ROME—The UN aid agencies are having to change the way they do business in order to meet challenges posed by a changing climate and a rising population, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said Monday in an address to WFP’s Executive Board.

“We live in difficult times and in a dangerous world. This year, we have witnessed an unprecedented succession of humanitarian crises,” said Guterres, pointing to conflicts in Cote d’Ivoire, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, and Somalia.

Patterns of displacement

Guterres said that over 750,000 people had crossed borders to flee from conflict or persecution in 2011 and that “new patterns of forced displacement” caused by climate change and economic uncertainty made future crises hard to predict. “It is clear that unpredictability is the name of the game,” he said .

“This forces us to enhance cooperation and have a common strategic dialogue.” Guterres added that agencies like WFP and UNHCR were well positioned to meet the coming challenges, thanks to a strong partnership built around the need to innovate.            

Key innovations

He said innovations in nutrition had greatly reduced health problems like anaemia among the world’s refugees and that cash-voucher programmes showed promise as a means of protecting the urban poor from hunger.

Guterres also pointed to WFP’s strategy of buying as much food as possible in or near the countries where it works as a long-term solution to the factors underlying mass migrations.

“WFP is our most important and our most reliable partner,”  the High Commissioner said. “Wherever you go, even in the remotest areas, you will always find WFP staff supporting our operations.

Photo of Antonio Guterres by WFP/Rein Skullerud