WFP and the EU Fighting Hunger Together

WFP and the EU Fighting Hunger Together

In Guatemala, WFP provides a fortified food blend for pregnant and nursing women and children under 3 years at risk of malnutrition. WFP and the EU have developed a strong partnership supporting projects in more than 30 countries to meet the basic nutritional needs of the most vulnerable populations, particularly those of women and children. WFP/Laura Melo/Nepal The European Union Food Facility supports a WFP Purchase for Progress project in Honduras to increase production of grains by small-scale farmers. WFP/Hetze Tosta/Honduras WFP/Elizabeth Sagastume/Guatemala

The UN World Food Programme The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide. Every year, it provides food assistance to more than 90 million people in over 70 of the world s poorest countries. WFP directs food assistance to the hungriest of the hungry, protecting livelihoods, providing nutritious food to those who cannot feed themselves and bringing stability to communities engulfed in turmoil. Hunger and undernutrition lead to lower productivity, compromised health and educational achievement and higher rates of poverty. WFP reaches the hungry with life-saving food and supports long-term food security. Hunger must be addressed or it will jeopardize the achievement of at least five MDGs especially in sub-saharan Africa. Threatened goals include those on poverty and hunger, education, child and maternal mortality, and the spread of major diseases. Redefining its focus from food aid to food assistance, WFP is piloting innovative hunger solutions that will reduce dependency and aim to support governmental and global efforts to ensure the most vulnerable get the right food at the right time. WFP and the European Union WFP is voluntarily funded and the European Union (EU) is its second largest donor. In 2010, contributions received from individual EU member states combined with financial support from the European Commission (EC) totalled US$970.1 million (circa 735 million). Contributions from the EC are channeled through the EC s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection office (ECHO) and through DEVCO the development assistance arm of the EU. In 2010, with funding of 219.5 million received from the EC, WFP reached millions of people in 34 countries around the world. Trend of EU contributions to WFP Thematic breakdown of EU allocations to WFP 300 Refugees 8% Displaced People 11% 250 (million euro) 200 150 100 50 Food Security & Nutrition 41% Natural Disaster 30% Logistics 10% 0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 WFP EC Strategic Planning The EC s strong operational support to WFP is accompanied by an equally significant policy component. WFP and the EC meet annually to prioritize joint activities based on WFP s 2008-2013 Strategic Plan. In 2010, both WFP and the EC agreed to prioritize for 2011 the implementation of WFP s innovative hunger solution tools such as cash and voucher programmes. Other priorities will include the nutritional components of food assistance, collaboration in the area of linking relief, rehabilitation and development, and measuring impact and outcomes in humanitarian operations. WFP and the EU Fighting Hunger Together 1

A UNHAS helicopter brings rice to the mountain district of Moussambe, Haiti. WFP/Jim Farrell/Haiti Highlights of ECHO s Support to WFP ECHO s contribution for 2010 amounted to 194 million Helping the Victims of Natural Disasters in 2010 ECHO supported WFP operations in more than 30 countries including the response following the earthquake in Haiti, the floods in Pakistan and the Sahel food security emergency. In these crises, WFP food assistance helped meet the basic nutritional needs of the affected population, particularly those of women and children. In the immediate aftermath of the January 12 earthquake in Haiti, WFP responded with massive food distributions, reaching over 4 million people by mid-april. Following the initial response, WFP, in collaboration with Haitian authorities, supported recovery efforts by targeting the populations most at risk. With financial support from ECHO, nutritional supplements were distributed in earthquake-affected areas to children between 6 months and almost 5 years and to pregnant and nursing mothers. ECHO funding also covered meals for school-age children, nutrition interventions to prevent acute malnutrition, and food- and cash-for-work activities. On the logistics front, ECHO s funding to UNHAS the UN humanitarian Air Service operated by WFP on behalf of the entire humanitarian community enabled WFP to charter specialized aircrafts to airlift cargo and personnel to bring assistance to the hardto-reach areas in Haiti. Within 24 hours of the devastating floods that hit Pakistan in August, ECHO s financial support helped WFP provide relief food assistance to almost 7 million people. This crucial support helped many households maintain adequate food consumption levels and prevented nutritional deficiencies among infants and young children. WFP also helped affected communities restore their livelihoods and assets through food- and cash-for-work activities. In those areas where markets continued to function but prices were too high for people to afford, WFP piloted a cash project as an alternative to the distribution of food rations. This project enabled beneficiaries to withdraw small amounts of cash at local established bank points. The assistance that ECHO provided to WFP s logistical support activities allowed UNHAS helicopters to be deployed to areas with the greatest emergency needs. It also facilitated 2

WFP as lead of the Logistics Cluster to provide the humanitarian community with boats, hovercraft and tractor trailers to reach the most vulnerable. Across the Sahel belt of West Africa, drought and erratic rains caused meager harvests and severe water shortages forcing the local populations to depend largely on international aid. In Chad, ECHO funding helped WFP provide food for Sudanese refugees, internally displaced persons, and host populations in Eastern Chad as well as for the refugees from the Central African Republic living in Southern Chad. WFP intensified its activities to prevent malnutrition by providing supplementary food assistance to support all children aged between 6-29 months and pregnant and lactating women. In close collaboration with partners and health authorities, WFP used ECHO funding to establish and run nutrition centers. In addition, in Chad and in the rest of the East/West African region, UNHAS played a pivotal role in providing air transportation to the entire humanitarian community. WFP Aviation and Logistics Activities In 2010, WFP Aviation carried 350,534 passengers and 14,833 metric tons of humanitarian cargo to 240 destinations in some of the most dangerous emergency operations in the world. ECHO s contribution to WFP Aviation - the third largest donor in 2010 - helped reach millions of vulnerable people who otherwise would have been without vital assistence. Ekhbal Adam Mohamad, a 17- year-old refugee from Sudan, prepares a meal in front of her hut. Marie will use this money from a cash-for-work project to pay for school fees and uniforms for her eight children. WFP/Alejandro Chicheri/Haiti WFP/Judith Schuler/Chad A Pakistani man delivers UNHAStransported assistance during the August 2010 floods. In addition, for the first time in 2010, DEVCO the development branch of the EC through its local delegation, contributed to WFP Aviation. The funding directed to Afghanistan UNHAS provided a safe, efficient and cost effective air transport service to the humanitarian community while, at the same time, contributed to the development and reconstruction of the country. WFP Aviation transported light cargo such as Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) equipment and medical supplies, and provided timely medical and security evacuations and assistance in search and rescue operations. WFP/Marco Frattini/Pakistan 3

far right top An ECHO-supported WFP food distribution centre at Mugunga camp, one of six settlements near the regional capital, Goma far right bottom right A pilot project in Damascus distributes WFP food vouchers in the form of mobile phone text messages to Iraqi refugees far right bottom left WFP supports a school garden project that is cared for by the students, their teacher and their families in Nazareno, Boliva Logistics As the lead agency within the Humanitarian Cluster system in both the areas of logistics and emergency telecommunications, WFP is able to mitigate challenges during humanitarian crises and to ensure that the humanitarian community provides an uninterrupted supply of life-saving items to affected populations. In 2010, ECHO supported WFP s work in these areas through: building new UN Humanitarian Response Depots (UNHRD) facilities in Accra, Panama and Sebang, strategic locations that allow WFP to respond immediately to emergency situations and encourage coordination among humanitarian actors; setting up the UNHRD network and procurement of emergency equipment to be pre-positioned by WFP; stocking High Energy Biscuits (HEBs) to be pre-positioned in Dubai; providing funding for a humanitarian relief stock of shelter and medicines/medical supplies available for NGOs. To strengthen WFP s emergency response capacity further, in 2011 ECHO and WFP are planning a helicopter stand-by capacity to reduce the time required for airlifting and re-assembling helicopters when an emergency strikes. WFP/Rein Skullerud/Haiti Within days of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the telecommunications staff connected humanitarian workers to each other and to the world. 4

WFP/John Wreford/Syria WHO/Cristopher Black/DRC WFP/Simona Caleo/oPT Ibrahim Abu-Zahra is a participant in the WFP Urban Voucher Project that provides nutritional support to the poorest families, and helps promote local business and producers. WFP/Boris Heger/Bolivia Capacity Building Global Food Security Cluster ECHO provided funding to WFP for the development and roll out of the Global Food Security Cluster that will be implemented in collaboration with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The cluster, established in 2010, will improve food security responses in humanitarian crisis situations and will provide predictable, systematic, and country-driven services. Innovative Hunger Solutions WFP s innovative food assistance programmes such as large-scale cash and voucher projects have also been prioritized and supported by ECHO. Cash and vouchers transfers are used to tackle hunger in places where there is plenty of food in the marketplace but where poor people cannot afford to buy it. In 2010, two examples of ECHO s support to cash and vouchers initiatives were successfully implemented in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and in the Philippines. To save lives and reduce food insecurity and malnutrition among the populations affected by conflict and post-conflict situations in the DRC, WFP supported the return of Congolese communities to productive lives by introducing food voucher transfers. In the Philippines, families uprooted by disaster receive text messages as electronic vouchers which they are able to exchange for food. Known as the texting capital of the world, the Philippines is well-suited for this pilot project. The money distributed via vouchers was earned through WFP cash-for-work projects. WFP and the EU Fighting Hunger Together 5

A worker at the ECHO-supported local Musuj Tarpuy Association in Bolivia shows off the freshly baked biscuits that will be packed and distributed to the schools in the region. WFP/Boris Heger/Bolivia DEVCO s contribution to WFP for 2010 amounted to 25 million right At a children s centre in Kenya, the most vulnerable children living in arid and semi-arid lands and urban slums in Kenya receive at least one nutritious meal a day through WFP. far right In Maseno, Kenya expecting mothers can come to the Maseno Mission Hospital to receive food, partake in informative training sessions on how to properly prepare the CSB (corn-soya blend) porridge provided by the WFP. WFP/Rein Skullerud/Kenya 6

Highlights of Longer-term Cooperation with the EC The EU Food Facility The EU Food Facility (EUFF) was created in response to the 2008 food price crisis aiming to support primarily small-scale farmers in developing countries. WFP received funding for 9 countries and in 2010 EUFF projects continued to help millions of vulnerable people to overcome food insecurity. A clear example is Guatemala where WFP, in partnership with FAO, supports subsistence farmers and their families to diversify their production and diet, to increase their income through expanding their economic activities, and to protect their livelihood through food-for-work, food-for-training and food-for-asset activities. WFP also purchases surplus production from small farmers, transforms it into blended food (Vitacereal ) and provides it as a supplementary food to prevent deterioration in the nutritional status of children and pregnant and lactating women. Nepal also receives funding from the EUFF to undertake livelihood and agricultural improvement projects through food- and cash-for-work activities. WFP works with the most vulnerable communities to build and repair vital infrastructure such as dams, levees and roads. These activities under the EUFF help the villagers protect and increase their production while improving their access to local markets. WFP/Rein Skullerud/Kenya Other DEVCO Funding In 2010, WFP also received support from DEVCO through the European Development Fund; the Food Security Thematic Programmes; the European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument; and the Development Cooperation Instrument. These types of funds will help reach long-term development goals and aim to protect the livelihoods of the families in greatest need. Kenya and Niger WFP implemented a cash transfer pilot project in the Mathare slum of Nairobi, Kenya to cushion the most food-insecure families hit by high food prices. A baseline study allowed WFP to develop a number of interventions addressing the critical challenges faced in urban areas. In addition, WFP expanded its foodfor-assets programme to include projects such as rain-water harvesting for human and livestock use, soil and water conservation, rehabilitation of degraded agricultural land and the production of drought-tolerant crops. These projects have served to promote longer-term food security, improve resilience, and encourage investment. With the support of DEVCO in Niger in 2010, WFP implemented a strategy to complement children s food rations known as supplementary feeding with family rations consisting of cereals, pulses and vegetable oil. The aim was to ensure that children s nutritional daily requirements were not compromised. WFP also implemented various curative nutritional activities in health centers throughout the country. Children between 6 and 59 months and pregnant and lactating women suffering from moderate acute malnutrition were treated with ready-to-eat and other targeted nutritional products. WFP and the EU Fighting Hunger Together 7

Atlantic Ocean Algeria Haiti Mauritania Niger Honduras Guatemala Nicaragua El Salvador Colombia Senegal Gambia Guinea Sierra Leone Liberia Burkina Faso Benin Cameroon Chad Rep. of Congo Central Rep De of Bolivia Pacific Ocean Countries of EU-WFP Cooperation 2010 8

Georgia Kyrgyzstan Syrian Arab Republic Afghanistan Egypt Pakistan Nepal Myanmar Pacific Ocean Bangladesh Yemen Lao People s Dem. Rep. Philippines Sudan Djibouti African blic Ethiopia Sri Lanka Uganda Kenya. Rep. Congo Burundi United Republic of Tanzania Zambia Zimbabwe Mozambique Madagascar Indian Ocean WFP/Philippines WFP/Laura Melo/Nepal WFP/Susan Schulman/DRC The designations employed and the presentation of material in the map does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever of WFP concerning the legal or constitutional status of any country, territory or sea area, or concerning the delimitation of frontiers.

Science tells us that the first 1000 days of a baby s life are critical for its future. Good nutrition during these early days makes a huge difference to a child s mental and physical health. In my part of the world access to food and health care is a birthright, but for millions of children born in poor countries it is not. Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Printed May 2011 Design by CP Publications Unit Photo credits Front cover: WFP/Rein Skullerud/Pakistan WFP s partnership with the EC has strengthened over the years. 2010 was successful in showing the type of leadership and commitment needed from our partners to reach the most vulnerable people with the right food at the right time. And 2011 will be key for WFP and the EC to continue making a difference on the ground. Josette Sheeran, WFP Executive Director The WFP Brussels Office works closely with the EC, the European Parliament and the Council, in coordination with other UN agencies. Our priority is to consolidate this relationship through fundraising, policy, advocacy, and communication. For more information or to donate online, please visit our website www.wfp.org Or contact the UN World Food Programme Liaison Office in Brussels: 41, Avenue des Arts, 1040 Brussels Tel: +32 2 500 09 10 Fax : +32 2 502 77 90 E-mail:wfp.brussels@wfp.org 10 May 2011