Investing in innovation to future-proof humanitarian response
In a world where disasters are hitting harder and faster, the humanitarian sector is facing a pressing challenge: how to respond to emergencies quickly and smartly. For the World Food Programme (WFP), the answer lies in investment in innovation. In particular, investment in innovation that reshapes humanitarian response.
One such investment is WFP’s collaboration with the Global Earthquake Model Foundation (GEM), a not-for-profit organization that is quietly revolutionizing how the world understands and reacts to earthquakes.
GEM’s global database maps the vulnerability of buildings and infrastructure across countries, from Myanmar to Japan, Chile and beyond. Originally designed for long-term risk planning and regulation, GEM now plays a pivotal role in real-time disaster response, capable of estimating earthquake damage within minutes after an event occurs. As soon as seismic activity is detected and communicated by the USGS (United States Geological Survey), GEM’s system “presses play”, calculating expected damage and providing an estimate of collapsed buildings, casualties, displaced populations and areas likely to require humanitarian assistance.
Supporting decision makers across the humanitarian sector
This critical information is quickly delivered to a range of key decision-makers across the humanitarian ecosystem. These include the humanitarian community, including organizations like the Red Cross and the European Commission who use GEM’s data to coordinate life-saving emergency responses.
It also reaches the private sector, particularly insurance and finance institutions that rely on early impact assessments to evaluate potential economic losses and trigger emergency or long-term funding mechanisms. National authorities and government agencies are another essential audience as GEM’s outputs can be used for real-time situational awareness to guide public safety efforts and determine whether international support is required.
Bridging the intelligence gap in emergencies
GEM is currently in a 10-year testing phase, selectively sharing data with key partners to test and refine its platform. But the impact is already tangible. In high-risk countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Haiti, Syria, Nepal and the Philippines, GEM is enriching its models through local data and running historical earthquake simulations to help organizations like WFP prepare for what comes next.
In the 2023 Morocco earthquake, this technology was put to the test. After a request from the European Union, GEM’s data helped identify the most heavily affected zones; information that guided the early deployment of response teams. In Turkey and Myanmar, GEM’s early damage estimates helped direct attention to isolated areas where roads and communications had failed, bridging the intelligence gap in those critical first 24–48 hours when most lives are saved.
Over 520 million people now stand to benefit from faster, more informed disaster response.
Investing in innovation to strengthen humanitarian response
This data is being directly integrated into ADAM+, WFP’s internal disaster analytics platform. The WFP Innovation Accelerator supported this integration, boosting the speed and accuracy of damage assessments for multiple hazards. It also provided coaching to customize the product for WFP’s risk and impact analysis needs. This enables WFP and its partners to access rapid, science-based impact assessments, even when traditional sources like satellite imagery are delayed or blocked by weather.
This collaboration is part of a larger shift in how WFP approaches its mission. By working with organizations like GEM, WFP is investing in external innovation to strengthen the broader humanitarian ecosystem. With several leading humanitarian players using the same innovation, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. These efforts are about building future-ready systems that improve preparedness, decision-making and ultimately, the ability to save lives.
By Lucy Bloxham
With thanks to Vitor Silva, Head of Risk Engineering at GEM Foundation
The WFP Innovation Accelerator sources, supports and scales high-potential solutions to end hunger worldwide. We provide WFP colleagues, entrepreneurs, start-ups, companies, and non-governmental organizations with access to funding, mentorship, hands-on support, and WFP’s global operations.
Find out more about us: http://innovation.wfp.org.
Subscribe to our e-newsletter.
Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and watch our videos on YouTube.
