PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), in partnership with the Royal Government of Cambodia and with financial support from the Government of Japan, today launched a new initiative to improve nutrition among garment factory workers through expanded access to fortified rice.
This is a transcript of what was said by Corinne Fleischer, WFP Director of Supply Chain (speaking from Rome via Zoom) – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
The briefing highlighted the severe impact that conflict in the Middle East is having on WFP's Supply Chain operations as food deliveries to life saving operations around the world face long delays and increased costs. In the most significant disruption to humanitarian supply chains since Covid or the start of the war in Ukraine, WFP is warning that today’s supply chain challenges are tomorrow’s hunger crisis.
YANGON – As Myanmar marks one year since the devastating earthquake last March, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warns that communities struggling to rebuild are now being hit by renewed hardship: the effects of the ongoing Middle East crisis on fuel, food, and fertilizer prices are pushing vulnerable families closer to hunger.
WINDHOEK, Namibia – The Government of the Republic of Namibia welcomed a contribution of 4,896 metric tons of rice worth USD 1.7 million from the Republic of Korea through the United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) OnDemand Service to support communities recovering from the devastating 2024–2025 drought.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a landmark Cooperation Arrangement at the Asia and the Pacific Food Systems Forum 2026, committing to work together on food systems transformation, emergency assistance, and nutrition-sensitive policies to address food insecurity and build resilience across the region.
KABUL – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has begun to rapidly mobilize a large-scale emergency response for communities in Afghanistan impacted by the conflict with Pakistan and is adapting quickly to keep life-saving aid moving despite violence in the region and shipping disruptions.
MONROVIA, Liberia – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a three-month emergency response providing immediate food and nutrition support to 11,500 people impacted by the Mpox outbreak in Liberia who are facing isolation and disrupted access to food.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a five-year “Sow and Grow” project, supported by USD 10 million from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), in partnership with the government of Sri Lanka.
DAKAR – The Embassy of Japan in Dakar and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today have signed a new food assistance agreement worth JPY 200 million (approximately US$1.32 million) to support food and nutrition assistance in Guinea-Bissau.
CAIRO / BEIRUT / ROME – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is warning that surging food and fuel prices driven by the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East could have ripple effects that will worsen hunger for vulnerable populations in the region and beyond. The escalation has already had a devastating impact on civilians bearing the brunt of the violence through mass displacement, loss of life, and the destruction of essential infrastructure.
As the conflict disrupts supply chains, drives up costs and weakens the purchasing power of families, people already on the edge could be pushed further towards severe food insecurity.
Below is a summary of WFP’s assessments of the early impacts of the conflict on food security and humanitarian aid - and how WFP is adapting and scaling up its emergency operations across the region to meet rising needs.
BEIRUT, Lebanon – The Government of Lebanon, through the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA), and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have activated an emergency cash assistance programme to conflict-affected families and are scaling up food assistance as mass displacement across the country grows.
FAO, IFAD and WFP bring together high-level representatives and farmers’ organizations for the annual joint event in Rome
Rome - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today marked International Women’s Day with a joint event dedicated to strengthening women farmers’ access to justice, rights and opportunities.
DHAKA, Bangladesh – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a new contribution of USD $6.7 million (JPY 1.05 billion) from the Government of Japan to support Rohingya refugees and host community smallholder farmers in Cox’s Bazar.
Yokohama - The World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a contribution of US$67.3 million from the Government of Japan to provide assistance to vulnerable people affected by conflict, natural disasters, and economic crises in 27 countries across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
This is a summary of what was said by Samer Abdeljaber, WFP Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe (speaking from Cairo via Zoom) – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
GENEVA – The humanitarian situation across the Middle East is changing quickly driven by ongoing security developments. The United Nations World Food Programme is operational, positioned, and ready to scale as needs grow. We have activated emergency preparedness measures across the region and we can move fast.
This is a summary of what was said by John Aylieff, WFP Afghanistan Representative and Country Director (speaking from Bangkok via Zoom) – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
GENEVA – Afghanistan is seeing an escalation of insecurity on its borders— increased fighting on the eastern and southern frontier with Pakistan, and ongoing violence in Iran. This renewed fighting is putting immense pressure on communities already vulnerable and worn down by years of crisis, conflict and chaos.
BUJUMBURA, Burundi – The World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution of over US$625,000 (approximately BIF 2 billion) from the Government of Japan to provide lifesaving food assistance for refugees fleeing the recent violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Burundians returning from refugee camps in Tanzania.
Rome, Italy – Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), today informed her global teams and the organization’s Executive Board, that she is planning to step down from her role in three months’ time to focus on her health.
Chisinau, Moldova – Over four years of humanitarian assistance in the Republic of Moldova, the World Food Programme (WFP), with funding from the European Union (EU), has played a pivotal role in supporting the most vulnerable Ukrainian refugees, alongside the Moldovan families and communities that have welcomed them during one of Europe’s longest displacement crises.
BEIRUT, Lebanon – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes the continued support of the Government of the Republic of Korea to vulnerable communities in Lebanon through school meals and in-kind food assistance.
Nearly 6.5 million Somalis face high levels of hunger, and more than 1.8 million children face acute malnutrition due to worsening drought, the Somali government and UN agencies have warned in a new report.
DILI, Timor–Leste - The Government of Timor-Leste, in collaboration with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI), and the National Institute of Statistics of Timor-Leste (INETL), has launched a major data-driven initiative to modernize the country’s social protection system and enhance maternal and child nutrition outcomes.
MOGADISHU, Somalia – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is sounding the alarm that its life‑saving emergency food and nutrition assistance in Somalia is at imminent risk of grinding to a halt without new immediate funding commitments. The organization’s resources are expected to be depleted within weeks without urgent replenishment.
This is a summary of what was said by the United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response, Ross Smith, to whom quoted text may be attributed – at a press briefing in Geneva today.
ROME/GENEVA - I would like to share the latest updates from WFP about the extremely worrying humanitarian situation in Somalia.
