Today we celebrate the UN Day and the 66th anniversary of the UN Charter. Today we also reaffirm our commitment and shared efforts to help countries meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – including the first and most foundational MDG of cutting hunger and poverty in half. A key factor to achieving this is concerted, result-oriented and effective UN aid.

In the past six months we have both been to the Horn of Africa and witnessed the suffering brought on by this unparalleled humanitarian crisis. In Somalia, a combination of drought, conflict and lack of humanitarian access has left four million people suffering and in desperate need of help. In very difficult situations such as what we are now witnessing in the Horn, the UN World Food Program (WFP) has an important task – to deliver food and nutrition assistance to the most vulnerable people. And thanks to the financial support of countries such as Sweden, that provide flexible annual contributions, WFP has the ability to plan ahead to pre-purchase and position emergency supplies and food to not only save lives, but maximize every donation.

This is why recent times have seen one of the most profound transformations in the organization’s history, as WFP moves from a food aid agency to one that provides food and nutrition assistance by helping individuals, communities, and nations build sustainable access to food. In this way the response is smarter, more targeted, and context-specific and WFP is working with nations to help build resilience to food insecurity even at a very early stage in the humanitarian response. WFP now has a robust toolbox of innovative tools to promote food security around the world. 

One of these tools is cash and vouchers, which WFP is deploying in more than 30 countries. In the Palestinain territories for example, where both of us have had a chance to see the cash and vouchers programe first-hand, beneficiaries are able to use an electronic swipe card to purchase nutritious food at local markets. All the products in the program are produced locally – milk, yogurt, cheese. It’s a win-win-win. Local daily farmers have increased production. Local shops have more customers and profits. And families do not need to travel long distances in order to receive their nutritional food. They have the freedom to use their electronic vouchers at any time, reducing cost of transportation and addressing storage problems. Because of this innovative approach to promote food security WFP is increasing cost-efficiency and allowing for a better analysis of food consumption patterns in real-time.

This is not a silver bullet or a magic wand. Cash and vouchers are not an appropriate tool in all scenarios. But in the contexts where food is available, but vulnerable people lack the means to purchase, cash and voucher programming gives people access to food in a way that provides dignity and choice. To help catalyze and bolster this important reform, Sweden has decided to pledge three million USD, above and beyond its annual contribution of 82 million USD to WFP to help scale up these programmes, including the Cash-for-Change initiative. The Swedish contribution to the Cash-for-Change initiative will support WFP efforts to enhance its analytical capability, establish systems, and ensure controlled and accountable processes across its programme of work.

The world is changing faster than ever. The organizations of the UN need to be flexible and ready to adapt to new circumstances, both good and bad. We owe this to ourselves, to the people around the world who need help and to the ideals and aspirations that led to the adoption of the UN Charter 66 years ago.

Gunilla Carlsson, Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation.
Josette Sheeran, Executive Director, World Food Programme