News releases

SANAA/DUBAI – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a $20 million contribution from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) to help meet the urgent food needs of the most vulnerable households in Yemen.

KAMPALA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution of EUR 5.1 million (approximately 20 billion Uganda Shillings) from the European Union’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department (ECHO) to provide life-saving food assistance in the form of cash transfers for more than 850,000 refugees in Uganda, and for emergency food assistance and treatment for malnutrition for an additional 183,288 people in the Karamoja region.

ANTANANARIVO – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has contributed US$45 million in 2022 on behalf of the American people to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to help provide life-saving food assistance in southern Madagascar, as half the population faces acute food insecurity following consecutive years of drought.

COLOMBO – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Sri Lanka welcomed Dustin Shiau, Senior Regional Program Officer of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), on a visit to Sri Lanka. He met with food-insecure communities and heard first-hand accounts of the difficulties they are facing and how USAID and WFP support has helped provide regular meals for their families.

KINSHASA – The Government of Japan has contributed US$ 6.3 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to strengthen emergency food and nutrition assistance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where 26 million people face severe food insecurity.

KHARTOUM – A delegation of humanitarian and development experts from the European Union (EU) reiterated their support for the Sudanese people upon the conclusion of a mission to Sudan to see the reality of food systems on the ground. The mission ended just days after the signing of a Framework Agreement which could pave the way for a two-year civilian-led transition in the country. Some 25 delegates from the EU and its Member States had the opportunity to see World Food Programme (WFP) and EU humanitarian and development projects throughout their visit, which was led by the Czech Presidency of the EU.

ZANZIBAR – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has today announced the expansion of its programme to Zanzibar, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, some 25 to 50 kilometres off the coast of mainland Tanzania - as part of its new five-year Country Strategic Plan (2022-2027).

YANGON – The European Union (EU) has contributed EUR 6.5 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) towards its humanitarian assistance in Myanmar, where some 15 million people are facing moderate or severe food insecurity.

NOUAKCHOTT – Today, BMZ, UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP ended a five-day visit to Mauritania that included Ministerial-level discussions and a field trip to Hodh Chargui. It is the first time that the four agencies have undertaken such a visit, which provided deep insights into the results that can be achieved when humanitarian, development and peace actors collaborate in mitigating shocks and building resilience in communities affected by forced displacement and climatic shocks.

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.

COLOMBO – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Sri Lanka welcomed a contribution of EUR 500,000 (approximately LKR 190 million) from France towards its emergency response for children and families affected by the country’s worst economic crisis in decades. Around 9,000 families facing high levels of food insecurity will receive nutritious foods to help them feed their under-five children.

VIENTIANE – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today launched a new project for school children funded by the Government of China through the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA).

CARACAS - The Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), David Beasley, concluded a two-day visit to Venezuela where he met President Nicolas Maduro and consolidated the expansion of the WFP’s footprint in the country to reach 1 million children in 2023.

LILONGWE – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a total US$ 4.1 million contribution from the Government of Iceland and the Government of Norway to support thousands of people facing severe hunger at the peak of the lean season in Malawi.

This is a summary of what was said by Antonella D’Aprile, WFP’s Country Director in Mozambique – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

BENGHAZI – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Libya has welcomed a contribution of 9,000,000 CZK (approx. US$ 355,000) from the Czech Republic to support the rehabilitation of the Food and Drug Control Centre (FDCC) laboratory in Benghazi. Through this project, WFP aims to provide the centre with advanced equipment and technical training to improve its capacity.

MOGADISHU – The United Nations World Food Programme is delivering life-saving food and nutrition assistance to record numbers of people in Somalia, with over 4 million people a month receiving urgent humanitarian support to prevent famine in the face of the region’s worst drought in over 40 years.

Phnom Penh, 16 October 2022 – The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) are marking World Food Day on 17 October this year by calling for greater investment in the transformation of food systems to ensure food and nutrition security and to cope with shocks and crises.

DILI – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes Ms. Cecilia Garzon as its new Country Representative in Timor-Leste. On 18 October, Ms. Garzon formally presented her credentials to the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, H.E. Julião da Silva, and reiterated WFP’s commitment to improving food security and ending all forms of malnutrition in Timor-Lestethe country, while helping to strengthening the country’s capacities to respond to climate shocks.

Almost half the population are currently facing acute hunger

PORT-AU-PRINCE: An unrelenting series of crises has trapped vulnerable Haitians in a cycle of growing desperation, without access to food, fuel, markets, jobs and public services, bringing the country to a standstill, warn the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). Hunger has reached Catastrophic levels, or the highest level, 5 on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), in Cité Soleil, an urban neighborhood in Port-au-Price, Haiti.

BISHKEK - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) - with financial assistance from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) - is launching a project in the Kyrgyz Republic to help vulnerable rural communities manage climate risks such as increasing weather variability, by providing climate services and helping to promote climate sensitive livelihoods.

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).

PRAIA – A week after schools reopened in Cabo Verde, the Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Regional Integration, and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), today, signed an agreement to meet the food and nutrition needs of nearly 90,000 school children through the national school feeding programme.

This is a summary of remarks by WFP Sudan Representative and Country Director, Eddie Rowe- to whom quoted text may be attributed – at a press briefing, today, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

GENEVA: Sudan is facing a deepening hunger crisis as climate shocks, protracted conflict and skyrocketing food prices leave families struggling to access and afford basic food commodities. At least 15 million people, or one-third of the population, are facing hunger in Sudan, according to WFP’s latest Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Assessment. This is a 50 percent increase compared to last year. Earlier this year, WFP warned that up to 18 million people could face food insecurity by September and there are assessments ongoing to confirm whether our worst fears have come true.

COLOMBO – The first consignment from an Australian donation totaling AUD22 million (approximately USD15 million) has arrived in Sri Lanka and will soon be distributed to those most affected by the ongoing economic crisis. The consignment, consisting of 600 metric tonnes of rice, forms part of a larger consignment of rice, pulses and cooking oil, due to arrive in the country soon.