BAI-OORT Contribution to UNITAR

The collaboration between Blockchain Alliance International and OORT reflects a partnership that has evolved organically since 2023, grounded in a shared commitment to advancing responsible digital innovation. The relationship began at the Web3 Festival in Hong Kong, where Ambassador Alexandru Cujba delivered remarks at an event organized by OORT. That first engagement initiated a dialogue between multilateral policy leadership and frontier technology developers – focused on how decentralized AI, blockchain infrastructure, and emerging digital models can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals.

The cooperation further deepened in 2024. In May, BAI invited Dr. Max Li, Founder of OORT and a Columbia University-affiliated scholar, to present at a BAI-organized side event at the United Nations in New York. This engagement brought advanced decentralized AI research and real-world blockchain applications into direct conversation with UN policymakers and international stakeholders. In June 2025, OORT participated as a keynote contributor at the BAI Hong Kong Forum, reinforcing the alignment between technological innovation, academic research, and global governance dialogue, and formally executed the BAI-OORT partnership.

Shortly thereafter, BAI and OORT were invited to contribute to the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Green Governments e-learning initiative – marking the beginning of BAI’s structured collaboration with UNITAR and opening a pathway for deeper academic engagement. Within the framework of Sustain-Tech: Technology for Sustainable Development in Government, a four-week executive course designed primarily for government officials across the MENA region, both organizations contributed to a course module “Inclusive Innovation for Jobs & Social Protection”.

Ambassador Cujba and Dr. Li prepared and submitted a joint lecture that bridges governance strategy, academic insight, and technological implementation. Mr. Cujba addressed policy frameworks and institutional readiness, emphasizing how AI, IoT, and blockchain can expand employment opportunities and modernize social protection systems in an inclusive and human-centered manner. Dr. Li contributed a practical case study grounded in decentralized AI and blockchain-based data platforms – demonstrating how emerging technologies can create new forms of digital micro-income, redistribute value within the data economy, and generate evidence-based inputs for public policy design. The integration of Columbia-affiliated research perspectives strengthens the academic rigor and credibility of this contribution.

The UNITAR course, to be conducted throughout 2026 alongside lectures from leading professors and global experts, represents more than a training initiative – it offers a replicable cooperation model. The emerging Columbia/OORT – BAI – UNITAR framework demonstrates how academia, civil society, the private sector, and the United Nations system can jointly shape executive education programs, policy labs, and innovation platforms that support sustainable digital transformation in emerging economies.

This evolving partnership underscores a clear principle: technological advancement must be anchored in governance, ethics, and inclusion – ensuring that digital innovation ultimately serves people, strengthens institutions, and advances shared prosperity.