News releases

GENEVA, NEW YORK, ROME, 12 January 2023 - United Nations agencies are calling for urgent action to protect the most vulnerable children in the 15 countries hardest hit by an unprecedented food and nutrition crisis.

KAMPALA – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have welcomed a contribution of US$4.7 million from Norway to jointly implement programmes which increase climate resilience and improve food and nutrition security for 8,000 families in the Teso sub-region of eastern Uganda.

KAMPONG CHHNANG & PURSAT – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, with support from KOICA, are this month recognizing the role school cooks play in the school meals programme through a series cooking competitions.

YEREVAN – With a generous contribution of US$750,000 from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) will support the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs to strengthen the shock responsiveness of the social protection system in Armenia.

KIGALI – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Rwanda has welcomed a contribution of US$3.6 million from Germany to support the food and nutrition needs of women and children in the refugee community, to strengthen government social protection systems and improve food security and incomes for smallholder farmers.

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.

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).

KINSHASA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a EUR 2.5 million contribution from the Government of France to help stem malnutrition amongst hundreds of children under two years old in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

DAKAR – The number of hungry people in West and Central Africa is projected to reach an all-time high of 48 million people (including 9 million children) next year if urgent and long-lasting solutions to address this crisis are not delivered soon. The latest Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis shows that over 35 million people (including 6.7 million children) in the region - approximately 8 percent of the assessed population - are currently unable to meet their basic food and nutrition needs.

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.

MUNICH – Seven start-ups competing for up to US$100,000 in equity-free funding from the United Nations World Food Programme Innovation accelerator, showcased their new technologies to tackle hunger and the climate crisis, at a global pitch event in Munich, Germany.

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.

Jordan – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a timely contribution of US$6 million from Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) to provide food assistance to Syrian refugee families living in camps in Jordan.

NADI – A chartered flight bound for Tuvalu left Fiji today carrying 500kg of medical supplies as well as health experts to support the country’s response to its first wave of community transmission of COVID-19. The flight was chartered by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) through its Pacific Humanitarian Air Service.

SHARM EL-SHEIKH – The United Nation’s World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Bank signed an agreement today to scale up disaster risk protection financed by Germany and the United Kingdom for vulnerable communities and nations faced with catastrophic climate extremes like storms and drought. As world leaders confront the global climate crisis at the annual UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), this initiative underscores the importance of investment in climate action to protect vulnerable communities when disasters strike.

SHARM EL-SHEIKH – The Partnership for Central America (PCA), the World Bank (WB), and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) launched today the “Disaster Risk Insurance and Finance in Central America Consortium” (DRIFCA) to identify and support climate-related agricultural insurance solutions for up to 2 million smallholder farmers in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras to increase their food security and financial resilience. The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided support for regional feasibility studies to be undertaken by the World Bank.

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.

CAIRO – Arab film star Hend Sabry lent her voice to a United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) campaign highlighting the impact of the climate crisis on the most vulnerable communities in the Middle East and North Africa as world leaders convene in Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh that hosts the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27).

ROME – As world leaders gather at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is calling on the international community to invest in building the resilience of vulnerable communities living on the frontlines of the climate crisis in Pakistan and other climate hotspots.

YAOUNDÉ – At the end of a week-long visit to Cameroon, Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordan - Senior Special Adviser to the World Food Programme (WFP) on Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition - noted that enhanced and collective actions are urgently needed to eliminate the barriers to gender equality and to make Cameroon a more equitable place for girls and boys, women and men.

The proportion of people facing severe acute food insecurity is at the highest level ever, surpassing levels seen even during the conflicts in 2013 and 2016.

Bishkek – The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in the Kyrgyz Republic will receive US$1 million from the Government of Japan to support thousands affected by the recent Kyrgyz-Tajik border clashes.

ROME – As world leaders gather at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt next month, WFP highlights the urgent need for climate adaptation solutions to stem the tide of growing hunger. The unfolding global food crisis cannot be stopped until we support communities and nations to manage the risks associated with a changing climate.

KATHMANDU – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), in support of the Government of Nepal’s emergency response, has dispatched cash assistance to communities at perilous risk ahead of monsoon flooding in Western Nepal, helping to soften the blow of the climate-related disaster.