News releases

JUBA – United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director David Beasley today congratulated leaders of Sudan and one of the country’s rebel groups for agreeing to principles to resolve their conflict including that freedom of religion would be guaranteed to all Sudanese in a civil, democratic federal state.

KIGALI - The United Nations World Food Programme today welcomed a contribution of CAD 1 million (US$ 794,000) from the Government and people of Canada to provide humanitarian food and nutrition assistance to 135,000 Congolese and Burundian refugees in camps in Rwanda.

This is a summary of what was said by WFP spokesperson Tomson Phiri – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

GENEVA - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warns that hunger is on the rise in Angola as the country experiences its worst episode of drought in four decades in the south-western provinces.

ADDIS ABABA –  The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has begun providing emergency food assistance to vulnerable people in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region but urgently needs US$170 million to meet critical food and nutrition needs over the next six months, and to be able to cover any sudden increase.

This is a summary of what was said by WFP spokesperson Tomson Phiri – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

GENEVA - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is working tirelessly to assist people in need following the devastating fire outbreak that tore through four settlements in the Kutupalong Mega Camp in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh.

NCHELENGE – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a contribution of US$610,000 (ZMW 13.5 million) from the U.S. government, which will help provide cash assistance to 16,500 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) residing in the WFP-supported Mantapala settlement.

ROME – Acute hunger is set to soar in over 20 countries in the coming months without urgent and scaled-up assistance, warn the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP) in a new report issued today.

DUSHANBE – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Tajikistan today inaugurated a bakery in Pani district, the eighth such bakery WFP has helped build with funding from Russia. A steady supply of bread made in these bakeries will be used in school meals for 11,000 primary schoolchildren across 300 schools in the country, helping to make sure that children are healthy, ready to learn, and stay in school.

BEIJING - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of China have signed agreements to provide food assistance to vulnerable people in Cameroon, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and Uganda. These contributions aim to alleviate food insecurity, which has been worsened by the socio-economic effects of COVID-19.

ROME – A €4.5 million (US$5 million) contribution from the European Union has enabled the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to provide vital support to the global pandemic response by transporting humanitarian staff and cargo needed to fight COVID-19 to destinations all around the world.

MONROVIA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is providing take-home rations to pre-primary and primary school children and their household members, totalling 5,000 beneficiaries. The rations comprising of rice, fortified vegetable oil, and pulses are intended to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the students and their families. This assistance was made possible thanks to a contribution of 200,000 CAD (US$ 150,000) by the Government of Canada to WFP in Liberia.

MAPUTO – The United States Government is the largest donor of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Mozambique. Through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), $38.4 million was awarded to WFP in 2020 alone. $12.6 million of this supports the humanitarian response in northern Mozambique and has been crucial to maintain WFP operations and to support vulnerable populations impacted by ongoing crises in the region.

New Delhi/Bhubaneshwar: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of Odisha will be partnering for empowering women through livelihood support and promotion of climate-resilient millets.

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.

NAYPYITAW, MYANMAR – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today warned of rising food and fuel prices as the current political unrest starts to impact supply chains and markets.

As the consequences of COVID-19 become more tangible, WFP, WHO and UNICEF are working together to protect children and families in Angola from catastrophic levels of deprivation through strengthening essential services, including health, food security, nutrition, hygiene, and education.

LUANDA– The World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) welcome a contribution of US$ one million from the Government of Japan to support various interventions in Angola.

DAR ES SALAAM - Today, at the Tanzania Port Authority, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a US$8 million contribution from the United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The contribution will help maintain critical food assistance to refugees living in Nduta, Mtendeli and Nyarugusu camps in north-western Tanzania.

ROME – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced the Finnish Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Ville Skinnari, as the founding member of a high-level steering committee to support a global scale up of school meal programmes.

UNICEF and WFP warn that more than 1 in 3 health districts in the country are now on alert for a child malnutrition crisis due to recent violence

BANGUI – At least 24,000 children under five across 14 of the Central African Republic’s 35 health districts are at risk of severe acute malnutrition following the recent spike in violence across the country – UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) warned today. Out of these 14 districts, which are now on alert for a child malnutrition crisis, six currently have no resources or capacity to respond to children’s acute needs.
The two UN agencies also noted that violence and insecurity are exacerbating population displacement, hindering humanitarian access and causing food prices to rise.

This is a summary of what was said by WFP spokesperson Tomson Phiri – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

GENEVA –The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has begun to convene a coalition of stakeholders to support governments to restore and boost access to school feeding for the most vulnerable children.

DAMASCUS – After a decade of upheaval, conflict and displacement, Syrians are facing the worst humanitarian conditions since the start of the crisis, with millions of people sliding into hunger in the last year alone, according to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

BAGHDAD – On International School Meals Day, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) renews its commitment to support the learning and nutrition needs of children in Iraq. Under the National School Feeding Programme, WFP in partnership with the Iraqi Ministry of Education is developing a new universal School Feeding policy to support all primary school children in the country.

Transcript as delivered of remarks by UN World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director David Beasley during today’s UN Security Council session on food security and maintaining international peace and stability

NEW YORK – The UN World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director, David Beasley, addressed the United Nations Security Council today on Yemen, conflict and food insecurity. Here are selected highlights from his remarks

YOKOHAMA – The United Nations World Food Programme has welcomed a total contribution of US$110 million from the Government of Japan towards its food assistance and livelihood support to vulnerable people in 37 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa