Difference between revisions of "World Food Programme" - New World Encyclopedia

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The '''World Food Programme''' '''(WFP)''', the world's largest humanitarian agency, provides food to more than ninety million people in eighty countries. WFP is the food aid branch of the [[United Nations]]. From its headquarters in [[Rome]] and more than 80 country offices around the world, WFP works to help people who are unable to produce or obtain enough food for themselves and their families.
 
The '''World Food Programme''' '''(WFP)''', the world's largest humanitarian agency, provides food to more than ninety million people in eighty countries. WFP is the food aid branch of the [[United Nations]]. From its headquarters in [[Rome]] and more than 80 country offices around the world, WFP works to help people who are unable to produce or obtain enough food for themselves and their families.
 
{{toc}}
 
{{toc}}
A recent strategy of the WFP has been seeking food sources for purchase that are more local to the crises. This strategy is found to have the dual impact of feeding the hungry and being a market for food produced in surrounding areas, thereby strengthening nearby economies. Award of several [[Nobel Prize]]s for Peace to people who have devoted their lives to feeding the world's poor recognizes the link between hunger and peace. As the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, [[Norman Borlaug]] said, "You can't build peace on empty stomachs." Increasingly, the world community is acknowledging that eliminating hunger is "today's moral imperative," hence inclusion in the [[United Nations]] Millennium Development Goals.<ref>Marshall Matz, [http://www.truthabouttrade.org/article.asp?id=6427 Eliminating Hunger is Today's Moral imperative.] Retrieved August 22, 2007.</ref>
+
In addition to emergency food aid, WFP focuses on relief and rehabilitation, development aid, and special operations, such as making food systems more resilient against climate change and political instability. It is an executive member of the United Nations Development Group, which collectively aims to fulfill the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and has prioritized achieving SDG 2 for "zero hunger" by 2030.
  
The World Food Programme was awarded the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] in 2020.  
+
The World Food Programme was awarded the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] in 2020 for its efforts to provide food assistance in areas of conflict.  
  
 
==Overview==
 
==Overview==
The WFP was first conceived at the 1961 Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Conference, when George McGovern, director of the U.S. Food for Peace Program, proposed establishing a multilateral food aid program.<ref>World Food Programme [http://www.wfp.org/aboutwfp/history/instit_timeline.asp?section=1&sub_section=2 History.] Retrieved August 22, 2007.</ref> WFP was formally established in 1963, by the FAO and the [[United Nations General Assembly]] on a three-year experimental basis. In 1965, the program was extended and is now supported on a continuing basis.  
+
The WFP was first conceived at the 1961 Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Conference, when George McGovern, director of the U.S. Food for Peace Program, proposed establishing a multilateral food aid program.<ref> [https://www.wfp.org/history History] ''World Food Programme''. Retrieved October 10, 2020.</ref> WFP was formally established in 1963, by the FAO and the [[United Nations General Assembly]] on a three-year experimental basis. In 1965, the program was extended and is now supported on a continuing basis.  
  
 
===Organization===
 
===Organization===
The WFP is governed by the WFP Executive Board, which consists of 36 member states. Traditionally, the WFP Executive Director has been American and recommended by the U.S. President.  
+
[[File:World Food Programme.jpg|thumb|275px|WFP Headquarters in Rome]]
 +
The WFP is governed by the WFP Executive Board, which consists of 36 member states. The WFP Executive Director, who is appointed jointly by the UN Secretary-General and the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, heads the WFP secretariat, which is headquartered in [[Rome]].<ref>[https://www.wfp.org/governance-and-leadership Governance and leadership] ''World Food Programme''. Retrieved October 10, 2020.</ref>
  
On November 6, 2006, [[Josette Sheeran]] was appointed by the Secretary-General of the UN and Director-General of FAO to replace James T. Morris as Executive Director of WFP for a five-year term. The appointment took effect in April 2007. Sheeran was most recently Under Secretary for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs in the [[United States Department of State]] and was previously managing editor of the ''[[Washington Times]].''
+
David Beasley, previously Governor of the U.S. state of South Carolina, was appointed executive director in March 2017 for a five-year term. Previous executive directors include [[Ertharin Cousin]] (April 2012 – April 2017), [[Josette Sheeran]] (April 2007 – April 2012), [[James T. Morris]] (April 2002 – April 2007), [[Catherine Bertini]] (April 1992 – April 2002), and [[James Ingram]] (April 1982 – April 1992).
 
 
As Executive Director, Ms. Sheeran heads the Secretariat of WFP and is also responsible for implementing the programs and projects of the WFP.<ref>World Food Programme [http://www.wfp.org/aboutwfp/how_run/index.aspsection=1&sub_section=3 How WFP is Run: Overview.] Retrieved August 22, 2007.</ref>
 
 
 
As of 2006, WFP had a staff of 10,587 people, with 829 staffers at the Rome headquarters. Close to 92 percent of WFP employees are working at field offices in eighty two different nations. WFP programs involve both urgently needed food aid in crisis situations and development projects.<ref>World Food Programme, [http://www.wfp.org/aboutwfp/facts/2005/index.asp?section=1&sub_section=5 WPF in 2005: Facts and Figures.] Retrieved August 22, 2007.</ref>
 
  
 
===Goals and strategies===
 
===Goals and strategies===
WFP strives to eradicate hunger and [[malnutrition]], with the ultimate goal of eliminating the need for food aid.
+
WFP strives to eradicate hunger and [[malnutrition]], with the ultimate goal of eliminating the need for food aid - "Zero Hunger."<ref>[https://www.wfp.org/zero-hunger Zero Hunger] ''World Food Programme''. Retrieved October 10, 2020.</ref>
  
 
According to its mission statement, the core strategies behind WFP activities are to provide food aid to:
 
According to its mission statement, the core strategies behind WFP activities are to provide food aid to:
Line 31: Line 28:
 
==Activities==
 
==Activities==
 
[[Image:Un c-130 food delivery rumbek sudan.jpg|thumb|right|240px|United Nations [[C-130 Hercules]] transports deliver food to the Rumbak region of [[Sudan]].]]
 
[[Image:Un c-130 food delivery rumbek sudan.jpg|thumb|right|240px|United Nations [[C-130 Hercules]] transports deliver food to the Rumbak region of [[Sudan]].]]
In 2006, WFP distributed 4 million metric tons of food to 87.8 million people in 78 countries; 63.4 million beneficiaries were aided in emergency operations, including victims of conflict, natural disasters, and economic failure, in countries like [[Afghanistan]], the [[Democratic People’s Republic of Korea]], [[Pakistan]], [[Niger]], and [[Lebanon]]. Direct expenditures, in 2006, were just below US$2.7 billion, with the most money being spent on protracted relief and recovery operations. WFP’s largest country operation in 2006 was [[Sudan]]: In Darfur, the Program reached more than 5 million people.
+
WFP has been active in [[humanitarian aid]] for over half a century. Experience has shown that fighting hunger is not a straightforward proposition, but requires collective action on various levels, aimed at various groups, drawing on various contexts and including various stakeholders. It involves not just delivering food, but also transferring cash, and transferring knowledge. This knowledge must be culturally embedded, knowledge that makes local sense, and is received on the basis of partnership.<ref>[https://www.wfp.org/types-of-support Types of Support] ''WFP''. Retrieved October 26, 2020.</ref>
 
 
WFP is committed to providing at least half it's food aid to women and children, in order to fulfill the goal of ending child hunger. Research has shown that when food reaches the hands of women, it is more likely to reach the most needy, hungry children. In 2006, food assistance was provided to 58.8 million children, 30 percent of whom were under five. In-school feeding programs in 71 countries helped 20.2 million students focus on their studies and encourage parents to send their children, especially girls, to school. Recently, WFP has been strengthening school feeding programs by sending rations home with children and school teachers.
 
  
==Funding==
+
===Programmes===
WFP operations are funded by donations from world governments, corporations, and private donors. In 2006 the Program received $2.7 billion in contributions. More than fifty five million U.S. dollars worth of cash and in kind items was donated in 2006, by corporate and private entities. All donations are completely voluntary. The organization’s administrative costs are only seven percent of its budget, one of the lowest percentages among aid agencies.
+
By adopting smallholder-friendly procurement, WFP contributes to strengthening local economies and supporting the increased resilience and productivity of rural communities. The Purchase for Progress (P4P) program encourages national governments and the private sector to buy food in ways that benefit smallholders. P4P assists [[smallholding]] farmers by offering them opportunities to access agricultural markets and to become competitive players in the marketplace. P4P has expanded to some 35 countries, and helped transform the way more than one million smallholder farmers in Africa, Latin America, and Asia interact with markets. The project also trains farmers in improved agricultural production, post-harvest handling, quality assurance, group marketing, agricultural finance, and contracting with WFP. Women, whose role in farming is often unpaid and labor-intensive, are particularly encouraged to take part in decision-making and benefit economically from their work.<ref>[https://www.wfp.org/purchase-for-progress Purchase for Progress] ''WFP''. Retrieved October 26, 2020.</ref>
  
==Partners==
+
Experience built up over almost five decades of working in emergency situations has demonstrated that giving food only to women helps to ensure that it is spread evenly among all household members. Based on this understanding, WFP responded to the [[2010 Haiti earthquake]] by distributing food aid only to women. School-feeding and/or take-home ration programs in 71 countries help students focus on their studies and encourage parents to send their children, especially girls, to school.
WFP has numerous partners to coordinate and cooperate with in emergencies and development projects. These partners include UN agencies, such as FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) and UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees), government agencies such as United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), EuropeAID, USAID; nongovernmental organizations such as ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hungry Children), Hungrykids.org, Catholic Relief Services, Save the Children, Norwegian Refugee Council; as well as corporate partners such as TNT, Citigroup, and Boston Consultancy Group.<ref>World Food Programme, [http://www.wfp.org/aboutwfp/partners/index.asp?section=1&sub_section=4 WFP's Partners: United Front Against Global Hunger.] Retrieved August 22, 2007.</ref>
 
 
In 2006, WFP partnered with 84 different corporate and private entities and over 3000 nongovernmental organizations to provide food and development projects for the people it serves.
 
  
==Grassroots efforts==
+
===Emergency Response procedures===
In addition to partnering with UN agencies, governments, and thousands of nongovernmental organizations to deliver food and services, WFP as an organization initiates outreach to expand involvement of an ever widening circle of people to work to end hunger. In 2004, the WFP gave Auburn University the task of heading the first student led [[War on Hunger]] effort. Auburn founded the "Committee of 19," which has not only led campus and community hunger awareness events, but also developed a War on Hunger model for use on campuses across the country. The mission of the program is to develop and implement an action agenda for college students that encompasses hunger awareness and consciousness raising, academic initiatives, advocacy, and fund raising which will lead to university communities that are fully engaged in the efforts to eliminate world hunger and malnutrition.
+
WFP has a system of classifications known as the Emergency Response Procedures designed for situations that require an immediate response. This response is activated under the following criteria:
 +
# When human suffering exists and domestic governments cannot respond adequately
 +
# The United Nations reputation is under scrutiny
 +
# When there is an obvious need for aid from WFP
  
In 2006, the Committee of 19 from Auburn University hosted a War on Hunger Summit, at which representatives from 29 universities were in attendance. At this summit, the model for a student-led War on Hunger initiative was presented and received strong support from the representatives present.
+
The Emergency Response Classifications are divided as follows, with emergency intensity increasing with each level:<ref>[https://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/resources/wfp264770.pdf WFP Emergency Response Classifications] ''WFP'', May 8, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2020.</ref>
 +
* '''Level 1''' – Response is activated. Resources are allocated to prepare for WFP's local office to respond
 +
* '''Level 2''' – A country's resources require regional assistance with an emergency across one or multiple countries/territories
 +
* '''Level 3 (L3)''' – The emergency overpowers WFP's local offices and requires a global response from the entire WFP organization
  
WFP has launched a global advocacy and fund raising event called [[Walk the World]]. On one single day each year, hundreds of thousands of people in every time zone all over the world walk to call for the end of child hunger. In 2005, more than 200,000 people walked in 296 locations. In 2006, there were 760,000 participants in 118 countries all over the world. This event is part of the campaign to achieve the [[Millennium Development Goals]], specifically to halve the number of people who suffer from hunger and poverty by 2015.
+
==Funding==
 +
WFP has no independent funds. All operations are funded by donations from world governments, corporations, and private donors. On average, over 60 governments contribute to the humanitarian and development projects of WFP, providing the main source of funds.<ref>[https://www.wfp.org/funding-and-donors Funding and donors] ''WFP''. Retrieved October 26, 2020.</ref> The private sector also provides many partners committed to the goal of Zero Hunger, contributing trough corporate-giving programs, as well as offering knowledge, expertise, and positioning to strengthen operations. Personal donations are also a significant source of funding for WFP programs.
  
The Program also uses its website to inform potential partners and supports and provide opportunities for giving and participating in its initiatives.
+
==Partners==
 +
WFP has numerous partners to coordinate and cooperate with in emergencies and development projects. These partners include UN agencies, such as FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) and UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees), government agencies such as United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), EuropeAID, USAID; nongovernmental organizations such as ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hungry Children), Hungrykids.org, Catholic Relief Services, Save the Children, Norwegian Refugee Council; as well as corporate partners such as TNT, Citigroup, and Boston Consultancy Group.<ref>World Food Programme, [https://www.wfp.org/un-agencies-and-international-institutions Partnerships: UN agencies and international institutions] ''World Food Programme''. Retrieved October 10, 2020.</ref>
  
==Challenges and barriers==
+
==Challenges==
 
"Give a man a [[fish]], you feed him for a day, Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime," is a well known Chinese proverb. The truth of this [[proverb]] illustrates an inevitable shortcoming of ongoing food aid. That is, if people in need are simply given a fish, it does not improve their circumstance indefinitely. In fact, ongoing food aid without more systematic, [[holistic]] assistance and opportunity can create a dependence on food aid and has even disinclined recipients to work at improving their circumstance through [[agriculture]] or other forms of work, creating devastating dependency on the food aid. This is not to say that food aid has no place in crisis situations. Indeed it does. However, there have been and are circumstances where food aid was and is provided when there is no food crisis, simply because there is benefit to the giver to distribute their surplus food. The World Food Programme as an organization must be vigilant to prevent becoming a pawn in this circumstance.  
 
"Give a man a [[fish]], you feed him for a day, Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime," is a well known Chinese proverb. The truth of this [[proverb]] illustrates an inevitable shortcoming of ongoing food aid. That is, if people in need are simply given a fish, it does not improve their circumstance indefinitely. In fact, ongoing food aid without more systematic, [[holistic]] assistance and opportunity can create a dependence on food aid and has even disinclined recipients to work at improving their circumstance through [[agriculture]] or other forms of work, creating devastating dependency on the food aid. This is not to say that food aid has no place in crisis situations. Indeed it does. However, there have been and are circumstances where food aid was and is provided when there is no food crisis, simply because there is benefit to the giver to distribute their surplus food. The World Food Programme as an organization must be vigilant to prevent becoming a pawn in this circumstance.  
  
 
Corruption has played a role in ongoing food shortages and failed [[market]]s for food distribution. Whether it shows itself in [[government]] officials in recipient [[country|countries]] seeking to enrich themselves and hijacking food aid for their own purposes, or aid organizations contracted to distribute food that end up selling it to recipients to make money for other programs, this disrupts the original purpose for the providing of food aid. In fact, local [[farmer]]s have been known to struggle with layers of corrupt middle men threatening and demanding a piece of the profits before allowing the farmers to get their [[crops]] to market or to where it is most needed. This artificially affects food prices and availability in developing markets. As of December 2007, WFP with other partners, is launching the [[Ethiopian Commodities Exchange]] that takes its inspiration from the beginnings of the original board of trade in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]]. The Ethiopian Exchange will control warehousing and inspection of commodities, as well as provide electronic signatures for trades, linking traders in villages by [[cellular phone]]. Although the exchange is just in its infancy, this is a promising step toward modernizing and standardizing the commodities trading system in [[Ethiopia]]. This could improve the process of buying and selling basic food supplies for all of [[Africa]].  
 
Corruption has played a role in ongoing food shortages and failed [[market]]s for food distribution. Whether it shows itself in [[government]] officials in recipient [[country|countries]] seeking to enrich themselves and hijacking food aid for their own purposes, or aid organizations contracted to distribute food that end up selling it to recipients to make money for other programs, this disrupts the original purpose for the providing of food aid. In fact, local [[farmer]]s have been known to struggle with layers of corrupt middle men threatening and demanding a piece of the profits before allowing the farmers to get their [[crops]] to market or to where it is most needed. This artificially affects food prices and availability in developing markets. As of December 2007, WFP with other partners, is launching the [[Ethiopian Commodities Exchange]] that takes its inspiration from the beginnings of the original board of trade in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]]. The Ethiopian Exchange will control warehousing and inspection of commodities, as well as provide electronic signatures for trades, linking traders in villages by [[cellular phone]]. Although the exchange is just in its infancy, this is a promising step toward modernizing and standardizing the commodities trading system in [[Ethiopia]]. This could improve the process of buying and selling basic food supplies for all of [[Africa]].  
  
The World Food Programme feeds 90 million hungry people a year. This is only a small portion of the estimated 800 million people who go hungry every day. Destruction of the [[environment]] and [[overpopulation]] are also very real factors in the number of people facing [[hunger]] and [[starvation]]. Although these issues may be outside of the core mission of the World Food Programme, WFP has a responsibility to examine the complex network of problems that set the stage for massive hunger. WFP should work with partners, not just to distribute food but to work to establish stable economic conditions and educational opportunities that allow people to "learn to fish" so they can support themselves and provide for their [[family|families]]. In addition, it is crucial the WFP work to partner with parallel organizations and agencies in addressing the causes of food shortages, whether it is civil strife, natural catastrophe, corruption, environmental degradation, overpopulation or other causes.  
+
The World Food Programme feeds almost 100 million hungry people a year. This is only a small portion of the people who go hungry every day. Destruction of the [[environment]] and [[overpopulation]] are also very real factors in the number of people facing [[hunger]] and [[starvation]]. Although these issues may be outside of the core mission of the World Food Programme, WFP has a responsibility to examine the complex network of problems that set the stage for massive hunger. WFP should work with partners, not just to distribute food but to work to establish stable economic conditions and educational opportunities that allow people to "learn to fish" so they can support themselves and provide for their [[family|families]]. In addition, it is crucial the WFP work to partner with parallel organizations and agencies in addressing the causes of food shortages, whether it is civil strife, natural catastrophe, corruption, environmental degradation, overpopulation, or other causes.  
  
 
Addressing the many and complex causes of hunger and food shortages will help to create a sustainable and healthy food supply and distribution system, that of a working and healthy [[economics|economy]]. This will minimize the need for food giveaways to only the most unpredictable crises. Ideally, food aid is best delivered with integrated services that stabilize the crisis situation and restore affected people to normal self sufficiency as soon as possible. It must be the responsibility of the World Food Programme to provide oversight and accountability for their own programs, to insure the WFP is saving and enhancing the lives of people in a fair, healthy, and sustainable way. The World Food Programme will only become better at fulfilling its mission if it carefully evaluates the way its programs impact the people it serves over the long term, as well as the effectiveness and integrity of its supply and distribution partners.
 
Addressing the many and complex causes of hunger and food shortages will help to create a sustainable and healthy food supply and distribution system, that of a working and healthy [[economics|economy]]. This will minimize the need for food giveaways to only the most unpredictable crises. Ideally, food aid is best delivered with integrated services that stabilize the crisis situation and restore affected people to normal self sufficiency as soon as possible. It must be the responsibility of the World Food Programme to provide oversight and accountability for their own programs, to insure the WFP is saving and enhancing the lives of people in a fair, healthy, and sustainable way. The World Food Programme will only become better at fulfilling its mission if it carefully evaluates the way its programs impact the people it serves over the long term, as well as the effectiveness and integrity of its supply and distribution partners.
 +
 +
==Recognition and awards==
 +
{{readout||right|250px|The World Food Programme was awarded the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] in 2020}}
 +
WFP won the 2020 [[Nobel Peace Prize]] for its "efforts for combating hunger," its "contribution to creating peace in conflicted-affected areas," and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of [[war]] and [[conflict]].<ref>[https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2020/press-release/ The Nobel Peace Prize for 2020] ''The Nobel Prize'', October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.</ref>
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
Line 70: Line 74:
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
All links retrieved October 10, 2020.
+
All links retrieved May 17, 2023.
 
* [http://www.wfp.org/ World Food Programme] (official site).  
 
* [http://www.wfp.org/ World Food Programme] (official site).  
 
* [http://www.auburn.edu/hunger/ Auburn University War on Hunger campaign]—Student-led effort sponsored by WFP.  
 
* [http://www.auburn.edu/hunger/ Auburn University War on Hunger campaign]—Student-led effort sponsored by WFP.  

Latest revision as of 00:02, 18 May 2023

The World Food Programme logo

The World Food Programme (WFP), the world's largest humanitarian agency, provides food to more than ninety million people in eighty countries. WFP is the food aid branch of the United Nations. From its headquarters in Rome and more than 80 country offices around the world, WFP works to help people who are unable to produce or obtain enough food for themselves and their families.

In addition to emergency food aid, WFP focuses on relief and rehabilitation, development aid, and special operations, such as making food systems more resilient against climate change and political instability. It is an executive member of the United Nations Development Group, which collectively aims to fulfill the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and has prioritized achieving SDG 2 for "zero hunger" by 2030.

The World Food Programme was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 for its efforts to provide food assistance in areas of conflict.

Overview

The WFP was first conceived at the 1961 Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Conference, when George McGovern, director of the U.S. Food for Peace Program, proposed establishing a multilateral food aid program.[1] WFP was formally established in 1963, by the FAO and the United Nations General Assembly on a three-year experimental basis. In 1965, the program was extended and is now supported on a continuing basis.

Organization

WFP Headquarters in Rome

The WFP is governed by the WFP Executive Board, which consists of 36 member states. The WFP Executive Director, who is appointed jointly by the UN Secretary-General and the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, heads the WFP secretariat, which is headquartered in Rome.[2]

David Beasley, previously Governor of the U.S. state of South Carolina, was appointed executive director in March 2017 for a five-year term. Previous executive directors include Ertharin Cousin (April 2012 – April 2017), Josette Sheeran (April 2007 – April 2012), James T. Morris (April 2002 – April 2007), Catherine Bertini (April 1992 – April 2002), and James Ingram (April 1982 – April 1992).

Goals and strategies

WFP strives to eradicate hunger and malnutrition, with the ultimate goal of eliminating the need for food aid - "Zero Hunger."[3]

According to its mission statement, the core strategies behind WFP activities are to provide food aid to:

  1. Save lives in refugee and other emergency situations
  2. Improve the nutrition and quality of life of the most vulnerable people at critical times in their lives
  3. Help build assets and promote the self-reliance of poor people and communities, particularly through food for work programs.

WFP food aid is also directed to fight micro-nutrient deficiencies, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, and combat disease, including HIV/AIDS. Food for work programs of WFP provide food for people while they work to rebuild damaged infrastructure and replant crops following crisis. This program also helps to strengthen environmental and economic stability and agricultural production.

Activities

United Nations C-130 Hercules transports deliver food to the Rumbak region of Sudan.

WFP has been active in humanitarian aid for over half a century. Experience has shown that fighting hunger is not a straightforward proposition, but requires collective action on various levels, aimed at various groups, drawing on various contexts and including various stakeholders. It involves not just delivering food, but also transferring cash, and transferring knowledge. This knowledge must be culturally embedded, knowledge that makes local sense, and is received on the basis of partnership.[4]

Programmes

By adopting smallholder-friendly procurement, WFP contributes to strengthening local economies and supporting the increased resilience and productivity of rural communities. The Purchase for Progress (P4P) program encourages national governments and the private sector to buy food in ways that benefit smallholders. P4P assists smallholding farmers by offering them opportunities to access agricultural markets and to become competitive players in the marketplace. P4P has expanded to some 35 countries, and helped transform the way more than one million smallholder farmers in Africa, Latin America, and Asia interact with markets. The project also trains farmers in improved agricultural production, post-harvest handling, quality assurance, group marketing, agricultural finance, and contracting with WFP. Women, whose role in farming is often unpaid and labor-intensive, are particularly encouraged to take part in decision-making and benefit economically from their work.[5]

Experience built up over almost five decades of working in emergency situations has demonstrated that giving food only to women helps to ensure that it is spread evenly among all household members. Based on this understanding, WFP responded to the 2010 Haiti earthquake by distributing food aid only to women. School-feeding and/or take-home ration programs in 71 countries help students focus on their studies and encourage parents to send their children, especially girls, to school.

Emergency Response procedures

WFP has a system of classifications known as the Emergency Response Procedures designed for situations that require an immediate response. This response is activated under the following criteria:

  1. When human suffering exists and domestic governments cannot respond adequately
  2. The United Nations reputation is under scrutiny
  3. When there is an obvious need for aid from WFP

The Emergency Response Classifications are divided as follows, with emergency intensity increasing with each level:[6]

  • Level 1 – Response is activated. Resources are allocated to prepare for WFP's local office to respond
  • Level 2 – A country's resources require regional assistance with an emergency across one or multiple countries/territories
  • Level 3 (L3) – The emergency overpowers WFP's local offices and requires a global response from the entire WFP organization

Funding

WFP has no independent funds. All operations are funded by donations from world governments, corporations, and private donors. On average, over 60 governments contribute to the humanitarian and development projects of WFP, providing the main source of funds.[7] The private sector also provides many partners committed to the goal of Zero Hunger, contributing trough corporate-giving programs, as well as offering knowledge, expertise, and positioning to strengthen operations. Personal donations are also a significant source of funding for WFP programs.

Partners

WFP has numerous partners to coordinate and cooperate with in emergencies and development projects. These partners include UN agencies, such as FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) and UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees), government agencies such as United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), EuropeAID, USAID; nongovernmental organizations such as ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hungry Children), Hungrykids.org, Catholic Relief Services, Save the Children, Norwegian Refugee Council; as well as corporate partners such as TNT, Citigroup, and Boston Consultancy Group.[8]

Challenges

"Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime," is a well known Chinese proverb. The truth of this proverb illustrates an inevitable shortcoming of ongoing food aid. That is, if people in need are simply given a fish, it does not improve their circumstance indefinitely. In fact, ongoing food aid without more systematic, holistic assistance and opportunity can create a dependence on food aid and has even disinclined recipients to work at improving their circumstance through agriculture or other forms of work, creating devastating dependency on the food aid. This is not to say that food aid has no place in crisis situations. Indeed it does. However, there have been and are circumstances where food aid was and is provided when there is no food crisis, simply because there is benefit to the giver to distribute their surplus food. The World Food Programme as an organization must be vigilant to prevent becoming a pawn in this circumstance.

Corruption has played a role in ongoing food shortages and failed markets for food distribution. Whether it shows itself in government officials in recipient countries seeking to enrich themselves and hijacking food aid for their own purposes, or aid organizations contracted to distribute food that end up selling it to recipients to make money for other programs, this disrupts the original purpose for the providing of food aid. In fact, local farmers have been known to struggle with layers of corrupt middle men threatening and demanding a piece of the profits before allowing the farmers to get their crops to market or to where it is most needed. This artificially affects food prices and availability in developing markets. As of December 2007, WFP with other partners, is launching the Ethiopian Commodities Exchange that takes its inspiration from the beginnings of the original board of trade in Chicago, Illinois. The Ethiopian Exchange will control warehousing and inspection of commodities, as well as provide electronic signatures for trades, linking traders in villages by cellular phone. Although the exchange is just in its infancy, this is a promising step toward modernizing and standardizing the commodities trading system in Ethiopia. This could improve the process of buying and selling basic food supplies for all of Africa.

The World Food Programme feeds almost 100 million hungry people a year. This is only a small portion of the people who go hungry every day. Destruction of the environment and overpopulation are also very real factors in the number of people facing hunger and starvation. Although these issues may be outside of the core mission of the World Food Programme, WFP has a responsibility to examine the complex network of problems that set the stage for massive hunger. WFP should work with partners, not just to distribute food but to work to establish stable economic conditions and educational opportunities that allow people to "learn to fish" so they can support themselves and provide for their families. In addition, it is crucial the WFP work to partner with parallel organizations and agencies in addressing the causes of food shortages, whether it is civil strife, natural catastrophe, corruption, environmental degradation, overpopulation, or other causes.

Addressing the many and complex causes of hunger and food shortages will help to create a sustainable and healthy food supply and distribution system, that of a working and healthy economy. This will minimize the need for food giveaways to only the most unpredictable crises. Ideally, food aid is best delivered with integrated services that stabilize the crisis situation and restore affected people to normal self sufficiency as soon as possible. It must be the responsibility of the World Food Programme to provide oversight and accountability for their own programs, to insure the WFP is saving and enhancing the lives of people in a fair, healthy, and sustainable way. The World Food Programme will only become better at fulfilling its mission if it carefully evaluates the way its programs impact the people it serves over the long term, as well as the effectiveness and integrity of its supply and distribution partners.

Recognition and awards

Did you know?
The World Food Programme was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020

WFP won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize for its "efforts for combating hunger," its "contribution to creating peace in conflicted-affected areas," and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict.[9]

Notes

  1. History World Food Programme. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  2. Governance and leadership World Food Programme. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  3. Zero Hunger World Food Programme. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  4. Types of Support WFP. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  5. Purchase for Progress WFP. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  6. WFP Emergency Response Classifications WFP, May 8, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  7. Funding and donors WFP. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  8. World Food Programme, Partnerships: UN agencies and international institutions World Food Programme. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  9. The Nobel Peace Prize for 2020 The Nobel Prize, October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Ingram, James C. Bread and Stones: Leadership and the Struggle to Reform the United Nations World Food Programme. N. Charleston, SC: BookSurge, 2006. ISBN 141964470X
  • Loewenberg S. Should the World Food Programme Focus on Development? Lancet. 369 (9580) (2007):2149-50
  • Pisik, B. "Sheeran, Former Washington Times Editor, Will Lead U.N. Food Program." Washington Times, National Weekly Edition, November 13, 2006, 24.

External links

All links retrieved May 17, 2023.


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