51吃瓜

The agency was recognized 鈥渇or its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting as a driving force to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict鈥�, said Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.听

听is the largest humanitarian organization in the world. Last year, it assisted 97 million people in 88 countries. 听

Its efforts focus on emergency assistance, relief and rehabilitation, development aid and special operations. Two-thirds of the work is in conflict-affected countries where people are three times more likely to be undernourished than those living in countries without conflict. 听

Global food insecurity aggravated by COVID-19听

Praising the work of the UN agency, the Nobel Committee chair highlighted its role in boosting resilience and sustainability among communities by helping them to feed themselves.听

The听COVID-19听crisis has also added to global food insecurity, she added, highlighting that there will likely be 265 million 鈥渟tarving people within a year鈥�.听

Only the international community can tackle such a challenge, she insisted, before highlighting the fact that WFP had helped millions of people in extremely dangerous and hard-to-reach countries affected by conflict and natural disaster, including Yemen, Syria and the Democratic People鈥檚 Republic of Korea.听

鈥楤raving danger to deliver life-saving sustenance鈥櫶�

Hailing the WFP听as the the 鈥渨orld鈥檚 first responder鈥� on the frontlines of food insecurity,听Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres听lauded the UN agency on winning the coveted award.听

听鈥淭he women and men of the WFP brave danger and distance to deliver life-saving sustenance to those devastated by conflict, to people suffering听 听because of disaster, to children and families uncertain about their next meal,鈥� Mr. Guterres said听in a statement.听

听He drew attention to the plight of millions of people going hungry around the world, amid fears that the COVID-19 pandemic could worsen food听 听security for millions more.听

鈥淭here is also a hunger in our world for international cooperation,鈥� said the Secretary- General, adding that WFP 鈥渇eeds that need, too鈥�, operating above the realm of politics, with humanitarian need driving its operations.听

The UN chief also called on everyone for greater solidarity, to address not only the pandemic, but other global challenges.听

鈥淲e know that existential threats such as the climate change will make the hunger crisis even worse,鈥� he said.听

鈥楢 humbling, moving recognition鈥櫶�

The announcement by the Norwegian Nobel Committee 鈥渢urned the global spotlight鈥� on the 690 million people suffering hunger globally, David Beasley, WFP Executive Director, said after the announcement.听

鈥淓very one of [them] has the right to live peacefully and without hunger鈥�, he said, adding that climate shocks and economic pressures have further compounded their plight.听

鈥淎nd now, a global pandemic with its brutal impact on economies and communities, is pushing millions more to the brink of starvation.鈥澨�

Mr. Beasley highlighted that the Nobel Peace Prize was not WFP鈥檚 alone, noting that the UN agency works closely with government, organizations and private sector partners whose passion for helping the hungry and vulnerable equals ours.听

鈥淲e could not possibly help anyone without them. We are an operational agency and the daily work of our staff each day is driven by our core values of integrity, humanity and inclusion.鈥澨�

The head of WFP added that the award was a 鈥渉umbling, moving recognition.鈥澨�

鈥淭he Nobel Peace Prize 鈥� is a humbling, moving recognition of the work of WFP staff who lay their lives on the line every day to bring food and assistance for close to 100 million hungry children, women and men across the world鈥�, he said, 鈥減eople whose lives are often brutally torn apart by instability, insecurity and conflict.鈥澨�

Headquartered in Rome, WFP was established in 1961.听

UN and the Nobel Peace Prize

With this recognition, WFP听joins听the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN Children鈥檚 Fund (UNICEF), UN Peacekeeping, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), former Secretaries-General Dag Hammarskj枚ld and Kofi Annan, and former Under-Secretary-General Ralph Bunche; and the UN itself as Nobel Peace Prize laureates