The World Food Programme (WFP) was awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday 9 October for its efforts to fight hunger and improve conditions for peace, which the EU immediately welcomed.
The WFP is indeed one of ECHO’s (the Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department) partners in providing food aid in many developing countries and its award is “well-deserved”, said Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen.
“Peace and Zero Hunger go hand in hand. The EU and its Member States are proud partners of the UN World Food Programme”, she stressed on her Twitter account, recalling that they collectively “contributed last year more than €1.5 bn to its activities”.
On Saturday 10 October, as the Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, together with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, was visiting a UN centre for repatriated Ethiopian migrants – specifically a refugee camp in Qoloji and a nutrition project in Jijiga supported by ECHO – the WFP emphasised the “the EU is an important partner in Ethiopia in providing vital food aid to vulnerable communities throughout the country”. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)