Saving Lives
Changing Lives

Our
work

WFP is present in over 120 countries and territories. We respond to emergencies while also providing early warning to reduce the impact of looming disasters. At the same time, we support countries' emergence from the shadow of hunger and long-term development and self-reliance. 

a child from Napumpum Primary School (Karamoja region) waits for his name to be called to collect his take-home rations.

We prevent and fight hunger

Our early-warning systems, ready-to-deploy emergency workforce and global footprint enable WFP to be a first responder when disaster strikes. Every year, WFP assists millions of people left displaced, homeless or deprived of basic resources by conflict, climate-related disasters, pandemics or other catastrophic events. We provide emergency relief to people whose lives and/or livelihoods are under threat, including through food and cash. We also support resilience building, better equipping people to meet future challenges while reducing the need for recurrent spending in response to cyclical crises. 

The main driver of hunger emergencies is conflict, with almost 60 percent of the world’s hungry people living in areas affected by armed violence. Our assistance is not just a lifeline for people trapped in conflict, living under siege or on the run after being forced out of their homes – it can also be the first step towards lasting peace. We work with partners to directly address the structural drivers of conflict, helping to ease tensions that could escalate into violence. 

We counter climate shocks & support healthy diets

In the face of climate change, environmental degradation and increasingly extreme weather events, WFP is helping the most vulnerable and food-insecure communities manage natural resources sustainably, so they can meet today’s livelihood needs and safeguard these resources for future generations. We offset the impact of extreme weather through measures including Forecast-based Financing. This provides communities with funds before a disaster, giving them time and resources to prepare and protect their lives and livelihoods – for example evacuating livestock, reinforcing homes or buying food and essential items. 

WFP addresses all forms of malnutrition – from vitamin and mineral deficiencies to overweight and obesity – focusing especially on young children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people living with HIV. WFP is the largest humanitarian organization implementing school meal programmes. These improve children’s nutrition and health, while also increasing access to education, raising incomes for farmers and reducing the risks of child labour and early marriage. With women representing more than half of the people we serve, WFP works to ensure that food assistance policies and programmes create conditions that advance gender equality and women’s empowerment. 

We enhance economies and food systems

WFP is the largest provider of cash assistance in the humanitarian community, working with wholesalers and retailers to increase food availability and ensure fair prices. Through initiatives like the Food Assistance for Assets programme, we address immediate food needs while empowering communities to improve infrastructure and environmental sustainability. We support smallholder farmers in accessing resources and improving post-harvest handling. As a member of the Farm to Market Alliance, we facilitate the transition of African smallholders to commercial agriculture, bolstering markets and food production continent-wide.

WFP supports governments and other partners in improving their ability to manage emergencies and strengthen food and nutrition security. We do this by helping countries secure money from donors, promoting South–South and triangular cooperation, investing in early-warning and preparedness systems for climate change and other threats, and providing technical advice and operational support to strengthen social protection systems. Our experience in delivering food and cash assistance, school-based programmes and insurance means that WFP can also complement government efforts to end hunger. 

We offer common services that enable our partners to reach those in need. This includes the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service, the Humanitarian Response Depot, and the Logistics Cluster – which provides coordination and information management during emergency responses and provides access to shared services.

We harness innovation and technology

From drone-based damage assessment to our meal-sharing app, WFP harnesses new technologies and the responsible use of data to achieve zero hunger by 2030. We quickly re-establish connectivity in the wake of humanitarian emergencies, through our Fast IT and Telecommunications Emergency and Support Team and as lead agency of the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster. We ensure the right person receives the right benefit via our cloud-based platform, SCOPE, while using blockchain and real-time data to improve the coordination and delivery of assistance across the humanitarian sector. At the same time, we are constantly searching for new breakthroughs: our Innovation Accelerator has been piloting solutions to end hunger since 2015, benefiting over 60 million people. 

Areas of work

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