Skopje and Pristina Selected for UNDP AI Programme

By Suad Seferi · 9 October 2026

Skopje and Pristina have been selected to participate in a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) initiative that will help municipalities explore practical uses of artificial intelligence in public administration. The two Western Balkan capitals are among four municipalities chosen for the first phase of the CEF x AI programme, alongside Rivne in Ukraine and Yerevan in Armenia. UNDP announced the selection on October 8, 2026. According to UNDP's official announcement, the programme will support cities in testing AI applications while developing the institutional capacity, governance arrangements and safeguards needed for responsible use. The selected municipalities will focus on different urban challenges, ranging from environmental management to energy efficiency and transport planning. Skopje to explore AI for water and urban greenery Skopje will examine how artificial intelligence could support the management of water resources and urban green spaces. The city's proposed work includes two initiatives, AI4Water and Green Cadastre, which will be developed through the programme's Demonstrator and BOOST tracks. The projects will explore how AI-generated evidence and analysis might help municipal teams and public enterprises make decisions about natural resources, water management and urban greenery. UNDP describes the work as an opportunity to examine how new information affects professional judgment, coordination between municipal departments and practical resource-management decisions. The selection does not mean that AI systems have already been deployed or that operational improvements have been demonstrated. The next stage will involve developing specific activities and testing whether the proposed approaches can provide useful information for municipal decision-making. Pristina to investigate AI-supported transport planning Pristina will focus on using generative AI to support municipal transport planning. Through the BOOST track, the city will work on a pilot intended to help planners organize and assess information about transport routes and changing neighbourhood needs. The initiative will examine whether AI can make relevant planning information more accessible and useful to municipal professionals. UNDP emphasizes that professional judgment and responsibility should remain with municipal staff. The proposed system is therefore intended to support transport planning rather than make independent decisions about routes or infrastructure. How the programme works CEF x AI is part of UNDP's City Experiment Fund, an initiative supporting municipalities across Europe and Central Asia in addressing complex urban challenges. The programme has two complementary components. The CEF x AI Demonstrator focuses on building longer-term institutional capabilities. Participating municipalities will explore AI across administrative activities while strengthening governance, coordination and internal processes. The GenAI Challenge, delivered through UNDP's BOOST impact acceleration programme in partnership with IEEE Humanitarian Technologies, connects municipalities with external innovation teams to develop open-source generative AI solutions for specific local challenges. The programme places emphasis on defining the municipal problem before selecting the technology. This approach is especially relevant for public institutions, where data quality, departmental coordination and institutional accountability may determine whether an AI project delivers useful results. Selected from ten applications According to UNDP, ten applications were reviewed by a selection panel involving representatives of the Slovak Republic's Ministry of Finance, the City of Bratislava and UNDP. The selection criteria included strategic relevance, institutional commitment, technical feasibility, responsible AI safeguards, implementation capacity and long-term sustainability. The final group includes four municipalities with different priorities. Rivne will explore AI-supported energy modernization and building efficiency, while Yerevan will focus on air quality and environmental governance. Skopje and Pristina had previously participated in a wider municipal AI development process, including a UNDP bootcamp held in Podgorica, Montenegro, in June 2026. Their latest selection represents a further stage of that process, moving from initial exploration toward the design of practical municipal experiments. What happens next During autumn 2026, the selected municipalities will work with UNDP to refine their proposals, establish implementation plans and identify their first activities. The programme is implemented through UNDP's City Experiment Fund with financial support from the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic. For Skopje and Pristina, the immediate challenge will be translating the selected concepts into usable projects while ensuring that municipal employees retain responsibility for decisions. The results could also offer lessons for other Western Balkan municipalities considering AI for environmental monitoring, infrastructure management and public services. The next developments to watch are the specific implementation plans, the data and institutional resources allocated to each project, and the evidence produced during the initial pilots.