The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | WFP
UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing: Nobel Peace Price 2020 for World Food Programme 2020
UN World Food Programme wins 2020 Nobel Peace Prize
The UN World Food Programme (WFP), which provides lifesaving food assistance to millions across the world – often in extremely dangerous and hard-to-access conditions – was awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize today. The agency was recognized “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 to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict”, said Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
WFP's spokesperson in Geneva reacted to the announcement by the Norwegian Nobel Committee at the United Nations press briefing in Geneva, Switzerland: “I have just learned that the Nobel Peace Price has been awarded to the World Food Programme”, said Tomson Phiri, Spokesperson of the World Food Programme (WFP).
WFP is the largest humanitarian organization in the world. Last year, it assisted 97 million people in 88 countries. Its efforts focus on emergency assistance, relief and rehabilitation, development aid and special operations. Two-thirds of the work is in conflict-affected countries where people are three times more likely to be undernourished than those living in countries without conflict.
“Yes, I will just say this is a pride moment, the nomination itself was enough and then to go out to be named Nobel Peace Price winner is nothing short of a feat”, Tomson Phiri said. “This is an organization I have served for 9 years. I have seen the extent to which people are dedicated across the globe, go the extra mile just before I moved to Geneva I was based in South Sudan where people would walk on foot to serve humanity, and it’s really a proud moment. I really feel honored to be a member of this great team”.
With this recognition, WFP joins the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN Peacekeeping, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), former Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld and former Under-Secretary-General Ralph Bunche, and the UN itself as Nobel Peace Prize laureates.
"I think the great list of organizations that have been nominated do fantastic work. And for WFP as well, I think for this year we have gone all and above the call of duty. We have been able to support, even when other -- I mean you saw everything went into shutdown following nationwide global restrictions following Covid-19 -- the World Food Programme stepped up to the plate. We were able to connect communities at one point, we were the biggest airline in the world when most - if not all - commercial airlines have grounded to a halt," Mr Phiri said.
"We were able to move assistance to keep people moving," he continued. "We were able to deliver assistance and this was through the global common services that we provided that some, most, of the aid workers, were able to stay in some places and deliver, even in communities where people were at risk of both the infection and hunger”.
Mr. Phiri explained that thanks to its global logistics network, the agency had made it possible for a number of other humanitarian actors to continue to do their work even as the COVID-19 pandemic brought global activity to a grinding halt. WFP not only provided short-term food aid, he explained, but also assisted people to become self-sustainable, growing enough food to feed themselves. Funded entirely by voluntary donations, WFP received record support in 2020, Mr. Phiri said.
“This is really a proud moment. This is a humbling nomination to say the least. Not only is it for the staff and the people who work for the World Food Programme, but also the many volunteers and the communities we are working in”, Tomson Phiri said.
Praising the work of the UN agency, Nobel Committee chair Berit Reiss-Andersen highlighted WFP’s role in boosting resilience and sustainability among communities by helping them to feed themselves.
WFP, Headquartered in Rome, was established in 1961 and had helped millions of people in extremely dangerous and hard-to-reach countries affected by conflict and natural disaster, including Yemen, Syria and North Korea.
- Exterior wide shot, Palais des Nations flag alley, nations’ flags flying, a cloudy day.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Tomson Phiri, Spokesperson of the World Food Programme (WFP): “I have just learned that the Nobel Peace Price has been awarded to the World Food Programme”.
- Wide shot, podium Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Tomson Phiri, Spokesperson of the World Food Programme (WFP): “Yes, I will just say this is a pride moment, the nomination itself was enough and then to go out to be named Nobel Peace Price winner is nothing short of a feat. This is an organization I have served for 9 years, I have seen the extent to which people are dedicated across the globe, go the extra mile. Just before I moved to Geneva, I was based in South Sudan where people would walk on foot to serve humanity and it’s really a proud moment, I really feel honored to be a member of this great team”.
- Medium shot, podium
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Tomson Phiri, Spokesperson of the World Food Programme (WFP): “I think the great list of organizations that have been nominated do fantastic work. And for WFJP as well, I think for this year we have gone all and above the call of duty. We have been able to support, even when other – I mean you saw everything went into shutdown following nationwide global restrictions following Covid-19, the World Food Programme stepped up to the plate, we were able to connect communities at one point we were the biggest airline in the world when most if not all commercial airlines have grounded to a halt, we were able to move assistance to keep people moving. We were able to deliver assistance and this was through the global common services that we provided that some, most of the aid workers were able to stay in some places and deliver, even in communities where people were at risk of both the infection and hunger”.
- Medium shot, journalists sitting and listening, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Tomson Phiri, Spokesperson of the World Food Programme (WFP): “This is really a proud moment, this is a humbling nomination to say the least. Not only is it for the staff and the people who work for the World Food Programme, but also the many volunteers and the communities we are working in”.
- Medium shot, cameraman
- Wide shot, press room
- Close up, cameras
- Various shots, Tomson Phiri speaking to journalists
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Gaza: One million receive food parcels as humanitarians race to ‘push back hunger’
Food is slowly returning to the shelves in Gaza amid “apocalyptic scenes” but supplies are still desperately inadequate, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday, as they issued fresh calls for wider access and continued financial support.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango today told the bi-weekly UN press briefing in Geneva of more details that are emerging on the atrocities committed in El Fasher, in Sudan during and after its takeover by the Rapid Support Forces.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango made the following comment on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani made the following comment on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , WHO
Sudan: UN Raises Alarm Over Mass Atrocities in El Fasher as Survivors Report Executions, Killings and Rapes
More details continue to emerge about atrocities committed during and after the fall of El Fasher to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan on 23 October. Since the powerful paramilitary group made a major incursion into the city last week, the UN Human Rights Office has received “horrendous accounts of summary executions, mass killings, rapes, attacks against humanitarian workers, looting, abductions and forced displacement,” said Seif Magango, spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
Ukraine: Russian attacks on energy terrorize population as winter starts; could trigger major ‘crisis within crisis’
The UN’s top aid official in Ukraine expressed concern on Friday about “continuous attacks” on energy production sites and distribution facilities.
1
1
1
Edited News | HRC
Navi Pillay Retires After Decades Defending Human Rights and Pursuing Justice
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The telecommunications shutdowns in Afghanistan in September had serious and far-reaching impacts on people’s lives, according to a briefing paper published today by the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence at the UN Geneva press briefing made the following comment on the ASEAN declaration on the right to a healthy environment.
1
1
1
Edited News | IFRC , OCHA , WMO
‘Catastrophic’ Hurricane Melissa hours from landfall in Jamaica as humanitarians rush to save lives
Millions in Jamaica and across the Caribbean are bracing for massive impact from Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday as the UN and partners are warning of a “severe” and “immediate” humanitarian threat.
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘We need all routes to open’: in Gaza WHO calls for ramp-up of medevacs, easier access for essentials
Two weeks since a ceasefire agreement entered into force in Gaza the World Health Organization (WHO) noted progress on the flow of aid while calling for more evacuations of critical patients and eased entry for essential medicines and supplies.
1
12
1
1
Edited News | WMO , UNITED NATIONS
UN chief urges boost to life-saving weather warning systems, stresses role of climate change science
No country is safe from the devastating impacts of extreme weather — and saving lives means making early-warning systems accessible to all, UN chief António Guterres said on Wednesday.