El Salvador country strategic plan (2022–2027)

CSP approved at EB June 2022

Revision 01 approved by the CD in July 2022

Revision 02 approved by the CD in April 2023

El Salvador’s moderate but steady advancement towards food security and prosperity has been curbed by high levels of malnutrition, gender inequality and violence. Low purchasing power, a result of both low income and limited job opportunities matched with high food prices and insufficient national production, represents an important food security and nutrition challenge that hampers food access and availability. The country’s exposure to climate variability and other disaster risks is amplifying existing vulnerabilities. Despite all these challenges, the Government has identified initiatives to overcome them.

Significant national investments in infrastructure and the reduction of violence are positive indicators of fruitful collaboration to eradicate hunger and malnutrition. WFP will support El Salvador in strengthening human capital and resilience, thereby contributing to the country’s prosperity and reducing incentives for irregular migration. WFP will harness its role as an enabler of change to assist food-insecure populations, transform discriminatory gender social norms and establish efficient, equitable and inclusive food systems that can increasingly cater to the country’s food production needs. Emergency preparedness and response, disaster risk management, anticipatory action and community-based adaptation will strengthen adaptive capacity to face new slow- and rapid-onset shocks.

This country strategic plan articulates WFP’s proposed support for El Salvador from 2022 to 2027. It is designed to assist the Government and partners in achieving the following outcomes:

➢ Strategic outcome 1: Crisis-affected communities and people in conditions of vulnerability, with an emphasis on women, at-risk young people and returnees, meet their food and nutrition needs at all times and have their well-being and social cohesion enhanced.

➢ Strategic outcome 2: The Salvadoran population can rely on resilient, efficient, equitable and inclusive food systems and capacities that favour decent work, production, functioning markets, local consumption and climate change adaptation.

➢ Strategic outcome 3: National institutions have strengthened capacities to address the root causes of hunger through an integrated, inclusive and shock-responsive social protection system.

➢ Strategic outcome 4: Government partners, United Nations agencies and international and national NGOs are supported with supply chain and cash transfer services and technical assistance.

WFP will continue to build the Government’s capacity and strengthen its leadership through advocacy and technical support. Working closely with other United Nations entities, nongovernmental organizations, academia and the private sector, WFP will harness synergies to address medium- and long-term development objectives. This country strategic plan will adopt a social and behaviour change communication strategy with the aim of developing and implementing community-tailored actions to transform gender relations and improve the nutrition, well-being and resilience of people in conditions of vulnerability.

WFP will offer services to humanitarian and development partners, ensuring that gender, nutrition and protection needs are prioritized. A gradual handover, informed by regular monitoring exercises, will allow resources to be optimized while leadership by national institutions, communities and individuals is strengthened.