News releases

CAIRO, Egypt – A delegation of 17 Member State representatives from the Executive Boards of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/UN Population Fund (UNFPA)/UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the World Food Programme (WFP) concluded a five-day joint field visit in Egypt from 26 to 30 October. Such missions, which take place annually, enable members of the Executive Boards to review how the United Nations agencies are working together, with local authorities and civil society to advance a country’s national sustainable development priorities, and in some instances to respond to humanitarian crises, consistent with their mandates.

CHATTOGRAM, Bangladesh – The Government of Bangladesh, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today held a handover ceremony for a rice donation by the Republic of Korea in support of the Rohingya response.

Conflict and violence are driving extreme hunger in six major crises

ROME – A new joint report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warns that acute food insecurity is deepening in 16 hunger hotspots, which threatens to drive millions more into famine or risk of famine.

Life-saving food and logistics support underway as WFP races to reach communities devastated by back-to-back typhoons

MANILA, Philippines – Super typhoon Fung-Wong (known locally as Uwan) has brought catastrophic winds, torrential rainfall and heavy flooding to Luzon, the largest and most populated island in the Philippines. Fung-Wong is the 21st storm of the season and is compounding earlier devastation caused only days ago by Typhoon Kalmaegi (Tino). The two typhoons have impacted more than 8.3 million people and displaced over 1.4 million, leaving communities reeling from back-to-back disasters.

This is a summary of what was said by Cynthia Jones, WFP Country Director for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

GENEVA – Good morning and on behalf of the World Food Programme team on the ground here in the Democratic Republic of the Congo we are grateful for your time.

KAMPALA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a contribution of DKK 15 million (approximately USD 2.3 million) from the Government of Denmark. This funding will support emergency food assistance for nearly 80,000 newly arrived refugees in Uganda through cash transfers for three months, ensuring they can meet their immediate food needs and begin rebuilding their lives.

LUSAKA — The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a contribution from the Government of the People’s Republic of China to locally procure over 5,600 metric tonnes of maize to deliver food assistance for drought-affected communities in Zambia.

TRIPOLI – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Libya welcomes a generous contribution of EUR 3 million from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) through the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) to support the urgent food needs of Sudanese refugees and Libyan host communities.

GAZA, Palestine – Three weeks into the ceasefire, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has distributed food parcels to one million people in the Gaza Strip as part of a broad operation to push back hunger in the war-torn territory. But to continue expanding operations to the level required, humanitarian teams need more border crossings to be opened and more access to key roads inside Gaza.

FAO, WFP and UNICEF warn of the highest levels of acute food insecurity and malnutrition in El Fasher and Kadugli; improvements seen where fighting has receded and services have resumed

ROME/NEW YORK – The latest analysis of food insecurity and malnutrition in Sudan shows stark contrasts along conflict lines, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF warned today. In areas where violence has subsided – allowing humanitarian access and market recovery – food security has begun to improve. But in conflict-hit locations that have been largely cut off from humanitarian assistance or under siege, famine has now taken hold.

JUBA, South Sudan – The United Nations today warned that South Sudan continues to face a severe food and nutrition crisis, which is threatening to deteriorate further unless urgent humanitarian action is mounted.

KINGSTON / HAVANA / PORT-AU-PRINCE – As the full extent of Hurricane Melissa’s destruction emerges, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is intensifying relief efforts in the hardest-hit areas to support local authorities. Almost 6 million people across Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti have been impacted by the storm.

BAGHDAD, Iraq – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), with funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), is launching an initiative to help the most vulnerable farming communities in southern Iraq adapt to prolonged droughts, water scarcity, extreme heat and seawater intrusions.

PORT SUDAN, Sudan – A joint United Nations convoy carrying humanitarian assistance from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), UNICEF, and the UN World Food Programme (WFP), has reached the towns of Dilling and Kadugli in South Kordofan, delivering urgently needed supplies to families who have endured months of siege and dwindling food stocks.

ROME – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) confirms that the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed us that two of our top leaders in Sudan have been designated as persona non grata, and asked to leave the country within 72 hours, without any explanation.

KINSHASA, DRC – The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warn today of the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with acute food insecurity remaining stubbornly high and emergency hunger levels surging in the conflict-hit eastern provinces.

COLOMBO, Sri-Lanka– United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a contribution of US $2.7 million from global fashion brand, Michael Kors to bolster Sri Lanka’s National School Meals Programme. The support, through the brand’s long-running ‘Watch Hunger Stop campaign’ will contribute to WFP’s Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF) initiative.

PANAMA CITY, Panama – As Tropical Storm Melissa moves slowly across the Caribbean bringing heavy rains and strong winds, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is working with governments and partners to help communities prepare for and reduce the storms impact. Forecasts suggest the storm could develop into a major hurricane over the weekend.

WFP’s efforts across the Caribbean are focusing on early action, helping people before disaster strikes to pre-emptively protect food-insecure communities.

GENEVA/NEW YORK/ROME/PORT SUDAN – Four United Nations agencies today called for urgent international attention on the crisis in Sudan, to address the immense suffering and growing dangers to the population. Over 900 days of brutal fighting, widespread violations of human rights, famine, and the breakdown of life-sustaining services have pushed millions to the brink of survival, particularly women and children.

EL GOUNA, Egypt – El Gouna Film Festival (GFF), in collaboration with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), is dedicating its 8th edition to one of the world’s most critical challenges, food security. The festival’s opening night, held on World Food Day (16 October), sets the stage for a week of events, throughout the festival, that will spotlight the fight against food insecurity.

GAZA, Palestine – As food distributions start up again after the ceasefire, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is providing assistance to families across Gaza through its wide-ranging distribution system. This includes bakeries, nutritional support, digital payments to families most at risk, and distribution of family food boxes.

WASHINGTON D.C. – On Friday, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OPEC Fund) signed an agreement for a US$500,000 grant to support emergency food assistance in Syria.

DUSHANBE – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Tajikistan have signed a Technical Assistance Agreement to jointly implement key activities under the project titled: “Engaging Youth Smallholder Farmers through Agri-Tech for Improved Food Security and Value Chains,” supported by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

BISHKEK – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), in partnership with the Kyrgyzstan Republic Ministry of Education and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), has launched a three-year project worth US$10 million to boost the health and nutrition of school-aged children.

New WFP report, ‘A Lifeline at Risk’, finds that 13.7 million WFP food aid recipients could be pushed into emergency levels of hunger as support is cut


ROME – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today warned that six of its most critical humanitarian operations are facing severe pipeline breaks by year end, putting more lives at risk, as global humanitarian funding dries up. Without additional resources, millions of vulnerable people could be left without lifesaving food assistance at a time when global hunger has soared to record highs.