Oxfam congratulates the UN World Food Program for its Nobel Peace Prize. It is a timely and urgent recognition to the work that WFP does in fighting the scourge of global hunger. At a time when more than 135 million people in 55 countries around the world are facing severe to crisis levels of food insecurity, this recognition must also be a clarion call for wider and immediate action.
The UN’s $10.3b humanitarian appeal is today barely 40% funded – and within that, the money needed for global food security and nutrition are the most under-funded parts of the entire appeal. The international community should fully-fund the UN appeal now and accompany that with the strongest political action to support the Secretary-General’s call for a global ceasefire.
We must break the bond between conflict and hunger and work collectively towards peace. It would be terrible if this year, as we congratulate the WFP for a hugely-deserved Nobel Prize, would end with the world again forced to bear witness to mass death from starvation.
