News releases

BEIJING - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of China have signed agreements to provide food assistance to vulnerable people in Ethiopia and Guinea whose food security is being further undermined by the socio-economic effects of COVID-19. The resulting loss of jobs in the casual labour market and the loss of remittances sent from abroad have had a huge impact on poor familes in many parts of the world.

YOKOHAMA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed a US$21.6 million cash contribution from the Government of Japan to provide vital food and nutrition assistance to the most vulnerable people in 11 countries, with 90 percent of the contribution going to 10 African nations.

DAKAR – As schools resume this autumn, more than 1.3 million children across West and Central Africa risk missing out on school meals from the World Food Programme (WFP), as widening financial constraints force the United Nations agency – the top sponsor of such initiatives – to reduce its reach.

PORT MORESBY – A convoy of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Government and UN partners reached Pilikambi Rural Local Level Government (LLG) last week to monitor food distributions to communities affected by El-Nino-related drought and frost. Officials were welcomed as ‘wantoks’— a Tok Pisin phrase meaning ‘close comrades’ – as several hundred Engan tribe members, local leaders and local government officials celebrated the convoy’s arrival.

PORT MORESBY – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), in partnership with CARE International and provincial authorities, begins food distributions today in the Highlands Region of Papua New Guinea, which has experienced drought and periodic frost conditions since 2015. In two of the most affected provinces —Enga and Hela — 25,400 households will receive the first 70 kg ration of fortified rice lasting six weeks. WFP plans to reach 180,000 people in urgent need of food assistance in the country.

CONAKRY - More than 240,000 children will receive school meals this academic year in Guinea, as the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) expands its school meals programme from 735 to 1,605 primary schools across the country.

FREETOWN – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes Japan’s donation of US$6 million to support WFP’s response in Eb0la-affected Sierra Leone, including support to some 3,000 Ebola survivors across the country.

GENEVA – The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) are combining their forces in a new partnership in the Ebola-affected countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The arrangement combines the logistics strength of WFP with WHO’s public health expertise to help get the current Ebola outbreak down to zero cases in West Africa. The platform also establishes an alert and response infrastructure for future crises.

FREETOWN - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed a US$1 million grant from the African Development Bank (ADB) to help fight Ebola in Sierra Leone. The contribution will be used to support the Government of Sierra Leone and WFP in meeting the essential food and nutrition needs of vulnerable people and communities affected by Ebola.

BEIJING – Today the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) are launching a public fundraising campaign with Tencent, one of the world’s largest internet companies, to raise funds to fight Ebola.

Lack of access to food in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone could threaten over one million people

BEIJING – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is especially thankful for the timely and generous assistance provided by the Chinese government, which has supported WFP’s food assistance as well as sending medical experts and equipment at this very difficult time, to halt the advance of Ebola Virus Disease.

BRINDISI – A flight carrying humanitarian supplies to support the Ebola response departed for Guinea this morning from the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) in Brindisi.

BERLIN/ROME – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has received €24 million (more than US$ 30 million) from the government of Germany to support the increasing need for food assistance to more than one million people affected by the Ebola virus epidemic.

FREETOWN – At the end of a three-day visit to Sierra Leone, during which she met with government officials and key actors in the fight against Ebola, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Ertharin Cousin today called upon partners all over the world to work together to address the critical needs of those affected by the health crisis.

MONROVIA – A United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) aircraft has flown one metric ton of critical medical supplies on behalf of the World Health Organization (WHO) to the Malian capital of Bamako after the first case of Ebola was identified in the country.

FREETOWN –With World Bank funding to the Government of Sierra Leone, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has airlifted 20 ambulances and 10 mortuary pickup trucks to scale up the Government logistical capacity in response to Ebola. This delivery constitutes the first set of 74 vehicles worth US$4 million to be brought in by WFP from its logistical hub in Dubai to Freetown. The remaining 44 vehicles are expected in Freetown by sea in the forthcoming weeks.

BEIJING - The Government of the People’s Republic of China has contributed US$6 million to the United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) emergency operation to assist 1 .3 million people impacted by the Ebola virus outbreak in the three most-affected countries – Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

FREETOWN – Amid concerns over the increasing rate of Ebola infection in Sierra Leone, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and partners today began distributing food for 265,000 people on the outskirts of the capital.

DAKAR/ROME – Logistical support to the global Ebola response is in high gear – with the latest supply flight en route today from Italy to Liberia – as the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) reported reaching more than 530,000 people with food assistance in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

ROME/WASHINGTON - The U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) will receive $21.7 million from two international financial institutions. This contribution will help support the increasing need for food assistance amid the worsening Ebola epidemic.

DAKAR – The United Nations World Food programme (WFP) is stepping up assistance to people impacted by Ebola in the three most-affected countries – Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – and increasing logistical support to the whole humanitarian community fighting the spread of the virus.

CONAKRY – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed a new contribution of US$1.6 million from the Government of Japan to support operations in Guinea.

CONAKRY –In March 2014, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Guinean Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene launched a pilot project funded by the Japanese Government to prevent chronic malnutrition in the prefecture of Labé.