The World Food Programme (WFP) is the food-assistance branch of the United Nations and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security. It was established in 1961 by a joint resolution of the UN General Assembly and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Conference, and began operations in 1963. Its headquarters are in Rome, alongside the other Rome-based UN food agencies (FAO and IFAD).
WFP is governed by an Executive Board of 36 member states, with members elected jointly by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the FAO Council. The agency is led by an Executive Director appointed jointly by the UN Secretary-General and the FAO Director-General. WFP is funded entirely by voluntary contributions from governments, corporations, and private donors; it does not receive assessed contributions from the UN regular budget.
Operationally, WFP carries out two broad types of activity:
- Emergency and humanitarian response, including food distribution, cash-based transfers, and logistics support in conflict zones (such as Yemen, Syria, Sudan, and Ukraine) and after natural disasters.
- Development and resilience programming, such as school feeding, nutrition support for mothers and young children, smallholder farmer assistance, and climate-adaptation projects.
WFP also runs the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) and leads the global Logistics Cluster and Emergency Telecommunications Cluster under the Inter-Agency Standing Committee humanitarian coordination system, making it a backbone provider for the wider aid community.
The agency's work is closely tied to Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) under the 2030 Agenda. In 2020, WFP was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict." For MUN delegates, WFP is frequently simulated in ECOSOC, humanitarian, and specialized committees dealing with famine, displacement, and food-system resilience.
Example
In 2020, the World Food Programme was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its work delivering food assistance in conflict-affected regions including Yemen and South Sudan.
Frequently asked questions
No. WFP relies entirely on voluntary contributions from governments, intergovernmental bodies, corporations, and individuals; it receives no assessed funding from the UN regular budget.
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