Sweden commits record $370m aid to UN World Food Programme

Sweden has singed Strategic Partnership Agreement with United Nations for committing record $370 million dollars to UN World Food Programme. The contribution is for next four years i.e. 2018-2021. It is the biggest ever contribution made by donor within a WFP Strategic Partnership Agreement.

Significance

Sweden has been the largest donor of flexible and predictable funds to WFP for almost a decade.  The Swedish contribution comes at time of record need as the world is facing worst humanitarian crisis since the end of World War II with multiple large-scale hunger emergencies occurring across the planet. For the first time in decade, the number of hungry people in world is increasing and majority of them now live in countries affected by conflict. Ten of the 13 largest food crises on the planet are driven mainly by conflict.

World Food Programme (WFP)

The WEF is the food-assistance branch of the United Nations. It is the world’s largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security. It works to help people who cannot produce or obtain enough food for themselves and their families.
It was established in 1961 after the 1960 Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Conference. It is headquartered in Rome (Italy) and has more than 80 country offices around the world. It provides food assistance to an average of 80 million people in 75 countries each year.

Month: Current Affairs - February, 2018