World Food program

Why in news?

• World Food program has won the Nobel peace prize.

About WFP:

• The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the World Food Programme for feeding millions of people from Yemen to North Korea, with the coronavirus pandemic pushing millions more into hunger.
• The agency is Headquartered in Rome.
• It is a member of the United Nations Development Group, a consortium of 36 United Nations funds, programs, specialized agencies, departments and offices that play a role in development.

History:

• Its history goes back to 1960 when the establishment of a multilateral food aid programme was discussed at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Conference.
• In 1963, it was formally established on a three-year experimental basis. Two years later, in 1965, it was extended to a continuing basis.
• A member of the United Nations Development Programme, WFP is governed by an executive board which consists of representatives from 36 member states.
• The agency aims to eradicate hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition by 2030.
• The organisation works in emergency assistance, relief and rehabilitation, development aid and special operations. More than two-thirds of WFP's work is concentrated in conflict-affected countries.

Funding:

• It is based on 100% voluntary funding.
• The World Food Programme is funded by finances provided by governments from around the world.
• In 2019, the agency received $7.2 billion — The US government with $2.5 billion and the European Union with $1.1 billion.
• It is run by a staff of over 17,000 people spread across 80 countries.
• Apart from the governments, corporations and individuals from around the world provide funding to the agency.
• They also provide assistance to enhance the agency's logistics and fundraising capacities.
• The funding from individuals is used in emergency food rations during a crisis, special food for hungry children in schools and food incentives to encourage poor families to send their girls to school.
• Food is used as payment for people to rebuild schools, roads and other infrastructure in the wake of conflicts and natural disasters.

Share The Meal app

• The agency developed Share The Meal app and termed it as the world's first app against global hunger.
• Share The Meal is an initiative that supports various WFP operations ranging from resilience building and school feeding programmes to providing food assistance in emergencies.
• Since launching the app in 2015, it has helped provide aid to some of the largest food crises in the world including Yemen, Syria and Nigeria.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Consider the following statements regarding World Food Program (WFP):
1.It is a agency under united nations organisation.
2.Share the Meal app, an app aiming to combat global hunger was developed by WFP.
Which among the above statements is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to Prelims Question