UN World Food Programme announces Asma Khan as a Chef Advocate for the United Kingdom

Asma Khan has long been a dedicated supporter of WFP and its causes. Asma advocated for WFP’s Women are Hungrier campaign, to draw attention to the central role women’s empowerment plays in ending hunger and transforming communities.  She has also supported ShareTheMeal, a crowdfunding smartphone application to fight global hunger through the WFP.

In her new role as a WFP Chef Advocate, Asma will continue to draw attention to the global hunger crisis and the role of women’s empowerment in ending hunger.

WFP, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020, is the world’s leading humanitarian organization delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience.

“Asma is a passionate advocate around issues of global hunger and the ways we can come together to help save and change millions of lives. I congratulate her on becoming a WFP Chef Advocate,” said Elisabeth Faure, Director WFP UK Office 

“I feel deeply privileged to be able to use my voice, my power, to advocate for people affected by hunger, particularly women and girls.  Gender equality and women’s empowerment play a key role in achieving a world without hunger,” adds Asma Khan. 

Later this month, Khan will travel to Lebanon to see WFP projects supporting Syrian refugees and the Lebanese population who have been impacted by the severe economic crisis. 

The world is facing an unprecedented hunger crisis, as conflict and climate shocks compounded by COVID-19 and rising costs drive millions of people closer to starvation - threatening to increase instability globally.  With the numbers of hungry rising considerably due to the war in Ukraine, WFP is calling for a step-change in global support for its operations. 

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The United Nations World Food Programme is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.  We are the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

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About Asma Khan

Asma Khan is one of the UK's most prominent female chefs and an unstoppable force for social change in the food industry.

Owner of Darjeeling Express and star of Netflix’s Chef’s Table, Asma is passionate about using her platform to give women from diverse backgrounds more opportunities to succeed.

Although Asma loved food, she left India without ever learning to cook.  Separated from home, she felt a longing for the warmth and comfort of the dishes she felt a deep connection to.

Asma was the first woman in her family to attend college, she qualified as a lawyer and completed a doctorate in British Constitutional Law, but she always knew her future was in food.

The journey started in her own home, hosting supper clubs, before opening her London restaurant - which is run by an all-women team, many of whom are second daughters or immigrants.

Asma was the first British chef to feature on Netflix's Chef's Table, and she used her appearance as an opportunity to talk about race and about the absolute imbalance of female representation in kitchens.

Asma works with WFP to draw attention to the global hunger crisis and the central role women’s empowerment plays in ending hunger and transforming communities.