News releases

BISHKEK – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of the People’s Republic of China, through the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), will provide nutritious school meals to more than 100,000 children in the Kyrgyz Republic. This marks CIDCA’s first multilateral initiative in the country and in Central Asia through its Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund.

Harare, Zimbabwe – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalise their collaboration on integrating food and nutrition assistance with sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) and gender-based violence (GBV) services, in Zimbabwe.

In 2024, over 295 million people across 53 countries and territories faced acute hunger—an increase of almost 14 million people compared to 2023— while the number of people facing catastrophic levels of hunger reached a record high

ROME/NEW YORK – Populations across the Gaza Strip are at risk of famine as fighting has surged again, border crossings are still closed, and food is dangerously scarce. Hunger and malnutrition have intensified sharply since all aid was blocked from entering on 2 March, reversing the clear humanitarian gains seen during the ceasefire earlier this year.

DAKAR, Senegal – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) sounded the alarm today as persistent conflict, displacement, economic deterioration, and recurrent extreme weather in West and Central Africa are driving millions of people towards emergency levels of hunger (IPC4).

Juba - More than 60,000 malnourished children in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state are at risk of plunging deeper into malnutrition as treatment supplies run critically low and resupply efforts are hampered, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF warned today.

CHIȘINĂU - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a generous contribution of €1.5 million from the European Union. This crucial humanitarian funding will enable WFP to continue providing vital assistance to Ukrainian refugees in the Refugee Accommodation Centres through hot meals provision, and to refugee host families through cash assistance. The contribution will also support efforts to strengthen the country's national social protection system to better assist the most vulnerable.

KABUL – H.E. Takayoshi Kuromiya, Japanese Ambassador to Afghanistan, and Mutinta Chimuka, acting WFP Country Director in Afghanistan, visited a malnutrition clinic in the country’s capital Kabul, where hundreds of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and their children receive life-saving nutrition services. The visit highlights Japan’s strong and steadfast commitment to WFP’s operations in Afghanistan, where nearly one third of the population is in need of emergency food assistance.

Yerevan, ARMENIA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development (EFSD) are joining forces to improve food security in Armenia through better water management. An agreement for the “Capacity Strengthening of Water Users Associations of Armenia” initiative has been signed with the Government of Armenia, represented by the Armenian Territorial Development Fund (ATDF). The initiative aims to strengthen food security, reduce reliance on assistance, and build community resilience in Armenia.

BRIDGETOWN – Building on the successful deployment of critical relief supplies in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl that hit the Caribbean last year, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the European Union (EU) continue their collaboration to boost preparedness for large-scale disasters in the Caribbean.

KABUL – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Afghanistan welcomes a contribution of EUR 1 million from the Government of France in flexible funding which has been programmed towards WFP’s resilience projects.

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA – The Royal Government of Cambodia, through the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS), in partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), has launched a US$ 10 million initiative from 2025 to 2029 to accelerate the expansion of Cambodia’s national homegrown school feeding programme.

MOGADISHU – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution of 138 metric tons of nutritious dates from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) that will be included in the emergency food baskets provided to the most vulnerable people in Somalia.

KABUL – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Afghanistan welcomes a US$2.2 million contribution from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). With this contribution, WFP will provide over 550 metric tons of specialized nutritious food to 125,000 Afghan mothers and children for three months to prevent malnutrition.

This is a summary of what was said by Samatha Chattaraj, WFP’s Emergency Coordinator for Sudan (speaking from Port Sudan via Zoom) – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

GENEVA – I am here to give you a brief update on WFP’s operations in Sudan, undoubtably one of the most complex and challenging humanitarian situations.

GAZA, Palestine – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has depleted all its food stocks for families in Gaza.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Hunger and malnutrition are on the rise in Ethiopia as ongoing conflict, regional instability, displacement, drought and economic shocks, leave millions without sufficient nutritious food, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned today. The organization’s life-saving response has been severely hampered by critical funding shortfalls as 3.6 million of the most vulnerable are at imminent risk of losing food assistance, including malnutrition treatment for 650,000 women and children.

WFP scaling up emergency assistance in hard-hit areas, but needs outpacing available resources.

LUSAKA - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a contribution of EUR 500,000 from the Government of Finland to strengthen Zambia’s national school meals programme. The one-year initiative will enhance the nutrition of over 34,000 learners in thirty-three schools across Zambia while promoting climate-resilient agriculture and sustainable food systems.

PORT SUDAN, Sudan – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is urgently calling for unimpeded access to immediately preposition food assistance across key locations in Sudan, as deliberate obstruction by parties on the ground and the approaching rainy season threaten to render vast areas of the country inaccessible by road. Without swift action, WFP warns that millions of vulnerable people could be cut off from life-saving aid, placing fragile humanitarian gains at serious risk.

JUBA, South Sudan – Vulnerable families in the northeast of South Sudan are at a critical tipping point as conflict escalates and hunger nears record levels, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned today.

The three-year initiative is backed by US$40 million in co-financing from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Grundfos Foundation.

LILONGWE, Malawi – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a contribution of €4 million from the Government of Italy to expand the Home-Grown School Feeding programme and support climate-smart agriculture and sustainable school meals by connecting schools with local farmers in Malawi’s Chikwawa District.

MANDALAY, Myanmar – Within 48 hours of the powerful earthquake that struck central Myanmar on Friday afternoon, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) began emergency food distributions to affected communities. WFP has so far reached over 24,000 earthquake survivors in four areas, Mandalay, Naypyitaw, Sagaing and Shan, and is scaling up efforts to assist 850,000 affected people.

CONAKRY, Guinea - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a US$4 million contribution from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to develop a rice value chain, enabling communities to access nutritious food, become self-sufficient and resilient to weather-related shocks in Guinea.