News releases

JERUSALEM – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed a timely EUR5 million (USD5.2 million) contribution from the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO) that helped avert planned cuts in critical food assistance for 180,000 of the most vulnerable and food-insecure Palestinian families in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in December 2022. 

KIGALI – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Rwanda has welcomed a contribution of US$3.6 million from Germany to support the food and nutrition needs of women and children in the refugee community, to strengthen government social protection systems and improve food security and incomes for smallholder farmers.

KAMPALA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution of EUR 5.1 million (approximately 20 billion Uganda Shillings) from the European Union’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department (ECHO) to provide life-saving food assistance in the form of cash transfers for more than 850,000 refugees in Uganda, and for emergency food assistance and treatment for malnutrition for an additional 183,288 people in the Karamoja region.

ANTANANARIVO – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has contributed US$45 million in 2022 on behalf of the American people to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to help provide life-saving food assistance in southern Madagascar, as half the population faces acute food insecurity following consecutive years of drought.

KHARTOUM – A delegation of humanitarian and development experts from the European Union (EU) reiterated their support for the Sudanese people upon the conclusion of a mission to Sudan to see the reality of food systems on the ground. The mission ended just days after the signing of a Framework Agreement which could pave the way for a two-year civilian-led transition in the country. Some 25 delegates from the EU and its Member States had the opportunity to see World Food Programme (WFP) and EU humanitarian and development projects throughout their visit, which was led by the Czech Presidency of the EU.

COLOMBO – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Sri Lanka welcomed Dustin Shiau, Senior Regional Program Officer of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), on a visit to Sri Lanka. He met with food-insecure communities and heard first-hand accounts of the difficulties they are facing and how USAID and WFP support has helped provide regular meals for their families.

WINDHOEK – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is collaborating with Tololi Online (Pty) Ltd, an e-commerce platform to set up a virtual marketplace as part of efforts to improve market access and boost farmers’ income in Namibia.

KINSHASA – The Government of Japan has contributed US$ 6.3 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to strengthen emergency food and nutrition assistance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where 26 million people face severe food insecurity.

ROME - Last March I was asked to extend my term as the World Food Programme’s Executive Director for a further year, to navigate the organization through the unprecedented global hunger crisis sparked by a perfect storm of conflict, climate change, COVID-19 and now exacerbated by the war in Ukraine and soaring global food prices.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition and the International Parliamentary Network for Education (IPNEd) have joined forces to help parliamentarians act on child hunger by working with governments to scale up and improve school meals programmes.

ZANZIBAR – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has today announced the expansion of its programme to Zanzibar, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, some 25 to 50 kilometres off the coast of mainland Tanzania - as part of its new five-year Country Strategic Plan (2022-2027).

DAMASCUS – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a recent contribution of EUR 15 million from the European Union to help scale up its assistance to over half a million people in urgent need of food assistance across Syria.

KINSHASA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a EUR 2.5 million contribution from the Government of France to help stem malnutrition amongst hundreds of children under two years old in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

DILI – The Government of Timor-Leste and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today signed an agreement to work together in boosting the health, nutrition, and education of school-aged children through school feeding.

DAKAR – The number of hungry people in West and Central Africa is projected to reach an all-time high of 48 million people (including 9 million children) next year if urgent and long-lasting solutions to address this crisis are not delivered soon. The latest Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis shows that over 35 million people (including 6.7 million children) in the region - approximately 8 percent of the assessed population - are currently unable to meet their basic food and nutrition needs.

YANGON – The European Union (EU) has contributed EUR 6.5 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) towards its humanitarian assistance in Myanmar, where some 15 million people are facing moderate or severe food insecurity.

NOUAKCHOTT – Today, BMZ, UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP ended a five-day visit to Mauritania that included Ministerial-level discussions and a field trip to Hodh Chargui. It is the first time that the four agencies have undertaken such a visit, which provided deep insights into the results that can be achieved when humanitarian, development and peace actors collaborate in mitigating shocks and building resilience in communities affected by forced displacement and climatic shocks.

VIENTIANE, 30 November 2022 - H.E. Cindy McCain, United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations Rome-based agencies today concluded her visit to Lao PDR, where the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) are working together to improve food security, nutrition and resilience of Lao families and communities.

LONDON – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today announced Asma Khan, owner of Darjeeling Express and star of Netflix’s Chef’s Table, has been appointed WFP Chef Advocate

MUNICH – Seven start-ups competing for up to US$100,000 in equity-free funding from the United Nations World Food Programme Innovation accelerator, showcased their new technologies to tackle hunger and the climate crisis, at a global pitch event in Munich, Germany.

N’DJAMENA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, warned today of an imminent cut to food assistance to crisis-affected refugees in Chad unless urgent funding to bridge major funding shortfalls is received imminently.

ROME - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the multi-platinum certified global star Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, a U.N. World Food Programme Goodwill Ambassador, today announced that since launching their XO Humanitarian Fund in March 2022, US$5 million has been raised and pledged to provide food and support to millions of people experiencing hunger across the globe. The Weeknd presented a cheque to WFP USA during a private event at his After Hours Til Dawn Stadium Tour concert in Los Angeles.

COLOMBO – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Sri Lanka welcomed a contribution of EUR 500,000 (approximately LKR 190 million) from France towards its emergency response for children and families affected by the country’s worst economic crisis in decades. Around 9,000 families facing high levels of food insecurity will receive nutritious foods to help them feed their under-five children.

KINSHASA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has reached some 1.2 million vulnerable people with US$ 17.5 million cash assistance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) this year thanks in part to a contribution from the European Union (EU).

ADDIS ABABA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has delivered over 2,400 metric tons of food, medical, nutrition and other lifesaving supplies to Ethiopia’s Tigray region following the signing of a peace agreement earlier this month and the reopening of all four road corridors. However, deliveries of assistance within Tigray are not matching the needs and WFP and its cooperating partners urgently need access to all parts of the region to deliver food and nutrition assistance to 2.3 million vulnerable people.