When you think of the United Nations, you probably don’t think of emerging tech like drones or floating fabrication labs. But those are exactly what the staid international organization, which turned 70 this year, wants to use to address issues humans face across the globe.

There is an aim across the globe for better sustainability so it’s no surprise that there are numerous startups trying to tackle the issue. This article about green startups goes over this in more detail but with society accepting more environmentally-friendly, entrepreneurs are fighting to become the next big revelation in the “green industry.” The support of a massive organization like the UN will obviously increase their chances of success exponentially.

I went to the UN Headquarters for the Solutions Summit last weekend, which spotlighted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the 14 winning startups chosen from over 800 entries via science ministries of countries on all six continents. These startups were chosen by the UN to tackle global goals from clean water, green energy, sustainable infrastructure, and zero hunger. These issues aren’t particularly new, but the means by which the startups are approaching them certainly are: tree-planting drones, e-waste recycling centers, and fab labs that float down the Amazon.

“Often the governments come together cross-functionally when we’re at war, but we need the governments do it when we’re at peace,” Megan Smith, the Chief Technology Officer of the United States and former vice president of Google X, told me. “So we wanted to bring this to the UN so that our policy colleagues can see the way we techies roll-that we come together in collaborative communities.”