United Nations Development Programme
Topic A: Sustainability Standards in Global Infrastructure Finance
Topic B: Blockchain for Development and Financial Inclusion
As emerging economies seek foreign investment to bridge infrastructure gaps, development partners face pressure to balance growth with sustainability. Projects financed under frameworks like China’s Belt and Road Initiative have spurred economic expansion but raised concerns around debt burdens, environmental degradation, and labor rights. UNDP, as a neutral actor, plays a key role in promoting governance standards, community safeguards, and ESG integration. Countries like Zambia, Sri Lanka, and Laos highlight both the opportunities and risks of global infrastructure partnerships. This committee will explore how UNDP can support countries in evaluating, adapting, and implementing sustainability standards that align with national priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Blockchain technology holds promise for transforming development finance by enhancing transparency, reducing corruption, and expanding access to financial services. In emerging markets, blockchain applications such as decentralized identity, digital cash transfers, and smart contracts offer innovative solutions for poverty alleviation, aid delivery, and social protection. However, challenges around digital literacy, regulatory frameworks, data privacy, and infrastructure gaps remain. Countries like Kenya and Ghana have piloted blockchain for public service delivery, while others like Zambia explore stablecoin-backed synthetic remittance flows. This committee will examine how UNDP can ethically support blockchain-based initiatives that advance the Sustainable Development Goals, empower marginalized communities, and promote financial resilience.
Dear Delegates,
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at the 2026 session of Harvard Model United Nations. My name is Daniel Patel, and I am a sophomore at Harvard studying Economics. I first got involved with Model UN in high school and continued with HMUN in college. I am excited to serve as your Director and look forward to a weekend of bold ideas, thoughtful debate, and creative solutions to today’s most pressing development issues.
This committee is especially close to my heart. I was born to a Zambian parent and have had the opportunity to work in Zambia, where I saw firsthand how development is not just about policy or numbers but about trust, access, and lived experience. Those experiences continue to shape the way I approach questions of financial inclusion, infrastructure, and institutional capacity. Whether we are discussing how blockchain technology can enhance transparency and equity in aid delivery, or how sustainability standards can be applied to large-scale infrastructure finance, the core challenge is the same: How do we build systems that truly serve people and their communities?
Both of our topics are rooted in real and pressing dilemmas. Blockchain-based development tools offer enormous promise, but also raise questions around ethics, access, and readiness. Meanwhile, infrastructure finance presents both an opportunity to close development gaps and a risk of entrenching new forms of inequality or dependence. As delegates, you will be asked not just to debate ideas, but to weigh tradeoffs, examine real-world case studies, and think critically about what development should look like in the 21st century.
Outside of the committee, I am deeply interested in how financial systems can be made more inclusive and responsive to people’s needs, especially in the Global South. Outside of academics, I enjoy hiking, being in nature, and experimenting with fusion cooking. Bringing together flavors and ideas from different cultures is one of my favorite ways to unwind.
As your Director, my job is to support you at every step of the way. Whether you are brand new to Model UN or returning for another session, I encourage you to ask questions, take risks, and bring your full self to committee. This weekend is not just about resolutions, but about discovering your own voice and perspective on global development.
I cannot wait to meet you all and see where your creativity and compassion take us.
Warmly,
Daniel Patel
Director, United Nations Development Programme
undp@harvardmun.org
Harvard Model United Nations 2026