NEW YORK, NY--Sheeran, in New York for the UN general assembly, received the Award together with Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Baroness Valerie Amos, for ‘outstanding efforts during the Horn of Africa crisis’.

“Action can make a difference,” said Sheeran shortly after receiving the award from Ted Turner  at the Women, Inspiration, Enterprise (WIE) Symposium. “I would just say, please don’t let cynicism move in. The world knows how to reach most of those in need.”

WFP is rapidly moving life-saving food and nutritional products by sea, air and road into Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia to address hunger, especially among the most vulnerable – young children and their mothers. WFP is currently reaching around 7.4 million drought-affected people.

The WIE Symposium is a conference for women hosted by philanthropist Sarah Brown, wife of the former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Global Patron of the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (WRA). Co-hosts were journalist Arianna Huffington and the designer Donna Karan.

Sheeran paid tribute to the work of Baroness Valerie Amos, her fellow award winner. “She plays a very important role with the World Food Programme and also within the humanitarian space. .. I’ve seen Valerie negotiate with the toughest people in the world  on behalf—mainly of the women and children who are trapped in these zones and their right to live and their right to get protection and service that the world will provide.

At last year’s event Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan was honored for her contribution on promoting the rights of girls and women, and Melinda Gates received the Inspiration Award