UN World Food Programme (WFP)

Malawi

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Story | 24 March 2023

Emergencies

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Emergencies

After 12 years of conflict, needs persist in Syria

Story | 15 March 2023

School meals

4 things you should know about school feeding worldwide

Story | 21 March 2023

Report

Global Operational Response Plan - Update #7

Publication | 24 February 2023

The United Nations World Food Programme is the

2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

We are the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

WFP in numbers

128.2 million people in over 120 countries and territories

received assistance from WFP in 2021 through food or cash distributions in emergencies, nutrition support programmes and participation in activities to build resilience to climate and other shocks.

5.6K trucks 100 aircraft and 30 ships

are on the go on any given day, enabling WFP to prevent people from falling into famine and deliver vital food and other assistance to those who need it the most.

15.5 million children across the world

received nutritious meals, school snacks or take-home rations from WFP, which allowed them to concentrate on their learning and develop their full potential.

WFP Annual Performance Report 2021

Find out more about WFP’s work. Read report

Hunger Map Live

Get up-to-date information on food security in 90 countries. See the map

Saving lives
in emergencies

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WFP is one of the first agencies on the ground in global emergencies caused by conflict, climate shocks, pandemics and other disasters. We provide life-saving support to people at risk of going hungry, and we coordinate the response of the global humanitarian community to large-scale emergencies. Read more about our emergencies

WFP is continuously scanning the world for potential risks to vulnerable populations. When an emergency strikes, we use the information at hand to organize our response and launch our operation, rapidly deploying skilled emergency personnel and working with hundreds of partners, including sister UN agencies and local NGOs. Read more about our emergencies

We organize WFP and partners’ supplies and staff to be shipped via the UN Humanitarian Air Service and network of UN Humanitarian Response Depots. We also call upon the Logistics, Telecommunications and Food Security clusters to ensure the humanitarian community’s needs are fully covered. Read more about our emergencies

An emergency may last a few months or several years. When the situation has stabilized, WFP either withdraws staff and other resources, or implements longer-term programmes that protect and improve people’s livelihoods. We also review our response together with impartial assessors to inform and improve our future work. Read more about our emergencies

Changing lives
worldwide

Food assistance: cash-based and in-kind

WFP distributes food in areas where it is scarce. In places where food is available but unaffordable, we give vulnerable people cash or vouchers to buy nutritious ingredients. These cash transfers give people more choice, protect them from financial exploitation, and support the local economy. Read more

Resilience building

WFP’s long experience in humanitarian and development contexts has positioned the organization well to support resilience building in order to improve food security and nutrition. WFP helps the most vulnerable people strengthen their capacities to absorb, adapt and transform in the face of shocks and long-term stressors. Read more

Nutrition

Chronic malnutrition has profound, long-term effects on health and life prospects. WFP works with governments and partners to help vulnerable groups, such as women, children and people receiving treatment for HIV and tuberculosis, access nutritious diets. Our programmes include distributing specialized nutritious foods, fortifying staples, designing and implementing school feeding, and enabling dietary diversification. Read more

School health and nutrition

WFP works with partners to deliver school-based health and nutrition services. School feeding provides children with the calories they need to fuel their learning, gives parents strong incentive to keep them in school, and helps build the human capital countries need to reach their development potential. Read more

Social protection and safety nets

As the number of people who do not have enough to eat worldwide far exceeds WFP’s capacity to provide assistance, we work with governments to ensure this can be done through national systems, including social protection schemes. Read more

Climate action

Climate change is increasing the frequency of climate-related disasters, creating greater risks of hunger and the breakdown of food systems. WFP is working with governments, international partners, researchers and local communities to analyse and understand the impacts of climate change. Through programmes, innovations, policy and technical support we are helping those most at risk to become climate resilient and food secure. Read more

Smallholder farmers market support

Smallholder farmers are highly vulnerable to hunger. WFP collaborates with national governments to help forge sustainable food systems more inclusive of smallholder farmers along the value chain. This includes buying their produce for WFP programmes, introducing them to formal markets, and enabling access to skills, knowledge and infrastructure to develop their livelihoods and make them more resilient to risks. Read more

Country capacity strengthening and south-south cooperation

National governments are increasingly taking the lead in the fight against hunger. WFP offers a wide range of capacity development and technical assistance services to facilitate the design and delivery of sustainable national solutions to combat hunger and malnutrition. WFP facilitates the transfer of knowledge, skills, resources and technical know-how, including through its Centres of Excellence in Brazil, China and Ivory Coast. Read more