The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the United Nation’s World Food Program for its efforts to combat hunger in regions hit with conflicts and hardship around the world.
The Rome-based organization has been at the forefront in the fight against hunger getting aids to some of the world’s riskiest and precarious zones from air-dropping food in South Sudan to creating an emergency delivery service to keep aid flowing despite coronavirus travel restrictions.
According to reports, the program assisted almost 100 million people in 88 countries last year.
The chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Berit Reiss-Andersen, while announcing the award in Oslo said, “With this year’s award, the (committee) wishes to turn the eyes of the world to the millions of people who suffer from or face the threat of hunger.
“The World Food Program plays a key role in multilateral cooperation in making food security an instrument of peace.”
The head of the organization said his entire team deserved the award.
David Beasley speaking with The Associated Press from Niger said, “I know I’m not deserving of an award like this, but all the men and women around the world in the World Food Program and our partners who put their lives on the line every day.”
Beasley said he found out about the award from a WFP media officer who had just been informed by the AP.
The organization has long been headed by an American, and U.S. President Donald Trump nominated the former Republican governor of South Carolina for the post in 2017.
WFP staffers in Niger greeted Beasley with cheers and applause as he emerged to address a crowd after the announcement. “Two things,” he told them. “I can’t believe I’m in Niger when we got the award and No.2, I didn’t win it, you won it.”
The Nobel Committee said that the problem of hunger has gone worse in recent years with millions affected around the world, attributing the Coronavirus Pandemic has a major factor.
The committee said, “In 2019, 135 million people suffered from acute hunger, the highest number in many years,” adding: “Most of the increase was caused by war and armed conflict. The coronavirus pandemic has contributed to a strong upsurge in the number of victims of hunger in the world.”
In total, WFP estimates that 690 million people suffer some form of hunger in the world today.
The Nobel Committee called on governments to ensure that WFP and other aid organizations receive the financial support necessary to feed millions in countries such as Yemen, Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Burkina Faso.
A logistics juggernaut, WFP this year created a global emergency delivery service for humanitarian aid. Officials said the unprecedented effort involved nearly 130 countries and was key in ensuring that aid for the pandemic kept flowing in addition to assistance for other crises, like the drugs and vaccines needed to combat other diseases.
There was no shortage of causes or candidates on this year’s list, with 211 individuals and 107 organizations nominated ahead of the Feb. 1 deadline.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee maintains absolute secrecy about whom it favors before the announcement of arguably the world’s most prestigious prize, but WFP had been on the shortlist of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
The Institute’s director, Dan Smith said, “The global problem of hunger is increasing and so is the global problem of violent conflict,” adding: “The World Food Program works at the intersection of those two problems.”
The award comes with a gold medal and a 10-million krona ($1.1 million) cash prize that is dwarfed by the funding that WFP requires for its work. So far in 2020, the organization has received almost $6.4 billion in cash or goods, with more than a third, over $2.7 billion, coming from the United States.
