The World Food Programme (WFP) was established in 1961 by the General Assembly and UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Conference as the UN System's food aid organisation. The WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.
In 2008, WFP was transformed from a food aid organisation to a food assistance organisation. WFP's five goals in facing up to the global hunger challenges are to:
Save lives and protect livelihoods in emergencies
Prevent acute hunger and invest in disaster preparedness and mitigation
Restore and rebuild lives and livelihoods after wars and disasters
Reduce chronic hunger and undernutrition
Strengthen the ability of nations to curb hunger.
In 2019, donors contributed $8 billion. All contributions to the Programme are on a voluntary basis. WFP provided food for 97.1 million people in 88 countries in 2019, delivering 4.2 million tons of food.
For its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict, WFP was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020.
The World Food Programme (WFP) was established in 1961 by the General Assembly and UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Conference as the UN System's food aid organisation. By GA res. 50/227 (1995), the FAO and the WFP absorbed the functions of the World Food Council, which was discontinued.
Supervision of the Programme is vested in the Executive Board, which meets four times a year in Rome. The Executive Board became effective on 1 January 1996. It replaced the Committee on Food Aid Policies and Programmes (CFA), which was established in 1975 by General Assembly resolutions and the FAO Conference on the recommendation of the 1974 World food Conference. The CFA had itself replaced the Inter-government Committee (IGC) of the World Food Programme.
The membership of the WFP Executive Board has been reduced from 42 to 36. The Board:
Provides a forum for inter-governmental consultations on national and international food aid programmes and policies.
Reviews general trends in food aid requirements and availability
Formulates proposals for effective, coordination of multilateral, bilateral and non-governmental food aid programmes, including emergency food aid.
Examines and approves projects and programmes submitted to it by the Executive Director
Examines and approves the administrative and project budget of the Programme.
The Board reports to ECOSOC and the FAO Council on its yearly activities.
The Executive Board members for 2019 are:
Elected by the FAO Council Angola Congo Pakistan Argentina Canada Germany
Elected by ECOSOC Egypt Sudan Saudi Arabia Colombia Luxembourg Spain
Term of office expiring 31 December 2020
Elected by the FAO Council Brazil Belgium Ireland Poland
Elected by ECOSOC Lesotho China Guatemala Japan United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Hungary
Term of office expiring 31 December 2021
Elected by the FAO Council Nigeria Côte d’Ivoire India Afghanistan Peru Netherland United States of America
Elected by ECOSOC Burkina Faso Iran (Islamic Republic of) Republic of Korea Sweden Switzerland Russian Federation
Via Cesare Giulio Viola 68/70 Parco de Medici 00148 Rome Italy Telephone: (+39 06) 65131 Fax: (+39 06) 6513 2840 Email: wfpinfo@wfp.org
Organ(s)
Category
HQ location
Date established
Resolution
The World Food Programme (WFP) was established in 1961 by the General Assembly and UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Conference as the UN System's food aid organisation. The WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.
In 2008, WFP was transformed from a food aid organisation to a food assistance organisation. WFP's five goals in facing up to the global hunger challenges are to:
In 2019, donors contributed $8 billion. All contributions to the Programme are on a voluntary basis. WFP provided food for 97.1 million people in 88 countries in 2019, delivering 4.2 million tons of food.
For its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict, WFP was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020.
The World Food Programme (WFP) was established in 1961 by the General Assembly and UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Conference as the UN System's food aid organisation. By GA res. 50/227 (1995), the FAO and the WFP absorbed the functions of the World Food Council, which was discontinued.
Supervision of the Programme is vested in the Executive Board, which meets four times a year in Rome. The Executive Board became effective on 1 January 1996. It replaced the Committee on Food Aid Policies and Programmes (CFA), which was established in 1975 by General Assembly resolutions and the FAO Conference on the recommendation of the 1974 World food Conference. The CFA had itself replaced the Inter-government Committee (IGC) of the World Food Programme.
The membership of the WFP Executive Board has been reduced from 42 to 36. The Board:
The Board reports to ECOSOC and the FAO Council on its yearly activities.
The Executive Board members for 2019 are:
Elected by the FAO Council
Angola
Congo
Pakistan
Argentina
Canada
Germany
Elected by ECOSOC
Egypt
Sudan
Saudi Arabia
Colombia
Luxembourg
Spain
Term of office expiring 31 December 2020
Elected by the FAO Council
Brazil
Belgium
Ireland
Poland
Elected by ECOSOC
Lesotho
China
Guatemala
Japan
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Hungary
Term of office expiring 31 December 2021
Elected by the FAO Council
Nigeria
Côte d’Ivoire
India
Afghanistan
Peru
Netherland
United States of America
Elected by ECOSOC
Burkina Faso
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Republic of Korea
Sweden
Switzerland
Russian Federation
Via Cesare Giulio Viola 68/70
Parco de Medici
00148 Rome
Italy
Telephone: (+39 06) 65131
Fax: (+39 06) 6513 2840
Email: wfpinfo@wfp.org