World Food Programme

2020 has shown that there are countless organizations and people who are deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize for what they have accomplished this year. However, the prize this year goes not only to an organization that has helped millions in this year alone, but whose true goal lies in the future. This year’s winner of the Nobel Peace Prize is the United Nations World Food Programme for their efforts to combat hunger for over 60 years.

The World Food Programme (WFP) was formed in 1961 as a way to distribute food to countries during times of crises such as war or famine. In 1962 the first crisis that the WFP responded to was to an earthquake in northern Iran where over 12,000 people died. Since then the WFP has worked on a number of long term programs, in addition to their crisis response focus. In 1963 one of these long term programs began as a pilot program in Togo. The goal of the program was to provide school meals to over 5000 school children, while also increasing attendance. In 2019, WFP now distributes meals to over 17.3 million school children in 59 countries. The school meal program was the first successful long term operation that the WEP conducted. This success led the WEP to expand and establish longer term aid to countries facing continuing food insecurity. This form of aid titled “South-South cooperation” comes in the form of funding for processes such as food fortification and training for the use technology that optimises food production and distribution. This programme allows countries to work together to overcome similar problems facing their nations.

WFP has responded to both to disasters and the general food security needs of individual countries in the past; however, it is the WFP long-term goals which are aimed at solving a global problem. “Zero Hunger” was a program adopted by the WFP to end hunger while achieving global food security by 2030. The WFP admits that achieving these goals by 2030 is no longer feasible, due in some part to the coronavirus pandemic. The WFP is still committed to reaching this goal with its’ plan that aims to reduce food waste, encourage a sustainable variety of crops, and make nutrition a priority.

With 1 in 9 people going hungry in 2019 by not having their nutritional needs met, the WFP truly has a momentous task ahead of itself . Yet, what the WFP has accomplished in the past is truly astounding, and for what the WFP seeks to accomplish in the future will be historic. The WFP’s actions and accomplishments have shown that this organization is truly deserving of the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.