By the time famine is declared, it’s too late — people are already dying of hunger. With funding and access in place, however, WFP has the expertise to both halt and prevent famine, operating at a huge scale that can steer people away from the edge of starvation and building their resilience to shocks caused by conflict, climate change or disease. Our most powerful tool? Access to, and knowledge of, the most vulnerable people. Two years ago, our largest-ever scale-up of food assistance — from 1 million people in 2015 to nearly 13 million in 2019 — helped avert famine in Yemen, while providing a platform for the broader humanitarian community to strengthen their interventions.
The price of doing nothing in the face of current hunger needs will inevitably be measured in terms of the number of people who die. Then there are the long-term economic consequences such as lost productivity and spiking healthcare costs. The cost of losing the human potential of whole generations is incalculable for what are already the world’s poorest countries.
With six decades of experience, WFP is at the forefront of the global famine response and uniquely placed to intervene in today’s most pressing emergencies. WFP’s logistics and supply chain capabilities can move huge quantities of food to where they are most needed — in extreme cases using airdrops and airlifts. Our knowledge of the needs of populations facilitates a tailored response with all partners, that can prevent the recurrence of famine.