On the day the global population reaches 8 billion, UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, and award-winning digital artist Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm are launching the agency's first-ever NFT collection. Titled "Stronger Together, the collection reflects and pays tribute to humanity's collective ingenuity that has led to the impressive advances in health care and reductions in global poverty that have enabled the population to reach 8 billion.
Created exclusively for the occasion, the 800 pieces utilize innovative technologies while emphasizing the human experiences that unite us all. To generate the artwork, Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm trained an artificial intelligence algorithm to recognize patterns in thousands of images sourced from UNFPA's digital photo archive.
The resulting portraits are both visually striking and technologically unique. Hosted on the energy-efficient Ethereum blockchain, the artworks transform every time they change ownership - a nod to the demographic shifts and infinite possibilities at the heart of UNFPA's 8 billion campaign.
"Inspired by the underlying themes of growth and diversity, each artwork celebrates what makes us unique as individuals. At the same time, the images create a unified series that reflects our strength and power as a collective. Stronger Together is an endless meditation on our shared humanity, pushing past the limitations of our collective imaginations," says Waagner Falkenstrøm.
The initiative also marks UNFPA's first venture into the Web 3 space. "We believe that in a world of 8 billion people, we can unlock 8 billion opportunities. Innovation can open up new possibilities for UNFPA, including new ways of fundraising," says UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem. "We are excited to work with such a visionary artist."
All profits from the collection will go towards UNFPA's work supporting maternal health, sexual and reproductive health, and preventing gender-based violence.
Priced at 0.02 ETH (around 25 USD), the 800-piece collection will drop on November 17th at 12.30 pm GMT.
