Published on 15-Oct-2020
Khushboo Razdan
The World Food Programme (WFP) was born out of an experiment in 1961. But in a world ravaged by man-made and natural disasters, the UN food body soon became synonymous with survival for millions facing hunger and starvation. On October 9, the WFP's 17,000 employees were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting a relentless war against hunger in conflict zones in the midst of a deadly pandemic. Speaking exclusively to CGTN Digital, the WFP's deputy executive director Amir Mahmoud Abdulla described the recognition as a "great honor" and "quite humbling."
The Norwegian Nobel Committee lauded the WFP for its efforts in "preventing the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict."
Calling hunger "the world's biggest solvable problem," Abdulla said the award raises the organization's profile and draws the world's attention toward the link between hunger and conflict, and hunger and COVID-19.
"It's not just about being able to raise more resources – for us that's hugely important because we are a voluntarily funded organization – but what's important is that there's an attention of the world on this issue of hunger – hunger caused by conflict or people's lack of earning power. Both of those problems are solvable," he said, hoping that the acknowledgment will "move the world closer to a world of zero hunger."
But the goal sounds more like a dream in pandemic-wracked 2020. In 2019, the WFP assisted more than 97 million people – the largest number since 2012 – in 88 countries.
According to a WFP projection, the number of hungry people could double from 135 million in 2019 to 265 million by the end of 2020. The Global Report on Food Crisis published in April puts the figure for people facing chronic food insecurity at an astonishing 821 million.
With fractured supply chains, restrictions on movement, and shrinking coffers of donor governments and financial institutions, the task of putting food in the plates of those who need it the most has become even more daunting.