Japan – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and NEC Corporation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote the use of artificial intelligence and other digital technologies in support of natural capital conservation and climate change response, the organisations announced on 7 September 2026.
Under the agreement, UNDP’s global development networks will be combined with NEC’s digital and AI capabilities to support the conservation and restoration of natural environments, according to the two organisations.
The partnership will also extend beyond conservation efforts. Alongside environmental applications, the parties will jointly assess and study ways to strengthen the resilience of AI systems, digital infrastructure, and local communities through the use of environmental data.
Five areas of cooperation have been outlined under the MOU. These include the creation and dissemination of knowledge to assess and improve the resilience of AI, digital infrastructure, and local communities based on environmental data.
The organisations will also examine digital solutions that support nature-positive and climate-resilient development, alongside approaches to building sustainable and resilient international supply chains for Japanese companies, including NEC, in collaboration with local communities.
Further planned activities include joint dissemination of information on digital technologies that contribute to biodiversity conservation and climate action, as well as ongoing dialogue to identify new areas for collaboration.
As an initial deliverable under the MOU, UNDP and NEC will jointly prepare and publish a white paper. The document will assess the resilience of AI and digital infrastructure, such as data centres, along with supply chains and surrounding local communities, using environmental data as its evidentiary basis.
In parallel, the two organisations will hold discussions on potential collaboration through workshops centred on data-driven agriculture. These sessions will use NEC’s CropScope platform to support climate change adaptation among coffee farmers in Ethiopia.
Both parties have indicated that further areas of cooperation will continue to be explored as these initial initiatives progress.
Commenting on the partnership, Marcos Neto, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, said, “Artificial intelligence can help address climate and environmental challenges, but developing countries need support to use it sustainably.”
“By combining the United Nations Development Programme’s expertise and country presence with NEC Corporation’s technology, this partnership will bring solutions closer to communities and scale local impact”, Neto added.
Shinichiro Ide, Corporate SVP, CBXO and Head of the Business Process Transformation Unit at NEC Corporation, said, “We are very pleased to have entered into this Memorandum of Understanding with UNDP.”
“AI has tremendous power to collect and process vast amounts of sophisticated information and support human decision-making and action. While NEC has incorporated this potential into management transformation and business operations, we have also accumulated knowledge relating to the evaluation of and decision-making on resilience through the use of environmental data, based on many years of environmental management and practical experience as a business enterprise”, Ide further explained.
“We are also taking on the challenge of analysing complex factors based on the natural environment and social characteristics that differ from region to region, enabling people to make data-driven decisions that contribute to improving the resilience of businesses and local communities. By combining UNDP’s knowledge and networks with NEC’s practical expertise, technologies, and business foundation, we will create new value and contribute to realising a sustainable, nature-positive, and climate-resilient society,” Ide concluded.
Through the MOU, UNDP and NEC say they aim to advance the conservation of natural capital, including biodiversity, while appropriately harnessing AI and digital technologies to support the sustainable development of both nature and society.
