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Peace and ending hunger 'go hand in hand', WFP says after Nobel win
by Staff Writers
Geneva (AFP) Oct 9, 2020

WFP chief says 'deeply humbled' by Nobel prize
Rome (AFP) Oct 9, 2020 - World Food Programme chief David Beasley said Friday the UN agency was "deeply humbled" by winning the Nobel Peace Prize, adding it had rendered him "speechless".

"We are deeply humbled to receive the #NobelPeacePrize. This is an incredible recognition of the dedication of the @WFP family, working to end hunger everyday in 80+ countries," he said on Twitter.

Beasley, the UN agency's executive director, posted a video of his reaction on hearing the news, where he could be seen to be barely containing his excitement.

"This is the first time in my life I've been speechless. This is unbelievable," he said.

"And this because of the WFP family, they're out there in the most difficult, complex places of the world. Whether it's war, conflict, climate extremes, it doesn't matter. They're out there, and they deserve this award," he added.

WFP delivers food assistance in emergencies, from wars to civil conflicts, natural disasters and famines.

In addition to providing food aid to millions worldwide, the Rome-based agency handles logistics for the overall UN organisation.

The World Food Programme said Friday that winning the Nobel Peace Prize was a "powerful reminder" that ending global hunger was inextricably linked to ending wars and conflict.

"This is a powerful reminder to the world that peace and #ZeroHunger go hand-in-hand," the Rome-based WFP said on Twitter.

Spokesman Tomson Phiri, who had been on the podium at the UN in Geneva for a regular press briefing when the announcement landed, described the win as "humbling" and a "proud moment" for the UN organisation.

"One of the beauties of WFP activities is that not only do we provide food for today and tomorrow, but we also are equipping people with the knowledge, the means to sustain themselves for the next day and the days after," he said.

Phiri, who only recently became WFP's spokesman in Geneva but who has worked for the organisation for nine years most recently in South Sudan, said he had "seen the extent to which people are dedicated across the globe to go the extra mile".

WFP, which in addition to providing food aid to millions worldwide handles logistics for the overall UN organisation, had especially in the midst of the coronavirus crisis gone "over and above the call of duty", he said.

"At one point we were the biggest airline in the world," he said, pointing out that, "when most if not all commercial airlines ground to a halt, we were able to move assistance."

He stressed the clear link between working for peace and ensuring people don't go hungry.

"What we have seen happening in countries such as South Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan, is that where you have conflict, assistance become irregular," he said.

"It becomes inadequate, assistance also sometimes is delayed and in some cases is even suspended."

Billions of dollars have been spent providing desperately needed aid to countries that have descended into conflict.

But even when aid goes in, Phiri said, you still "need peace".

"You also need stability in those countries, and that is the bedrock. Everything else become less daunting when you have peace."

World Food Programme wins Nobel Peace Prize
Oslo (AFP) Oct 9, 2020 - The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the World Food Programme on Friday for feeding millions of people from Yemen to North Korea, as the coronavirus pandemic pushes millions more into hunger.

The WFP was "a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict", Nobel committee chairwoman Berit Reiss-Andersen said on unveiling the winner in Oslo.

"This is a powerful reminder to the world that peace and #ZeroHunger go hand-in-hand," the Rome-based organisation said on Twitter, with executive director David Beasley adding in a video: "This is the first time in my life I've been speechless."

Founded in 1961 and funded entirely by donations, the UN body helped 97 million people last year, distributing 15 billion rations to people in 88 countries.

Whether delivering food by helicopter or on the back of an elephant or a camel, the WFP prides itself on being "the leading humanitarian organisation" in a world where, by its own estimates, some 690 million people -- one in 11 -- go to bed on an empty stomach.

"First of all everyone was quite shocked, and now a little bit overwhelmed by the whole thing," WFP country director for South Sudan Matthew Hollingworth told AFP about hearing the news.

The Nobel Committee said it wished to "turn the eyes of the world towards the millions of people who suffer from or face the threat of hunger".

"The link between hunger and armed conflict is a vicious circle: war and conflict can cause food insecurity and hunger, just as hunger and food insecurity can cause latent conflicts to flare up and trigger the use of violence," said Reiss-Andersen.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was "delighted" that the prize had gone to "the world's first responder on the frontlines of food insecurity".

Qu Dongyu, director-general of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the WFP's sister organisation in its early years, said the award was "an injection of positive energy".

- Yemen worries -

Despite making progress over the past three decades, the UN's goal to eradicate hunger by 2030 appears out of reach if current trends continue, according to experts.

Women and children are generally most at risk.

War is both cause and consequence of hunger, with people in conflict zones three times more likely to be undernourished than those in peaceful countries, the WFP says.

Yemen, which is living through what the UN has described as the "largest humanitarian crisis in the world", is a stark example.

Two-thirds of the country's 30 million people do not know where their next meal will come from, WFP figures show.

A spokesman for Yemen's Huthi rebels, Talaat Al-Sharjabi, was however critical of the Nobel being awarded to the WFP.

He told AFP the organisation "has largely failed" to fight hunger in Yemen and "be neutral in terms of humanitarian aid distribution."

- 'Biblical proportions' -

The outlook has grown bleaker this year with the coronavirus pandemic, which has battered economies, increased food prices and disrupted supply chains.

"In countries such as Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan and Burkina Faso, the combination of violent conflict and the pandemic has led to a dramatic rise in the number of people living on the brink of starvation," the Nobel committee said.

In April, Beasley warned: "We could be facing multiple famines of biblical proportions within a short few months."

The global recession caused by the virus risks pushing an additional 83 to 132 million people into hunger, the UN said in a report in mid-July.

This is the 12th time the Peace Prize has gone to the UN, one of its agencies or personalities -- more than any other laureate.

Amid rising geopolitical tensions and nationalistic trends, Reiss-Andersen stressed "the need for international solidarity and multilateral cooperation is more conspicuous than ever".

"UN agencies and other international institutions seem to have less support these days," she told AFP, citing Brexit and US criticism.

The award consists of a gold medal, a diploma and a cheque for 10 million Swedish kronor (950,000 euros, $1.1 million).


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'Ghost island' Phuket hunkers down in tourist-free Thailand
Phuket, Thailand (AFP) Oct 9, 2020
Phuket's go-go dancers sit playing on their phones in empty bars lining deserted streets as the Thai tourist island reels from the ravages of the pandemic with little sign of any recovery soon. Swimming pools are empty, chairs are stacked high in deserted restaurants and normally packed beaches are so quiet they are even seeing rare species of sea turtle arriving to nest. Last year, more than nine million tourists visited Phuket, the kingdom's second most popular destination after Bangkok. T ... read more

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