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 – has been awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.
A ‘business as usual' approach is no longer an option, the head of the UN agriculture agency said on Tuesday, launching a new plan to move past the coronavirus pandemic.
Millions of refugees across Africa face even greater food insecurity because of aid disruption and rising food prices linked to the COVID-19 crisis, UN humanitarians warned on Thursday.
Whilst COVID-19 has posed a serious threat to food security overall, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) believes agricultural commodity markets are proving to be more resilient to the pandemic, than many other sectors.
But the real test in terms of food security will come now, “with lockdowns ending, and people having to go back to their jobs to support themselves”.
That’s according to Sridhar Dharmapuri, a Senior FAO Food Safety and Nutrition Officer from the Asia Pacific region.
While stressing the importance of maintaining good food safety practices at home, Mr. Dharmapuri told UN News’s Li Zhang, that cutting through the tide of misinformation was also key to battling the coronavirus.
The coronavirus pandemic threatens the hard-earned gains Africans have made throughout the continent, the UN chief said on Wednesday, urging the world to stand in solidarity with the people, “now, and for recovering better”.
The unfolding COVID-19 pandemic is so far having little impact on the global food supply chain, but that could change for the worse – and soon – if anxiety-driven panic by major food importers takes hold, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Friday.
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