News releases

CAIRO – The war in Ukraine has dealt a fresh hammer blow to Syria’s ability to feed itself just as the country struggles to deal with levels of hunger that are up by half since 2019, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said today on the eve of the annual donor pledging conference held in Brussels.

ROME – The United Nations World Food Programme is today calling for the re-opening of the ports in the Odesa area of southern Ukraine so that food being produced in the war-torn country can flow freely to the rest of the world, before the current global hunger crisis spins out of control.

Banjul – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) launched, today, cash transfers to assist internally displaced people (IDPs), refugees, and host families in Foni Kansala (West Coast region), as the conflict in the Senegalese Casamance region has led to cross-border displacement.

ROME – France’s Europe and Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, Agriculture and Food Julien Denormandie and EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič met with David Beasley, Executive Director (ED) of the World Food Program (WFP), to discuss the dramatic consequences of the war in Ukraine on food security, especially for developing countries and the world’s most vulnerable countries.

NAIROBI – Millions of displaced families across eastern Africa will fall deeper into hunger as food rations dwindle due to humanitarian resources being stretched to the limit as the world grapples with a toxic cocktail of conflict, climate shocks, and Covid-19, combined with spiraling costs of food and fuel, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned today.

DAKAR – The number of women, men and children affected by a food and nutrition crisis in West and Central Africa is expected to reach a new record high in June 2022 - quadrupling in just three years from 10.7 million in 2019 to 41 million in 2022 - unless appropriate measures are urgently taken, reveals the Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis released in March 2022.

DILI – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed a US$ 1.5 million donation from the Government of Timor-Leste for the agency’s humanitarian response in Ukraine.

Lviv – The United Nations World Food Programme has welcomed an additional contribution of US$14 million from the Government of Japan to provide humanitarian food assistance to people affected by the conflict in Ukraine. This brings the total contribution by Japan for the Ukraine crisis to US$ 28 million.

CAIRO – As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins, the soaring cost of food staples in import-dependent Middle Eastern and North African countries is creating ever greater challenges for millions of families already struggling to keep hunger at bay, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said today.

KRAKOW – The United Nations World Food Programme has welcomed a US$14 million contribution from the Government of Japan to provide emergency food assistance to people affected by the conflict in Ukraine.

SANA’A – Desperate levels of hunger in war-torn Yemen are set to become catastrophic as the Ukraine crisis pushes up food prices and a nearly US$ 900-million funding gap makes further cuts in food assistance ever more certain, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said today.

SANA’A, ADEN, ROME, NEW YORK, - Yemen’s already dire hunger crisis is teetering on the edge of outright catastrophe, with 17.4 million people now in need of food assistance and a growing portion of the population coping with emergency levels of hunger, UN agencies have warned.

RZESZOW, Poland – As the emergency operation in Ukraine moved into high gear today, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) expressed deep concern about the waning ability of families in embattled areas to find food and also warned that the crisis could have consequences well beyond Ukraine’s borders.

SANA’A – Yemen is spiraling into a catastrophe as humanitarian funding dries up, forcing the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to scale back food assistance to millions of hungry families, WFP Executive Director David Beasley warned today, as he ended a two-day visit to the conflict-ravaged country.

ROME – We are deeply concerned about the evolving conflict in Ukraine and its potential impact on access to food for civilians in affected areas and on our operations globally. Our thoughts are with all those who have been caught up in this crisis and we echo the UN Secretary General’s call for an immediate ceasefire.

GAZA – Thanks to a generous contribution of EUR 3 million from the European Union (EU), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has supported 23,400 people in need (more than 4,000 families) with critical assistance in the Gaza Strip.

DAKAR – The number of acutely food insecure people in West and Central Africa has now risen to a record high of 28 million people and trends point toward a further deterioration if support to stem the spread of hunger is not ramped up, two UN agencies - the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP - warned today.

ADDIS ABABA – The number of people in need of humanitarian food assistance across northern Ethiopia has grown to an estimated 9.4 million as a direct result of ongoing conflict, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced today.

From production to purchasing, combined efforts prove agriculture can play an impactful role in
the sustainable economy of Iraq

ADDIS ABABA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has completed its first round of food distributions to people impacted by the spread of conflict into Afar and Amhara regions. However, a lack of supplies due to various impediments to the movement of humanitarian aid still sees distributions in Tigray lagging behind.

ADDIS ABABA –  As conflict spills across Northern Ethiopia, forcing 300,000 people from their homes and 1.7 million into hunger in Afar and Amhara provinces, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced an unprecedented funding gap of $US426 million across its operation in Ethiopia and appealed for funds to meet the needs of up to 12 million people this year.

30 August 2021 – The Government of Japan provided JPY 200 million (US$1.8 million) to the World Food Programme (WFP) in Mozambique to address food insecurity in communities affected by the ongoing violence and displacement of people in the Cabo Delgado province.

YANGON – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today warned that its lifesaving operations in Myanmar are being held back by a major funding shortfall, with over 70 percent of its funding needs over the coming six months still unmet.

JERUSALEM – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed a contribution of CAD$2 million (approximately US$1.7 million) from the Government of Canada to provide much-needed food assistance for two months for more than 64,000 of people in the Gaza Strip who have been most-affected by the recent armed escalation and ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

LUSAKA – This week, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) procured and delivered personal protective equipment, funded by Brazil to the Ministry of Health in Zambia. The equipment, consisting of 1,315 white overalls and 11,505 disposable gowns will be used in Zambia’s efforts to fight COVID-19.