Unique Network will provide NFT platform for UN climate program

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The United Nations is getting into the hot category of blockchain-based nonfungible tokens, or NFTs. Unique Network announced that the UN has selected its NFT platform as a lead tech partner for the DigitalArt4Climate initiative to fight climate change.

The UN’s accredited Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat) and the International Association for the Advancement of Innovative Approaches to Global Challenges (IAAI GLOCHA) chose Unique Network for DigitalArt4Climate.

Unique Network is an NFT solution based on blockchain, the transparent and secure digital ledger. Unique Network is expanding the capabilities for NFTs through its more efficient and scalable proof-of-stake solution, currently built for the Kusama and Polkadot
blockchain networks.

As the climate crisis continues to escalate, it is imperative that the young people of the world are brought into the solution-making process, the UN said. To this end, the United Nations has recognized NFT technology as a unique new medium for creative expression that can help amplify messages about climate action.

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NFTs are a way for artists to monetize their work on a global scale and continue to receive payments for their work long after it is sold. Artists anywhere in the world can reach an international audience of collectors who support their work and mission, and the U.N. wants to bring this innovative art form to the next generation of creators who stand to benefit from a technology that can help them amplify and monetize their work.

DigitalArt4Climate aims to empower young artists, designers, and activists worldwide to create art that can inspire people to take action against the global climate crisis.

NFTs have exploded in applications such as art, sports collectibles, and music. NBA Top Shot (a digital take on collectible basketball cards) is one example. Built by Dapper Labs, NBA Top Shot has surpassed $700 million in sales, just seven months after going public. And an NFT digital collage by the artist Beeple sold at Christie’s for $69.3 million. Gaming has a couple of new unicorns, or startups valued at $1 billion, in Animoca Brands and Forte. NFTs are now selling at a rate of $213 million a week, back at a level previously seen at the peak in May.

Tech activism

Above: Unique Network is teaming up with the UN on NFTs.

Image Credit: Unique Network

Technology has long been a resource  for activism, and NFTs represent a new medium that is optimized for the digital age, the company said. Unique Network will create and host DigitalArt4Climate’s NFT marketplace for these artists and web designers to showcase their artwork.

The marketplace will be built on Unique Network’s ready-to-use suite of NFT solutions that uses blockchain technology that is optimized for energy efficiency and low carbon impact.

As part of its efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, the United Nations designated 2021 as the year of “Creative Economy for Sustainable Development” to highlight the value of creativity as a uniquely powerful resource in implementing and achieving the UN’s sustainable development goals.

DigitalArt4Climate, in partnership with UN-Habitat, is an initiative aimed at accelerating the forces of creativity to empower robust climate action. The DigitalArt4Climate initiative invites the world’s young artists to create art that will inspire people to challenge and mobilize the necessary resources for individuals to take climate action in the context of the Action for Climate Empowerment programme of the UN.

Unique Network has joined the DigitalArt4Climate Initiative to lead the technical implementation of the program, alongside partner organizations Global Challenges Action Network (GLOCHA), UN-Habitat, Social Alpha Foundation, Exquisite Workers, and Pallette69. Social Alpha Foundation will provide mentorship sessions for artists and sponsor the winner awards. Exquisite Workers is the lead creative and content partner for the initiative while Pallette69 is leading UX/UI mentorship for Designathon.

Alexander Mitrovich, CEO of Unique Network, said in a statement that blockchain technologies and open data can be used as a change agent in identifying actions to protect the climate.

The first component of this initiative was a Designathon, a design competition started in July that saw UX/UI designers compete to create the digital art gallery and marketplace that will showcase the second component of this initiative, DigitalArt4Climate Art Competition. Starting on International Youth Day, August 12, young artists will be able to submit their work on the initiative’s website. At the end of the competition, the DigitalArt4Climate contest submissions will be put up for auction on the DigitalArt4Climate marketplace, where artists can monetize their creations.

The advanced features of Unique Network will allow for building in flexible economic and revenue models for individual artists. The DigitalArt4Climate Initiative’s work program was structured to complement the United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26), the annual global summit where nations meet to reach agreements on how to tackle climate change collectively, which takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, in November.

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