World Food Programme

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the food-assistance branch of the United Nations and the largest humanitarian organization focused on hunger. Operating in over 120 countries, it delivers emergency food aid, runs school meal programs, supports smallholder farmers, and helps communities adapt to climate shocks. The WFP is entirely funded by voluntary contributions from governments, corporations, and individuals.

In 2020, the WFP was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to combat hunger and for using food as a tool for peace. Its work is central to the UN's Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030. The organization employs over 20,000 staff and in 2026 required US$13 billion to reach 110 million people.

The WFP also manages the world's largest humanitarian supply chain, coordinating logistics for the entire UN system during emergencies. Its school feeding programs reach millions of children globally, providing a critical safety net that boosts nutrition and education. [edit]

The WFP's mission is to end global hunger, achieve food security, and improve nutrition by 2030. It provides life-saving food in emergencies, improves nutrition for women and children, supports smallholder farmers, helps communities prepare for climate shocks, and boosts human capital through school feeding. The organization uses food assistance to build peace, stability, and prosperity for people recovering from conflict and disasters. [edit]

The WFP was established on November 24, 1961, by a UN General Assembly resolution as a joint effort between the UN and the Food and Agriculture Organization. Its roots go back to the U.S. Food for Peace program, which donated surplus agricultural commodities to developing nations. After his election, President John F. Kennedy appointed George McGovern to lead Food for Peace, and McGovern proposed creating a similar multilateral agency at the 1960 FAO Conference.

The WFP started as a three-year pilot but became permanent after just two years. Its governing body first met in February 1962, and it became fully functional in June 1963 under Executive Director Addeke Hendrik Boerma. The first emergency aid requests came from Iran after a 1962 earthquake that killed 12,000 people, from Thailand hit by a typhoon, and from Algeria whose independence war created five million refugees.

In the 1970s, WFP led its first multinational inter-agency relief operation for 370,000 Cambodian refugees in Thailand, and a major emergency airdrop in Africa's Sahel during a severe drought. During the 1990s, Catherine Bertini became the first woman to lead the agency, and the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education program launched in the 2000s. The WFP received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 for its role in using food to build peace. [edit]