Globally, the Philippines has been ranked as the country at the greatest risk of disaster and exposure to multiple high-intensity hazards, including typhoons, floods, earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, droughts and sea-level rises. It is also among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, which is projected to cause intensified extreme weather events. Multifaceted shocks and stressors have led to loss of livelihoods and hampered access to basic social services, thus aggravating food insecurity and malnutrition. As one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia with a population of more than 116 million, it is critical that the Philippines applies innovative approaches to build resilience and emergency preparedness.

To address these challenges, the World Food Programme (WFP) Philippines country office and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in collaboration with the WFP Innovation Accelerator are launching the first-ever call for applications leading up to the 2024 Preparedness and Response Excellence in the Philippines (PREP) Forum. The PREP Innovation Challenge aims to identify and scale low- and high-tech cost-effective solutions for the food-insecure population in disaster-prone areas of the Philippines.

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