The WFP Innovation Strategy 2026-2028 sets out how each of us can contribute to deliver greater impact in our daily work. Innovation is not a separate activity, it is a core enabler of how WFP delivers on its mission.
Whether you work in programme, supply-chain, procurement or partnerships, the strategy provides a clear framework and tools to help you identify better solutions, implement new approaches and scale what works.
The Innovation Strategy empowers Country Offices as engines of innovation, ensuring that solutions are driven by field realities. It helps translate innovation into practical results, making our programmes more effective, efficient and responsive to the people we serve.
WFP’s shared vision for innovation
WFP catalyses scalable, sustainable innovations and transformative business solutions to achieve zero hunger and address critical humanitarian challenges for the people WFP serves. By empowering employees, embracing human-centred approaches, promoting localization and collaborating with other United Nations actors and partners from the public and private sector, WFP aims to achieve long-term impact through scalable approaches and build resilience in a changing world to save lives in emergencies and sustainably end hunger.
Enabler 1: Harness the power of in-country employees
WFP and its Innovation Division will encourage and enable employees at country offices to become engines of innovation, transforming them into catalysts for change. Localization will continue to be a guiding principle, ensuring that solutions are driven by local expertise, ownership and the needs of the communities that WFP serves. Technical innovation expertise will be made available to country offices at a global level. The WFP Global Accelerator and Ventures team will promote the adoption of innovations, facilitate partnership building with national and regional stakeholders and represent WFP innovation in global fora. In addition, investments will be made in cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and quantum computing, in order to develop and implement future-ready solutions that address the challenges faced by WFP.
Enabler 2: Focus on achieving impact at scale across WFP
WFP and its Innovation Division, through the WFP Global Accelerator and Ventures team will define priority areas where innovation can have the most significant impact, ensuring that efforts are concentrated on those areas. A structured governance framework for scaling successful innovations will be developed, ensuring that proven solutions are implemented at scale. The WFP Global Accelerator and Ventures team will, as part of a corporate portfolio management approach, have systematic oversight of WFP’s global innovation investments to ensure alignment with the new WFP Strategic Plan (2026-2029) and to direct resources toward innovations with the greatest potential for impact, efficiency and scale.
Enabler 3: Build and enable a culture that mobilizes everyone
Leadership at all levels will play a crucial role in promoting and encouraging innovative behaviour, creating an environment in which new concepts and initiatives can flourish. WFP and its Innovation Division will foster a culture that sees responsible risk-taking as a fundamental aspect of mainstreaming innovation in everyday work. To facilitate this, a global “de-blocking” team will be established to remove internal obstacles to innovation implementation and scaling. Innovation processes will be designed to achieve results while learning and iterating quickly and limiting risks. Access to best-in-class innovation methods and learning opportunities will be provided to all employees, ensuring that they have the tools and knowledge to contribute to WFP’s innovation goals. In addition, WFP will prioritize identifying and nurturing talent, funneling skilled individuals into roles where they can drive and sustain innovation efforts.
