News releases

NEW YORK/GENEVA/ROME – In the less than five months that followed the brutal 7 October attacks and the ensuing escalation, tens of thousands of Palestinians – mostly women and children – have been killed and injured in the Gaza Strip. More than three quarters of the population have been forced from their homes, many multiple times, and face severe shortages of food, water, sanitation and healthcare – the basic necessities to survive.

DAKAR – Amid persistently high humanitarian needs in West and Central Africa, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is calling on governments and partners to safeguard resilience-building programmes that help crisis-affected communities withstand shocks and meet their own food and nutrition needs. This will prevent a reversal of hard-won development gains in the region and help reduce humanitarian needs over time.

Suva, Fiji - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Fiji to reinforce its partnership with the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection, through a pilot Anticipatory Action programme that aims to proactively shield communities in Fiji from the devastating impacts of tropical cyclones.

ROME – The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is pausing deliveries of life-saving food aid to northern Gaza until conditions are in place that allow for safe distributions.

JUBA – At least 25 million people are struggling with soaring rates of hunger and malnutrition as the crisis in Sudan sends shockwaves around the region, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warns today, with thousands of families being displaced and forced across borders into Chad and South Sudan each week.

LUANG PRABANG – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in partnership with the Government of Japan today launched a project aimed at empowering coffee farmers in two districts of Lao PDR’s Luang Prabang Province. This initiative will bolster their coffee production and marketing efforts, while also improving access to and understanding of essential nutrition.

Port Sudan – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Sudan welcomed a generous contribution of US$1.9 million from the Government of Japan. This will enable WFP to provide life-saving food assistance to some of the most vulnerable people across the country.

The situation is especially serious in the north, where one in six children under the age of two is acutely malnourished


GENEVA/NEW YORK/ROME, 19 February 2024 – A steep rise in malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women in the Gaza strip poses grave threats to their health, according to a comprehensive new analysis released by the Global Nutrition Cluster.

MUNICH– The World Food Programme (WFP) Innovation Accelerator, which leverages innovation and technology to tackle food insecurity worldwide, officially opened its new global office today. The opening was followed by the WFP Innovation Accelerator flagship pitch event, an official Munich Security Conference side event – the world's leading forum for debating the most pressing challenges to international security.

YOKOHAMA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a grant of US$50 million from the Government of Japan at a time of unprecedented funding shortage. This contribution will enable WFP to assist vulnerable populations affected by conflict, extreme weather and economic crisis in 20 countries across mainly Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

PORT-AU-PRINCE – Amid sustained attacks on civilians by armed groups, increasing displacement and civil unrest in Haiti, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is calling for unimpeded access for aid agencies and the free flow of food commodities to prevent already-dire levels of hunger from becoming catastrophic.

CAIRO – The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Egypt launched a first-time collaboration to build the resilience of refugees and their host communities in Egypt and help increase their chances of employability.

NOUAKCHOTT – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) has generously contributed US$5 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to provide food and nutrition assistance to Malian refugees in Mauritania.

AMMAN – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), in partnership with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the World Bank, today announced the preliminary findings of the impact evaluation for the National School Feeding Programme.

HARARE – The Government of Japan today provided a US$1.36 million (¥200,000,000) contribution to the United Nations World Food Programme that will help provide critical food assistance for over 40,000 vulnerable people in Zimbabwe.

KABUL – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a contribution of US$3.8 million from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support Afghans forced to leave Pakistan and return to Afghanistan. The funding will allow WFP to provide cash assistance to nearly 33,000 families or more than 230,000 children, women and men, including persons with disabilities returning to Afghanistan at a time when already one third of the people are going hungry.

CAIRO/ROME – The World Food Programme (WFP) announced today the appointment of Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur as its newest Global Goodwill Ambassador. Recognized for her athletic prowess and commitment to social causes, Jabeur will use her influential voice to raise awareness about global food insecurity and support WFP's mission to end hunger.

ADDIS ABABA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has activated more robust delivery mechanisms to its operations in Ethiopia since late 2023, a significant step in assuring the delivery of critical food assistance to the hungriest populations affected by drought, flooding, and conflict. WFP is now working at pace to deliver food assistance to up to 3 million in Ethiopia in the coming weeks.

MAPUTO – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a contribution of €2 million from the Government of Italy that will help tackle climate change-induced vulnerabilities and strengthen food and nutritional security for up to 10,000 people including smallholder farmers, youth and women from selected farmers organizations in Tete province, in central Mozambique.

KYIV – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), as part of a programme developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Policy and with funding from Germany, will distribute complementary cash assistance to 310,000 people living with disabilities across the country.

KABUL – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Afghanistan welcomes the latest contribution totaling GBP 28.7 million (US$36.5 million) from the Government of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, through its Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The funds will go toward supporting WFP’s emergency response for food-insecure families and treat malnourished young children and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers across the country.

BAGHDAD – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), in collaboration with the Directorate of Agriculture in Ninawa Governorate and the University of Mosul, is implementing a multi-year initiative to transform farming practices in Ninawa governorate to boost food security and sustainability among small-holder farmers.

KABUL – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Afghanistan welcomes a contribution of US$13.5 million from the Government of Japan. The funding will help WFP deliver emergency food and nutrition assistance to food-insecure people, support school children to learn better and keep the United Nations Humanitarian Air Services (UNHAS) operational.

PORT SUDAN – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) urgently calls on Sudan’s warring parties to provide immediate guarantees for the safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian food assistance to conflict-hit parts of Sudan, especially across conflict lines where hungry displaced civilians are trapped and cut-off from life-saving humanitarian assistance.

Kinshasa - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has embarked on an extreme prioritization of assistance leaving millions of vulnerable people without food assistance as needs continue to outpace available resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).