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Technology-powered solutions to ensure Healthy Lives and Well-being for all.
The Kofi Annan Award has been initiated by the Austrian Federal Chancellery, in collaboration with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Innovation Accelerator, the Austrian Development Agency and the Kofi Annan Foundation. The Award aims to identify and support promising social entrepreneurs with digital or technology powered solutions for people in Africa to help them build the foundations to scale. For the 2021 Kofi Annan Award we are seeking innovative solutions from across the African continent to contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 3, Good Health and Well-Being, with a strong focus on achieving high quality universal health coverage.
The world has made incredible progress over the past decades with regard to global health and well-being. Life expectancy has increased dramatically on a global scale. Infant and maternal mortality rates around the world have declined continuously since the 1960s and deaths from malaria have declined over the last 15 years. 21.7 million people living with HIV were already receiving antiretroviral therapy by the end of 2017, contributing to a global reduction of deaths and a better quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Although the global community has made progress, there are still at least 400 million people lacking access to basic health care and approximately 1.6 billion people live in fragile settings. Natural and anthropogenic disasters, lack of hygiene, and malnutrition combined with insufficient basic health services, present a significant risk to the health and well-being of those affected. The incredible progress that has been made in the fight against HIV still leaves more than 15 million people waiting for treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced in December 2015 that the global incidence of malaria had finally been slowed, however, malaria and other contagious, preventable diseases, such as tuberculosis, pneumonia and even leprosy, are still major obstacles to achieving SDG 3.
The WFP Innovation Accelerator together with the Federal Chancellery of Austria (BKA), the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and the Kofi Annan Foundation (KAF) wish to support innovative solutions that address the urgent healthcare needs of people across Africa. Therefore, our offer is:
The 2021 Kofi Annan Award is seeking to support technology-powered solutions and approaches that are helping to achieve high quality universal health coverage in African countries, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.
We welcome applications from social entrepreneurs with digital or technology-powered solutions for people in Africa who are addressing one or more of the following challenges:
Your application will be evaluated in equal weight according to the following criteria:
We reserve the right to adjust eligibility criteria based on the changing context as new information becomes available
NOTE: We value all applications, however, we are only able to contact shortlisted applicants.
Please be advised that successful applicants that receive an invitation to the Bootcamp will be required to submit the following documents: