Belgium and WFP invite technology and innovation champions to join the humanitarian hackathon

This two-day event will bring together international and Belgian humanitarian organisations, donors, large companies, start-ups, scientists, academics and engineers to generate new ideas, build prototypes and launch new projects that could help save and change millions of lives around the world. WFP has identified six key challenges faced by the humanitarian sector, such as improving humanitarian access in hard-to-reach areas, optimising data management, adapting to climate change, connecting smallholder farmers to markets, leveraging local food production for school meals, and using technology to predict population movements. Participants will form teams that will address these challenges either by developing prototypes using new technologies or through harnessing the existent resources from multiple stakeholders. The Humanitarian Hackathon aims to leverage cutting-edge technologies and solutions, which can help create a world without hunger by 2030. After decades of decline, global hunger is on the rise again, making the Hackathon’s challenges extremely timely and relevant. As many as 821 million people – one in nine – go to bed on an empty stomach each night. Finding new ways to deliver aid more efficiently and effectively is crucial to alleviate their suffering and turn #ZeroHunger into reality. For more information, visit our website www.humanitarianhackathon.org. The application deadline for participants is 27 December 2018. # # # About the Humanitarian Hackathon The Humanitarian Hackathon is an initiative of the Belgian Ministry for Development Cooperation, Digital Agenda and Telecommunications, a major donor of international humanitarian aid. The event is organized by the World Food Programme (WFP), the leading agency fighting hunger worldwide, and by Hack Belgium Labs, the creator of Belgium's biggest multi-stakeholder hackathon. About the World Food Programme The United Nations World Food Programme - saving lives in emergencies and changing lives for millions through sustainable development. WFP works in more than 80 countries around the world, feeding people caught in conflict and disasters, and laying the foundations for a better future.