  • LegalFundi
    Proposal title: Free and interactive application to simplify legal and regulatory processes using AI
    Pathfinder Country where solution will be implemented: Uganda
  • Initiative des Femmes Entrepreneurs pour le Développement Durable (IFEDD)
    Proposal title: DataStake System to identify and mitigate risks of child labour, forced labour and human trafficking
    Pathfinder Country where solution will be implemented: Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
All winning proposals will receive technical support to turn their ideas into ready-to-implement prototypes. Moreover, all winners will have access to a wide network of experts, innovators, future innovation challenges, and to Regional Innovation Sandbox Events.

The Distinguished Jury

A distinguished jury participated in the selection of the winners of the challenge consisting of the following experts:
  • Anousheh Karvar, Government Representative of France to the ILO; Governing Body and to G7-G20 Labour & Employment; Chair of the Alliance 8.7
  • Darren Edge, Director of Societal Resilience Projects at Microsoft Research
  • Hannah Darnton, Associate Director at BSR (Business for Social Responsibility)
  • Josh Ji-Young Choi, Programme Lead (Consultant), AI for Good Innovation Factory, ITU
  • Namirembe Molly, Youth Advocate Against Child Exploitation, SCREAM Facilitator, Programme Officer ECO
  • Phil Bennett, Technology Consultant, Tech Against Trafficking
As part of the SDG 8.7 Innovation Challenge, the 3rd Skills Innovation Challenge Call “Preventing Forced Labour through Skills and Lifelong Learning in Africa” was launched. The winner of the call is Kazana Innovation, an initiative of the Youth Entrepreneurship Network of Comoros. The proposal aims to help women and youth who are most exposed to forced labour in Comoros to develop the skills necessary to create their own businesses in the blue and green economies. Learn more about the winners of the regional category of the SDG 8.7 Innovation Challenge here.