News releases

LUSAKA – With US$500,000 from Citi Foundation, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is ramping up a ground-breaking initiative that seeks to strengthen resilience to climate crises and boost financial inclusion for 17,200 smallholder farmers in Zambia over the next two years.

MAPUTO – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has today welcomed a US$ 4 million contribution from Republic of Korea to boost food security and empower tens of thousands of people whose lives have been shattered by the ongoing conflict in northern Mozambique.

NEW YORK/GENEVA/ROME – In the less than five months that followed the brutal 7 October attacks and the ensuing escalation, tens of thousands of Palestinians – mostly women and children – have been killed and injured in the Gaza Strip. More than three quarters of the population have been forced from their homes, many multiple times, and face severe shortages of food, water, sanitation and healthcare – the basic necessities to survive.

DAKAR – Amid persistently high humanitarian needs in West and Central Africa, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is calling on governments and partners to safeguard resilience-building programmes that help crisis-affected communities withstand shocks and meet their own food and nutrition needs. This will prevent a reversal of hard-won development gains in the region and help reduce humanitarian needs over time.

ROME – The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is pausing deliveries of life-saving food aid to northern Gaza until conditions are in place that allow for safe distributions.

Port Sudan – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Sudan welcomed a generous contribution of US$1.9 million from the Government of Japan. This will enable WFP to provide life-saving food assistance to some of the most vulnerable people across the country.

The situation is especially serious in the north, where one in six children under the age of two is acutely malnourished


GENEVA/NEW YORK/ROME, 19 February 2024 – A steep rise in malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women in the Gaza strip poses grave threats to their health, according to a comprehensive new analysis released by the Global Nutrition Cluster.

PORT-AU-PRINCE – Amid sustained attacks on civilians by armed groups, increasing displacement and civil unrest in Haiti, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is calling for unimpeded access for aid agencies and the free flow of food commodities to prevent already-dire levels of hunger from becoming catastrophic.

CAIRO/ROME – The World Food Programme (WFP) announced today the appointment of Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur as its newest Global Goodwill Ambassador. Recognized for her athletic prowess and commitment to social causes, Jabeur will use her influential voice to raise awareness about global food insecurity and support WFP's mission to end hunger.

ADDIS ABABA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has activated more robust delivery mechanisms to its operations in Ethiopia since late 2023, a significant step in assuring the delivery of critical food assistance to the hungriest populations affected by drought, flooding, and conflict. WFP is now working at pace to deliver food assistance to up to 3 million in Ethiopia in the coming weeks.

Massachusetts /Panama City - The Civic Data Design Lab (CCDL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have been recognized among winners of the 2023 Anthem Awards which highlight excellence in social impact. The project “Distance Unknown: Risks and Opportunities of Migration in the Americas” today received a Gold Medal in the ‘Humanitarian Action & Services’ category for ‘Best use of data’.

ROME - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director, Cindy McCain, has assumed the role of Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) principals Champion on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment (PSEAH), taking over from Andrew Morley, President of World Vision International.

NOUAKCHOTT – The UN World Food Programme (WFP) thanks the European Union (EU) for its long-term support to the people of Mauritania. The major contribution of €2,3 million, made through the EU’s Humanitarian Aid Operations department (ECHO), supported the National Disaster Preparedness Programme for the past 6 years. In addition, its crucial contribution of €1,45 million allowed WFP to provide cash assistance to 82,000 Malian refugees in the Mbera camp in 2023.

ROME/GENEVA/NEW YORK – As the risk of famine grows, and more people are exposed to deadly disease outbreaks, a fundamental step change in the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza is urgently needed, United Nations agencies warned today. The heads of the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) say that getting enough supplies into and across Gaza now depends on: the opening of new entry routes; more trucks being allowed through border checks each day; fewer restrictions on the movement of humanitarian workers; and guarantees of safety for people accessing and distributing aid.

DILI - The Timor-Leste Ministry of Health (MoH) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) signed an agreement to purchase Specialized Nutritious Foods (SNF) to tackle malnutrition in pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.

East Jerusalem – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a grant of US$5.2 million from the Government of Canada. This timely contribution will enable WFP to provide essential emergency food assistance to people in Gaza.

Niamey – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Niger welcomed a contribution of €3 million from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) to help address vulnerable communities’ urgent food and education needs, while sustaining humanitarian partners with safe and efficient access to all regions of Niger through the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS).

East Jerusalem – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a donation of CHF 10,000,000.00 (over USD 11,400,000) from the Swiss Government in support of WFP’s emergency response in Gaza. These funds, which have come at a critical point in the crisis, will help WFP bring vital emergency food assistance to the people of Gaza.

ROME – More than one in four households in Gaza currently face extreme hunger, and there is a risk of famine unless access to adequate food, clean water, health and sanitation services is restored, according to a new Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report released today. IPC is a multi-stakeholder platform that analyses data to determine the severity and magnitude of hunger crises, according to internationally-recognized scientific standards.

East Jerusalem – A 46-truck convoy, organized by WFP and the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO), on Wednesday carried more than 750 metric tons of life-saving food into Gaza, marking the first time a direct aid convoy from Jordan has reached the Strip since the upsurge in hostilities began on 7 October.

PORT SUDAN – Parts of war-ravaged Sudan are at a high risk of slipping into catastrophic hunger conditions by next year’s lean season if the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is unable to expand access and regularly deliver food assistance to people trapped in conflict hotspots such as Khartoum, the Darfurs, and the Kordofans, warns the UN food agency today.

DHAKA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomes a new contribution of US$87 million from the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance of the United States Agency for International Development. This timely funding will significantly bolster WFP’s efforts in providing lifesaving food and nutrition assistance to the Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar and on Bhasan Char Island, where nearly 1 million people are facing daily hardships, without an immediate prospect of a safe return to Myanmar. Thanks to the unwavering support of the United States and the rest of the donor community, WFP will increase its food assistance from US$8 to US$10 and add fortified rice to the food basket in Cox's Bazar in January 2024.

DAKAR – Despite considerable efforts by governments and partners, food insecurity continues to worsen in West and Central Africa with the number of hungry people set to reach a staggering 49.5 million people between June and August 2024 – a four percent increase compared to 2023, according to a regional food security analysis released today.

GUATEMALA CITY/TEGUCIGALPA – The United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) governing body, the Executive Board, concluded a visit to Guatemala and Honduras to see how the agency is helping to build sustainable food systems and value chains for climate-smart agriculture along the Dry Corridor, in a concerted effort with communities and governments.