WFP-EU 2019 Partnership Report

World Food Programme • Office to the European Union • Rue d’Arlon 80 – 1040 Brussels

August 2020

FOREWORD

In 2019, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) continued to work hard to achieve a world free from hunger, assisting nearly 100 million people in more than 80 countries. The European Union (EU) has remained one of our most vital partners, building on past achievements to continue saving and changing millions of lives and further narrow the gap to Zero Hunger.

Today, some 690 million people – 8.9 percent of the global population – do not have enough to eat. The latest Global Report on Food Crises revealed that of these, 135 million people faced acute hunger last year. This is the highest level of severe food insecurity and malnutrition documented since the first edition of the report in 2017.

Conflict and climate change remained the main drivers of hunger in 2019. War and insecurity continued to uproot families and create economic turmoil, while climate change caused more frequent and extreme weather events that displaced communities and destroyed countless harvests.

As hunger kept rising in 2019, the outlook for 2020 is even more worrying. WFP has projected that the number of people facing acute hunger in 2020 could almost double, reaching 265 million, as a result of the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

TOGETHER FOR ZERO HUNGER

In these challenging times and with just 10 years to go to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 2020 ushers in a Decade of Action to accelerate solutions to the world’s biggest challenges ranging from hunger and poverty to gender inequality and climate change. Multilateralism and strong partnerships like the one between WFP and the EU are critical to make the SDGs a reality within that tight timeframe.

The EU’s dedication to promoting peace and security while investing in economies, creating jobs and building resilience to climate change is vital to drive the SDGs agenda forward for the benefit of millions of men, women and children across the world. WFP believes that these actions – firmly outlined among the European Commission’s priorities – lay the foundations for a world free from hunger, amplifying the impact of WFP’s life-saving and life-changing assistance. Together we can make a major contribution to achieving the SDGs – our shared vision for the future.

2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, which coincides with an unprecedented global health crisis that has deeply affected millions of people. At a time of this great disruption for the world and its most vulnerable citizens, WFP’s collaboration with the EU, the UN’s key partner, is building on its accomplishments from 2019 to help create a better future for those furthest behind.

WFP-EU PARTNERSHIP IN 2019

As needs remained high in 2019, WFP and the EU continued to work closely together to save lives, reduce the risk of disasters and build better futures for communities affected by conflict, climate change and economic shocks.

The EU and its Member States were committed to the world’s most vulnerable people, contributing a total of over €2.4 billion to WFP. As the organisation’s second largest donor, the EU and its Member States proved to be crucial partners in addressing the most pressing food crises as well as providing long-term development solutions.

WFP’s partnership with the EU is extremely important in the face of increasingly complex food security challenges. Thanks to the European Commission’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), WFP was able to reach more than 1.7 million refugees living in Turkey with monthly cash assistance to cover their essential needs. The Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) is the biggest relief programme in EU history and helped refugee families regain a sense of stability and normalcy.

Support from the EU allowed WFP to save lives in the most severe humanitarian crises in 2019, including Yemen, Syria, the Central Sahel, Bangladesh and South Sudan. In Yemen, the world’s worst food crisis, the EU’s generous contributions helped WFP reach up to 12 million people every month with lifesaving assistance.

EU funding also allowed WFP to reduce the risks of climate-driven disasters by rehabilitating land, supplying farmers with climate information and setting up early warning systems. Thanks to the EU, WFP was able to assist the most vulnerable people suffering from extreme weather and climate shocks in places like Mozambique, Chad, the Central Sahel and Bolivia.

Ensuring that long-term actions underly our short-term responses remained a priority. Together with the European Commission’s Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO), WFP worked to address the root causes of hunger, providing communities around the globe with sustainable solutions to lift them out of hunger and poverty.

Partnering to improve food security worldwide, WFP and the EU also offered mothers and children nutrition education programmes in countries like Tanzania and Algeria. Additionally, funding from DEVCO enabled us to provide children in South Sudan and Mali with nutritious school meals.

Finally, thanks to the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (NEAR), WFP provided vulnerable Syrian refugees living in Lebanon and impoverished Lebanese host communities with multipurpose cash assistance. Support from NEAR also enabled our programme which helped keep Egyptian children from the poorest families in school.

FUNDING FIGURES

NEW EU FUNDING IN 2019

EU Member states
European Commission (EC)

ECHO
NEAR
DEVCO

EU Member States + EC

LARGEST EC CONTRIBUTIONS TO WFP IN 2019

EC CONTRIBUTIONS TO WFP IN THE PAST THREE YEARS

GLOBAL REPORT ON FOOD CRISES

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO) is a key WFP partner in finding long-term solutions to tackle the main drivers of hunger. Its support has enabled WFP and other organisations to produce the Global Report on Food Crises, which provides the latest estimates of acute hunger in the world. The report is the flagship product of the Global Network Against Food Crises, launched in 2016 by the European Union, WFP and FAO to prevent and address the most severe hunger emergencies.

The latest edition of the report found that in 2019, 135 million people in 55 countries experienced acute food insecurity – this is when a person’s inability to consume adequate food puts their lives or livelihoods in immediate danger. Additionally, 75 million children were stunted and 17 million suffered from wasting. This is the highest level of food insecurity and malnutrition that has been documented by the Network since the first report released in 2017.

The main drivers of food insecurity in 2019 were conflict, weather extremes and economic turbulence, all of which continued to erode livelihoods and destroy lives. Conflict remained the key factor, with more than half of those facing acute hunger living in areas affected by violence and insecurity.

In 2020, these primary causes of hunger have been compounded by the outbreak of COVID-19, which has been affecting people’s livelihoods as well as markets and supply chains that determine their income. As they battle the COVID-19 pandemic, poor countries risk finding themselves forced to make the trade-off between saving lives or livelihoods.

These findings are a powerful call for strengthened cooperation and a global, coordinated response to the food crises we face today. WFP and the other authors behind the Global Report on Food Crises remain committed to continue helping the most vulnerable people around the world who suffer from hunger and malnutrition.

DRIVERS OF HUNGER (2019)

Drivers of hunger before the COVID-19 pandemic

THE 10 WORST FOOD CRISES IN 2019

By number of people in crisis or worse

SAVING LIVES

L3 EMERGENCIES

WFP is first to respond to emergencies caused by conflict, climate shocks and disasters. We provide food, cash and other assistance where people have been left destitute and at risk of going hungry

By the end of 2019, WFP was responding to pressing food needs in seven highest-level emergencies, also known as Level 3 (L3) Emergencies: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Northeast Nigeria, the Central Sahel, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen and Mozambique. Continuous support from the EU ensured a lifeline for millions of people in these countries.

Yemen

In 2019, WFP’s emergency response in Yemen was its largest anywhere in the world. Some 24 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance, of which 20 million were food insecure. Thanks to donors like the EU, WFP was able to launch an unprecedented expansion of food assistance, scaling up by 50 percent and reaching more than 12 million people each month across the country.

Syria

The conflict in Syria entered its ninth year in 2019, taking a devastating toll on the lives of Syrian people. Soaring food and fuel prices, stagnant salaries, loss of livelihoods and reduced food production led to widespread food insecurity across the country. Support from donors such as the EU helped WFP reach those most in need, providing some 6.7 million people with food assistance last year.

South Sudan

In 2019, food insecurity reached its most extreme levels since South Sudan’s independence in 2011. In June, a record number of people – nearly 7 million, or more than 60 percent of the entire population – struggled to put food on their plate. The EU’s support was crucial in making sure the most vulnerable people in the country were not left behind. It is thanks to such committed donors that WFP reached nearly 5 million people with life-saving cash and in-kind food assistance.

Central Sahel

Having barely recovered from the acute food crisis that hit the Sahel in 2018, many vulnerable families were affected by violence in 2019. More than 2.4 million people faced hunger in the Central Sahel, which encompasses Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. WFP reached 1.4 million people across the region with life-saving food assistance thanks to support from donors like the EU.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

In 2019, the Democratic Republic of the Congo was the world’s second largest hunger crisis, after Yemen, with nearly 16 million living in acute food insecurity driven by armed conflict, displacement and the Ebola outbreak. In response, WFP rapidly scaled-up its food and nutrition assistance to reach nearly 7 million people – and funding from the EU was crucial to help almost 2 million of them in the Kasai and Tanganyika regions with cash assistance.

North Eastern Nigeria

Conflict had a devastating impact on the lives and livelihoods in North Eastern Nigeria. Nearly 2 million people were displaced and almost 3 million Nigerians were facing hunger in 2019. With support from donors like the EU, WFP was able to reach nearly 900,000 people every month in the northeast of the country with food or cash assistance. Pregnant and breastfeeding women as well as children under the age of five also received specialised treatment to prevent and address malnutrition.

Mozambique

When Cyclone Idai struck the country and floods washed away an estimated 400,000 hectares of crops in early 2019, WFP deployed quickly to assess damages and needs, providing the most vulnerable with food and vouchers. In addition, WFP helped plan recovery, reconstruction and resilience-building activities. Thanks to support from donors like the EU, WFP was able to assist 2.7 million people affected by the cyclone and floods during the emergency response.

FORGOTTEN CRISES

While the L3 emergencies drew global attention, WFP continued its life-saving work in countries facing forgotten crises, using EU funding to respond to massive needs across the globe.

Sudan, a country challenged by climate shocks and protracted conflict, grappled with a worsening economic crisis and widespread unrest in 2019. By the end of the year, 9.3 million people needed humanitarian assistance and 6.2 million people were food insecure.

Thanks to funding from donors like the EU, WFP was able to provide food and cash assistance as well as nutrition support to crisis-affected communities, reaching a total of 3.8 million beneficiaries in 2019.

Decades of complex conflicts combined with a changing climate have posed major challenges for Afghanistan. In 2019, after one of the worst droughts in decades, torrential rains caused severe flooding in many areas of the country, threatening lives and destroying livelihoods. Thanks to donors like the EU, WFP was able to reach more than 5.5 million people with emergency assistance.

In 2019, for the third consecutive year, Zimbabwe experienced drought – the worst the country has seen in 40 years. As a result of this climate shock, compounded by an economic meltdown, nearly 8 million people were left food insecure. Support from the EU and other donors was crucial in reaching more than 1.8 million people across the country with food and cash assistance.

In Haiti, rising prices, a drop in agricultural production and recurrent episodes of social unrest pushed some 3.7 million people into hunger, of which more than 1 million faced severe food insecurity. Thanks to funding from donors like the EU, WFP was able to provide food and cash assistance to nearly 600,000 people across the country in 2019.

Fatou’s Story

Fatou lives in Smara, one of five Sahrawi refugee camps in South Western Algeria. Thousands of refugee families arrived here in 1975 from Western Sahara and have been defying the extreme weather and isolation of the Sahara Desert ever since.

“Life is difficult here, not only because of the weather,” Fatou says. “For us youth there is not much to do. There are some small projects in the camps, but I want to go study. I want to discover what is beyond the camps, meet other cultures, talk to people from other countries. This is why I want to become a Spanish teacher — I want to be able to talk to foreigners and help other Sahrawi refugees learn.”

For Fatou, the meals she has with her family are her favourite part of the day. Every month, WFP distributes food rations consisting of wheat flour, barley, vegetable oil, pulses, rice and sugar, which cover the refugees’ basic food and nutrition needs.

Generous contributions from the EU enabled WFP to support Fatou and more than 130,000 vulnerable Sahrawi refugees living in camps in the desert of Algeria. In 2019, the European Commission was the largest donor to WFP’s work in support of Sahrawi refugees in the country.

BRINGING HOPE AND STABILITY TO REFUGEES IN TURKEY

As Syria entered its 9th year of conflict, which forced more than 5.6 million people to flee their homes, the EU-funded cash assistance scheme in Turkey helped prevent 1.7 million vulnerable refugees – mostly Syrians – from falling deeper into poverty.

Turkey has taken more Syrian refugees than any other country. Of the approximately 4 million refugees in Turkey, some 3.6 million are from Syria. With work opportunities being scarce, many families have struggled to make ends meet.

The Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) programme, which was implemented by WFP and entirely funded by the EU, provided monthly cash allowances to the most vulnerable refugees living in Turkey. Each member of an eligible family received the equivalent of around €19 (120 Turkish liras) per month via a special debit card – plus quarterly top-ups according to family size – to help them cover essential needs.

WFP’s data shows that the refugees mostly spent it on rent, utilities, food and other household supplies. The assistance gave families some financial stability so they could start rebuilding their lives after the trauma of war. Surveys taken by WFP revealed that families’ lives improved a lot after they started receiving the monthly cash transfers.

The ESSN is the biggest humanitarian project that the EU has ever funded, with WFP receiving €350 million in 2019 and a total of €1.4 billion since the start of the programme in 2016. It is also one of the largest humanitarian cash programmes ever mounted by the United Nations.

Thanks to the ESSN Programme

The percentage of families assisted by the ESSN that could afford diets meeting minimum acceptable food security standards was

The percentage of people saying they were able to cover all their basic needs went up from 25% to

The number of children that had to work to help bring in money dropped by

The number of beneficiaries who had been forced to cut back om health spending fell by

THE INCREDIBLE ORDINARY

War and displacement have put the most ordinary things out of reach for many refugees living in Turkey. Even the most basic choices we make every day – like buying food for dinner or picking a birthday gift for a family member – have become incredible for them.

To help EU citizens understand what life is like for refugees in Turkey and how the ESSN programme helped them, WFP and the EU created the Incredible Ordinary campaign, which launched in 2018 and continued in 2019.

Through pop-up shops set up across major European cities – from Paris, Milan and Brussels to Warsaw, Berlin and Amsterdam – and a video series that told the stories of eight Syrian refugee families, the campaign showcased how the ESSN card allowed these refugees to make again some seemingly ordinary decisions that have incredible meaning to them.

The Incredible Ordinary successfully reached audiences in France, Italy, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands with stories of how European solidarity with refugees, manifested through the ESSN, brought back a sense of normalcy to the lives of the most vulnerable Syrians living in Turkey.

COUNTRIES RECEIVING 2019 EU FUNDING

WFP HAD OPERATIONS IN 46 COUNTRIES THAT WERE FUNDED BY THE EU.

DG ECHO
DG DEVCO
DG DEVCO + ECHO
DG NEAR
DG NEAR + ECHO

CHANGING LIVES

In 2019, WFP continued to provide support to families and communities to ensure that millions of people had sufficient nutritious food every day to feed their bodies and fuel their dreams. The European Commission remained an important partner in WFP’s drive towards Zero Hunger, helping us address the root causes of hunger and strengthen the resilience of the most vulnerable communities.

Support from the EU allowed WFP to improve agricultural techniques, boost local livelihoods, promote adaptation to climate change and help ensure children have the nutrients they need to grow and learn.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate extremes have been acknowledged as a key driver of hunger and the second strongest factor – after conflict – generating severe food crises. If global temperatures keep rising to 2°C above pre-industrial levels, an additional 189 million people could become more vulnerable to food insecurity.

The impact of climate change on food security can already be seen across the globe. In 2019, more than 34 million of the 135 million people that suffered from acute hunger lived in countries affected by climate and weather shocks.

In the Caribbean region, the month of June marks the beginning of the Atlantic’s hurricane season, which brings six months of uncertainty. Oftentimes when disasters happen, those who may already be the most vulnerable are affected the most. With the help of donors such as the EU, WFP provided the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency and national governments with technical support to boost its emergency preparedness. This ensures that partners are better equipped to manage risks and can respond more effectively to natural disasters.

Cuba is highly prone to tropical storms, hurricanes, heavy rains and droughts, which damage its economy and food production, ultimately undermining people’s food security. That is why, thanks to the EU’s support, WFP started helping the most vulnerable communities strengthen their resilience to weather extremes. The project improved farming practices as well as the agricultural production of farmers and cooperatives. It also supported local government in monitoring and analysing risks to better inform decision-making processes.

Somalia is one of the most exposed countries to climate-related shocks. While still recovering from the effects of the 2016-17 drought, the country was impacted by severe dry weather conditions and widespread flooding in 2019. With the help of the EU, WFP has transitioned the most vulnerable people living in Mogadishu – most of whom have been displaced by drought – from in-kind food assistance to an urban safety net programme with the aim of enabling them to withstand recurrent shocks and chronic poverty.

SCHOOL FEEDING

Every day, countless children across the globe turn up for school on an empty stomach, which makes it hard to focus on lessons. Many simply do not go, as their families need them to help in the fields or around the house. For all of them, having food at school every day can mean not only better nutrition and health, but also increased access to and achievement in education.

WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian organisation implementing school feeding programmes. Thanks to support from donors like the EU, over 17 million children across 59 countries benefitted from nutritious meals provided by WFP in 2019.

In Egypt, the EU’s support to WFP’s local school feeding programme helped prevent child labour and incentivised families to send their children to school. Thanks to the project, children received a daily snack and their families were given monthly take-home food rations in return for regular attendance at class.

WFP also helped children in Mali continue their education and invest in their own future. Thanks to funding from donors like the EU, WFP served school meals in the areas with the lowest food security. The project empowered girls, providing incentives for parents to keep sending their daughters to school.

In South Sudan, which has the highest proportion of out-of-school children in the world, support from the EU helped WFP provide school meals to 150 schools across the country. In some cases, girls could take food home, which not only encouraged their families to keep them in school, but also reduced the risks of child labour and early marriage.

NUTRITION

To get to Zero Hunger, food is not enough. Providing food assistance in an emergency can save lives, but the right nutrition at the right time can also help change lives and break the cycle of poverty.

Poor nutrition remains a colossal problem, with one in three people on the planet affected by some form of malnutrition. That is why WFP prioritises nutrition as a core element of its work. Where malnutrition threatens the world’s most vulnerable people, WFP is at the forefront to prevent it – and treat it when it does occur.

Bangladesh houses the world’s largest refugee camp where WFP provides nearly 900,000 Rohingya refugees with food assistance thanks to donors like the EU. As part of its EU-funded work in 2019, WFP distributed specialised nutrition products to pregnant and nursing mothers and children under five, who are susceptible to malnutrition.

In Colombia, the risk of malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency is particularly high among more than 1.8 million Venezuelan refugees living in the country. In 2019, with the help from donors such as the EU, WFP provided more than 250,000 people from the refugee and Colombian host communities with food assistance and nutrition education to change their eating habits.

Thanks to donors like the EU, WFP supported health centres across Ethiopia to help vulnerable people improve their nutrition. These clinics assessed the health of mothers and their children, providing specialised nutritious food to help those that are underweight and malnourished get healthy and gain strength.

SMALLHOLDER FARMERS

Worldwide, there are more than 500 million smallholder farmers. They are the ones producing most food, but the majority of them live in poverty. Many have difficulty selling their crops at a fair price and are increasingly faced with the impact of climate change.

WFP’s smallholder programmes help farmers diversify their crops and connect them to markets, increasing their business potential and income. These projects compliment established support such as food assistance, training, land rehabilitation and community asset creation.

Since 2018, WFP has supported 4,500 female smallholder farmers in Nicaragua with trainings in post-harvest management of crops, budgeting and marketing thanks to funding from the EU. The assistance, which in 2019 was focused on the empowerment of women, allowed them to produce and earn more, helping them become more resilient to economic shocks.

In the Republic of Congo, WFP helped smallholder farmers grow beans thanks to funding from the EU. WFP provided them with the seeds, training on new agricultural practices and access to markets – this comprehensive approach allowed farmers to effectively grow and sell crops. The beans also got distributed to local schools where they were cooked and served to children as a nutritious meal.

EU funding also enabled WFP to support smallholder farmers in the Central African Republic through its Smallholder Agriculture Market Support (SAMS) activities. By purchasing food commodities from farmers participating in this initiative, WFP allowed them to sell their produce while also stimulating the local economy. This project promoted entrepreneurship among farmers and helped increase their income, which in turn contributed to their long-term resilience.

Joyce’s Story

In the early stages of her third pregnancy, Joyce Mihinzo was enrolled in the Boresha Lishe nutrition project in Maduma, a town in Central Tanzania. Boresha Lishe, meaning ‘better nutrition’ in Swahili, is funded by the EU and implemented by WFP and its partners.

The programme ensures that children get adequate nutrition in the first 1,000 days of life. This period, between the time of conception and their second birthday, is vital for allowing brain development and optimum physical growth.

Suffering from malnutrition, Joyce went into early labour at 36 weeks into her pregnancy. At the medical facility, she was supported with nutrition education and put on a special diet to help milk production. Within a few days, she was able to breastfeed her new-born daughter Tamari. The baby’s skin returned to its natural colour and she started gaining weight. At 6 months old, after exclusive breastfeeding, Tamari was then able to consume fortified porridge provided by WFP.

“If it wasn’t for the fortified cereals I had once I got home, I don’t think my daughter would have recovered as quickly she did,” says Joyce. Meanwhile, Tamari has completed the Boresha Lishe 1,000-day cycle and is a happy, healthy toddler.

ADDRESSING IMMEDIATE FOOD NEEDS AND BUILDING RESILIENCE IN KENYA

Kenya suffers from unreliable rains and recurrent droughts. Two consecutive failed rain seasons saw the number of people needing humanitarian assistance rise to 2.6 million across the country in 2019. Life is especially hard for the country’s large refugee population, who are unable to work or move freely and who are highly dependent on international assistance.

In the Kalobeyei settlement and nearby camps, WFP is responsible for providing food to refugees on a monthly basis. Last year, thanks to funding from donors like the EU, WFP was able to provide 420,000 refugees with cash transfers. Most of them come from farming areas in South Sudan, but many of them were not able to continue farming due to dry spells and the lack of a stable water supply.

That is why, in addition to ensuring the most vulnerable had access to adequate food and nutrition, WFP and the EU, together with partners, worked on long-term solutions to help tackle drought – one of the root causes of food insecurity in the country – as well as refugees’ dependence on aid.

By constructing a water pan shared by both the refugees and host community, people could grow their own crops and vegetables. The wide variety of vegetables enveloping the water pan contributed to improving families’ meals and incomes.

WFP further supported the local community with the construction of a horticulture farm as well as a water dam for both livestock and domestic use. The dam in Kang’ura village near Kalobeyei town harvested runoff water, serving more than 50,000 people and catering for close to 40,000 animals.

The water pan and the dam collect enough water to sustain the population from one rainy season to the next one. Both structures are now in the hands of the community to increase the sustainability of the project.

With the EU’s support, WFP also provided farmers participating in that initiative with crop insurance. This has protected their investments in case of a bad harvest and has enabled them to afford quality seeds, fertilizers and new technologies.

ACCELERATING THE HUMANITAIRIAN-DEVELOPMENT-PEACE NEXUS IN CHAD

Chad has one of the highest levels of hunger and poverty in the world, which are exacerbated by conflict and climate change. Surrounded by countries affected by violence, Chad suffers from environmental degradation and rapid desertification.

Many people depend on farming and livestock for their livelihoods, but climate change poses a serious threat. Meanwhile, the presence of hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighbouring countries has put additional pressure on the country’s already limited resources.

The complex nature of these challenges reinforces the importance of developing long-term solutions that address humanitarian as well as development and peacebuilding needs. Thanks to funding from donors like the EU, WFP has been working hard to provide immediate support to the most food insecure while investing in sustainable futures.

During the lean season – the period between the harvests when food reserves run low – many people are not only confronted with dwindling supplies, but also face an increased risk of inter-community conflict, as hunger can often drive insecurity. In 2019, funding from the EU allowed WFP to provide food and nutritional assistance during this tough time, meeting the immediate needs of the most vulnerable and in doing so reducing tensions between farmers and pastoralists.

WFP further contributed to peacebuilding initiatives in the country through the rehabilitation of land which the government could then distribute among displaced and local households living around Lake Chad. With the help of donors like the EU, WFP rehabilitated 502 acres that benefitted more than 5,300 people, significantly reducing the risk of conflict over land in this area.

By building dykes that allow for controlled flooding and irrigation, WFP also helped strengthen people’s resilience to climate shocks. These families can now grow their own food while not having to be afraid that heavy rains or floods will wash away or damage their crops.

WFP and its partners also worked to improve the access to highly nutritious food for children under five by supporting the local production of fortified instant flour. Set up with the help of the EU, the first fortified food was produced in Chad in 2019 and was a major step forward in the country’s fight against malnutrition.

In parallel, investments in the government’s capacity to enhance food security and nutrition are crucial to reduce the country’s humanitarian needs in the future. That’s why WFP has been helping the government with technical support and staff trainings with the aim of improving the mapping and analysis of the nation’s nutrition situation. With support from the EU, WFP has also provided research and advice that will help create sound national policies and strategies to boost food security across the country.

INNOVATION & LOGISTICS

CASH TRANSFERS

Where markets and the financial sector are functioning, cash transfers can be an effective path to improve food security and nutrition outcomes. WFP uses cash transfers – in the form of banknotes, e-money, mobile money, debit cards or value vouchers – to empower people with choice to address their essential needs while boosting the local economy.

In countries like Lebanon, which hosts the world’s highest number of refugees per capita, EU-funded cash assistance has been a lifeline for families who had to flee their homes due to conflict and insecurity. In 2019, the EU contributed more than €70 million to WFP’s operations in the country, helping vulnerable refugees and host communities make ends meet.

In Uganda, which hosts the highest number of refugees in Africa, WFP assisted over one million refugees and their host communities in 2019 through monthly cash transfers with support from the EU. This assistance allowed them to choose what food to buy while stimulating economic growth in and around refugee settlements.

WFP’s findings show that the element of choice is critical: vulnerable households, which are empowered to decide about their needs, make choices that improve their food security and wellbeing.

DRONES

In the aftermath of natural disasters, quick access to the affected areas to assess the situation is one of the main challenges faced by humanitarian organisations. This is where drones come in. With the ability to be deployed within minutes of a disaster, drones can easily gather the necessary information in a safe and effective way.

In 2019, the EU supported WFP with vital funding for its logistics operations in Mozambique in the wake of Cyclone Idai and subsequent flooding. The EU’s contribution helped WFP strengthen early warning systems and preparedness in the country, in part by training technical staff of the National Institute of Disaster Management (INGC) to use drones to quickly gather data to assess damage and needs.

UN HUMANITARIAN AIR SERVICE

WFP manages the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), which ensures staff and vital supplies from across agencies and NGOs can be deployed rapidly and safely to the most remote and otherwise inaccessible locations. It is the only humanitarian air service that gives equal access to all humanitarian entities.

In 2019, support from the EU helped keep UNHAS flying in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, South Sudan, Sudan, Yemen and Zimbabwe.