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The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has launched an Innovation Accelerator focused on identifying solutions towards ending hunger.

Based in Munich, Germany, the Innovation Accelerator combines internal WFP staff with experts and entrepreneurs from across the private sector and civil society.

Selected teams will collaborate for three- to six-month periods on ideas proposed by WFP innovators with first-hand field knowledge, or crowd-sourced by engaging members of the general public.

“Every day WFP and our partners work to meet the emergency food assistance needs of the world’s poorest, yet toughest people living in the most vulnerable places around the globe,” said WFP executive director Ertharin Cousin.

“What we do is not enough to achieve our shared goal of ending hunger by 2030. We must boldly seek new ideas, tools and solutions that make more food available, accessible and ultimately give every person everywhere the ability to feed her or his own children.”

The aim of the accelerator is to capture the benefits of new technologies and the revolution in big data. The WFP believes collaboration will transform how it fulfils its mandate, and the speed at which it delivers.

“As a result, we will overcome the persistent challenges that even today keep generations locked in hunger and poverty,” Cousin said.

The accelerator is supported by contributions from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Federal Foreign Office of Germany and the Bavarian State Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Forestry.

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