World Food Programme wins Nobel Peace Prize for fight against ‘hunger as a weapon of

In awarding the prize, committee chair Berit Reiss-Andersen noted the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on global food supplies and criticized the politics of populism.

The WFP, a United Nations entity, was created in 1961 and today provides food to over 100 million people a year.

The organization tweeted its “deepest thanks” for the honor, adding: “This is a powerful reminder to the world that peace and #ZeroHunger go hand-in-hand.”

It praised its staff who it said “put their lives on the line every day.”

Executive director David Beasley reacted with joy to the news of his organization’s Nobel win. “This is unbelievable. Talk about the most exciting point in time in your life,” he told staff, from Niamey, Niger. “I can’t believe it!”

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director of the World Health Organization which itself was tipped as a frontrunner for the award, praised the decision on Twitter. “Huge admiration and respect for the life-saving work you do for people in need everywhere,” he wrote.

Tunisian actress Hend Sabry, a WFP ambassador, said she was “proud” of her role and wrote that the organization “is mainly a web of wonderful people from all around the world, doing their best to fight hunger.”

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said the need for international solidarity and multilateral cooperation was more conspicuous than ever. It said it wanted to turn the eyes of the world towards the millions of people who suffer from or face the threat of hunger.

“The coronavirus pandemic has contributed to a strong upsurge in the number of victims of hunger in the world,” said Reiss-Andersen.

“In the face of the pandemic, the World Food Programme has demonstrated an impressive ability to intensify its efforts.

“As the organization itself has stated: until the day we have a vaccine, food is the best vaccine against chaos,” Reiss-Andersen added.

Dan Smith, the director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, told CNN he saw the decision as “positive.”

“There’s an urgency to the issue at the moment, because after decades of progress, world hunger has started to rise in the last four years, driven primarily by climate change,” he said.

“In addition, the number of conflicts in the world is also on the increase,” Smith added. “So I worry that the workload for the World Food Programme is only going to increase in the next two to three years, so I think this is a very timely way of bringing attention to the work that they do.”

The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the most prestigious in the world and recognizes those who have contributed the most towards ending conflict, promoting peace and building relationships between nations. This year’s award carries particular significance in a period dominated by division, economic woes and a global pandemic.

The combination of conflict and the pandemic has led to a dramatic rise in the number of people living on the brink of starvation in countries including Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan and Burkina Faso. The WFP has combined humanitarian work with peace efforts in South America, Africa and Asia.