Nobel Peace Prize recognises hunger - 14th October 2020

The World Food Programme (WFP) has been given the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. It received the award for providing food to millions of people across the world.

The chair of the Nobel Committee is Berit Reiss Anderson. She gave the committee’s reasons for the award.

"The Norwegian Nobel committee wishes to emphasize that providing assistance to increase food security not only prevents hunger but can also help to improve prospects for stability and peace."

The WFP was established by the UN in 1961. Its work is funded entirely from donations, which last year helped 97 million people. It distributed 15 billion food rations across 88 countries.

The WFP manages to deliver food to people in need, whether it’s by donkey, ship, helicopter, or plane. The organisation estimates that 9 per cent of the world’s population goes to bed hungry. However, this situation will have worsened due to the pandemic. It provides another reason why the WFP was awarded this year’s Nobel Prize.

Reiss Anderson: "But the pandemic, and the challenges raised by the pandemic, definitely strengthens the reasons for the prize."