What Earned WFP Noble Peace Prize 2020

By Development Diaries
October 13, 2020

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2020 to the World Food Programme (WFP).

The UN agency earned the award for addressing hunger and contributing to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas, according to the committee.

Development Diaries understands that WFP has been acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict.

WFP, which is the world’s largest humanitarian organisation addressing hunger and promoting food security, has reached out to millions in the past years.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said that providing assistance to increase food security not only prevents hunger, but can also help to improve prospects for stability and peace.

‘The World Food Programme has taken the lead in combining humanitarian work with peace efforts through pioneering projects in South America, Africa and Asia’, it said in a statement.

‘The [Covid-19] pandemic has contributed to a strong upsurge in the number of victims of hunger in the world.

‘In countries such as Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan and Burkina Faso, the combination of violent conflict and the pandemic has led to a dramatic rise in the number of people living on the brink of starvation.

‘In the face of the pandemic, the World Food Programme has demonstrated an impressive ability to intensify its efforts’.

The committee also noted that the WFP was an active participant in the diplomatic process that culminated in the UN Security Council’s unanimous adoption of Resolution 2417, which explicitly addressed the link between conflict and hunger.

‘The Security Council also underscored UN member states’ obligation to help ensure that food assistance reaches those in need, and condemned the use of starvation as a method of warfare’, it added.

‘With this year’s award, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to turn the eyes of the world towards the millions of people who suffer from or face the threat of hunger.

‘The World Food Programme plays a key role in multilateral cooperation on making food security an instrument of peace, and has made a strong contribution towards mobilising UN member states to combat the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict’.

Source: Nobel Prize