News releases

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.

Pope Francis, United Nations Secretary-General and Italy’s President join other leaders in urging renewed efforts to tackle hunger and malnutrition

Rome - World Food Day 2022 celebrations were held in Rome today under the rallying cry "leave no one behind," amid a deteriorating global food security crisis and all-time high numbers of people at risk of experiencing serious levels of hunger in Asia and Africa.

BAGHDAD – On the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) call for action to address food loss and adopt sustainable food waste management in Iraq.

COLOMBO, 28 September 2022 – The United States Permanent Representative to the UN Agencies in Rome, Ambassador Cindy McCain concluded a two-day official visit to the North Western and Central Provinces of Sri Lanka today. Accompanied by the United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung, Ambassador McCain visited several projects of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Rising conflict, climate extremes, and economic instability aggravated by the lingering impacts of COVID-19 and the ripple effects of the war in Ukraine are among the key drivers

ROME – The number of people facing acute food insecurity worldwide is expected to continue to rise precipitously, as the food crisis tightens its grip on 19 ‘hunger hotspots’ – driven by rising conflict, weather extremes, and economic instability aggravated by the pandemic and the ripple effects of the crisis in Ukraine, a joint UN report released today has found.

ROME – As climate extremes become more frequent and intense, women and girls - who are at a higher risk than men and boys of experiencing the devastating effects of the climate crisis - including food insecurity, need to be front and centre when planning and implementing climate change adaptation solutions, said three United Nations' food agencies at their joint International Women's Day event today.

UN agencies say further scaling up of assistance urgently needed as new report highlights widespread food insecurity

Rome - New findings indicate the food crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) shows little sign of abating, and could worsen in the coming months without scaled-up assistance, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) warned today.

Pope Francis joins other leaders with messages for global event paying tribute to Food Heroes

Rome - World Food Day 2021 celebrations began today, with a global event where participants noted that while the challenges of global hunger, climate crisis and COVID-19 remain formidable, there is also a new momentum and energy behind efforts to transform our agri-food systems, making them more fit for purpose.

Pressing need to upscale both food aid and agricultural livelihoods assistance to head off a worst-case scenario

ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR: With each day that passes, more lives are at stake as hunger tightens its grip in southern Madagascar. This is the stark warning from two United Nations agencies, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), as they seek to draw international attention to a humanitarian crisis that risks being invisible.

The online public consultation will feed into the organizations’ strategic outlooks and provide a platform to share ideas to accelerate achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Rome - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have launched an online public consultation to obtain inputs on how the UN agencies can collaborate in key areas in the coming years.

ROME - The United Nations and the Government of Italy announced today that the Pre-Summit gathering for the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit will be in Rome, Italy from July 19 to July 21, 2021.

Rome – Hunger and famine will persist and there will be unequal recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic unless more women in rural and urban areas hold leadership positions with increased decision-making power, say the heads of the three United Nations’ food agencies ahead of their joint International Women’s Day event on 8 March.

Bangkok, Thailand – The economic impact of COVID-19 on the world’s most populous region is threatening to further undermine efforts to improve diets and nutrition of nearly two billion people in Asia and the Pacific who were already unable to afford healthy diets prior to the pandemic, says a new report published today by four specialized agencies of the United Nations.

Securing healthy diets for the billions who cannot afford them would save trillions in costs

Rome, 13 July 2020 – More people are going hungry, an annual study by the United Nations has found. Tens of millions have joined the ranks of the chronically undernourished over the past five years, and countries around the world continue to struggle with multiple forms of malnutrition.

ROME – The World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution of €3 million from the European Union (EU), which will strengthen global efforts to eradicate hunger and malnutrition by supporting the Committee on World Food Security.

FAO, IFAD and WFP conclude three-day visit to see nutrition programmes

16 May 2019, Vientiane – The heads of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) today concluded a joint visit to the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) with a call for greater investment in nutrition.

Findings of a new hunger report to be launched during a High-Level Event of the Global Network Against Food Crises, Brussels, 2-3 April 2019

ROME – A group of prominent women joined the three Rome-based United Nations agencies today, to mark International Women’s Day at an event recognising women’s contributions to building smart solutions for those who are excluded from decision making and influencing development in all sectors.

COLOMBO – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) today kicked off World Food Day 2018 under the patronage of His Excellency Maithripala Sirisena, President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, in line with the global theme: ‘Our Actions are Our Future. A #Zero Hunger world by 2030 is possible’. This year’s focus of World Food Day was the importance of good nutrition for a healthy nation.

ADDIS ABABA - Speaking at the conclusion of a four-day visit to Ethiopia, including to the drought-stricken Somali region, the heads of the United Nations food agencies made a joint call for greater investment in long-term activities that strengthen people’s resilience to drought and the impacts of climate shocks.

Around 7.7 million people require urgent humanitarian assistance, FAO and WFP warn

JUBA – All parties to the conflict in South Sudan must cease violence and work together to ensure that food and other lifesaving support can reach people to end famine and severe hunger, the heads of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said yesterday.

NADI – Preparing for and responding to natural disasters as they affect access to food for millions of people in the Pacific Islands, is one of the major themes that was discussed at the first-ever meeting of the Regional Pacific Food Security Cluster in Nadi, Fiji this week.

Urgent assistance to farmers critical to stemming growing food insecurity, UN agencies say

Joint WFP-IFAD Press Release

KHARTOUM - The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote food security through improvement of agricultural production among smallholder farmers in Sudan.