Humanitarian Hackaton on Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th of January at the Egmont Palace

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP), the FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, and Hack Belgium Labs are organizing on Tuesday and Wednesday the first Humanitarian Hackathon focusing on food security.

The word hackathon refers to an event where a group of developers get together to do computer programming. In this case, Belgian and international humanitarian organizations like Caritas Belgium, Close the Gap, Handicap International, Médecins sans Frontières and Oxfam, as well as large companies and start-ups will gather. In particular, BNP Paribas Fortis, Gembloux Agro-Bio and Foodcoin Group will be participate.

 

These actors will meet scientists, academics, donors, designers and engineers to « generate new ideas, build prototypes and launch new projects that can help save millions of lives around the world, » according to the program.

 

 

Minister for Development Cooperation Alexander De Croo is scheduled to open the event on Tuesday.