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The UN World Food Program (WFP) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this year.
Associate Executive Director Ute Klamert speaks in an interview about the connection between hunger and peace and the work of the organization.
WORLD:
When you talk about human rights, famine is not so often the focus.
What role does nutrition play in this spectrum?
Ute Klamert:
The goal of a world without hunger has been enshrined in the second development goal of the United Nations, and the right to food has become of fundamental importance.
The role is fundamental to the WFP mandate.
We are concerned with a world without hunger - in humanitarian crises and in a development context.
UN resolution 2417 is particularly important for our work. It is the first UN recognition that hunger and conflict are directly linked.
We know that in eight out of ten food crises, conflicts lead to acute famine.
This connection was made binding for the first time in the resolution.
The positive side for solutions is: Food security is essential to stabilization and peace.
The resolution also prohibits the use of hunger as a weapon of war.
You can never overcome hunger if there is no peace.
We have never had so many missions in conflict areas and never for so long.
We are in Syria now for the tenth year.
Yemen continues, Libya continues.
In order for it to be at least somewhat more stable in some countries, food security is a very important element.
In addition to health and education, it is about basic security.
Diet is the first step.
Ute Klamert has been Associate Executive Director of the UN World Food Program since February 2019
Source: WFP / Rein Skullerud
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WORLD:
What situation in the world are we talking about?
Klamert:
We are currently talking about 690 million people who do not have enough food.
These are people who go to bed hungry.
I find this number irresponsibly high.
Within this number we speak of 149 million who are acutely hungry.
In the situation with Covid-19, there are reliable starting points that this number can rise to 270 million.
The latest report from the Munich Security Conference speaks of a polypandemic in this context.
This means that the Covid-19 pandemic results in other pandemics, such as the hunger pandemic, which undermine development progress.
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WORLD:
What other reasons for undersupply are there besides the conflicts?
Klamert:
In addition to local conflicts and wars, climate changes and increasing extreme natural events are a major issue.
Droughts, storms and floods can destroy entire crops.
But there are also the framework conditions such as poor governance, the food systems, general inequality or lifestyle habits.
First of all, there is enough food on this planet for everyone.
But a third of it does not make it to the market or is wasted.
The phenomenon exists in highly developed countries as well as in developing countries.
We could use it to feed an additional two billion people.
WORLD:
Why can't this food be distributed fairly?
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Klamert:
A Food System Summit is planned precisely on this problem for the coming year.
In preparation for this, all of these questions are dealt with: What needs to be changed globally in dealing with food?
How is it produced?
It's about innovative production systems, trading systems.
And: What is produced locally?
What are the links between local production and local, national and global consumption?
WORLD:
Where does the UN World Food Program actually start?
Klamert:
I am
giving
our WFP school meals as an example.
For many children this is the only meal they get a day.
The food for this is often purchased at the local markets in order to stimulate them reliably because we are the safe buyer.
If such programs are really broad, economic developments are triggered.
Due to Covid-19 we had the problem that schools were closed.
Almost 370 million school children missed school meals.
Around 13 million of these are supported by WFP.
To ensure that children continue to receive the support they need, WFP has redesigned its programs: families receive rations to take home or food vouchers.
Together with Unicef, WFP is committed to ensuring that the nutrition and health of school children is prioritized despite Covid-19.
The school closings create another problem.
183 million girls live in fragile circumstances and there is a high probability that many of them will not return to school.
You are like a "lost generation".
Another great example is: How can we defuse or prevent humanitarian emergencies and thus develop medium to long-term solutions?
People have a right to perspective.
We try very hard to invest in resilience.
One of the most recent conflicts: refugees from the embattled Ethiopian province of Tigray
Source: AFP
It starts with individual resilience and extends to community and local resilience.
It's about prevention.
For example, we know that natural disasters will occur.
There are a whole range of preventive options for us to ultimately create food security.
This includes making soil fertile or reforestation.
These are investments in resilience.
Social security systems are a big issue for many national governments - our partners - and other international organizations.
Our work goes far beyond the distribution of food.
WORLD:
What are other examples?
Klamert:
Last year we transferred over two billion US dollars directly to those in need in the form of vouchers or cash.
For example, we use biometric recognition systems for shopping in supermarkets.
First, it gives people freedom of choice about what they need.
Second, it gives them back a lot of dignity.
And women in certain cultures get more security.
We are also at the forefront of solving food security with the help of reliable digital systems.
WORLD:
How is the World Food Program financed?
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Klamert:
We don't have a fixed budget, from nowhere.
We are a UN organization that has to raise funds.
We hold consultations with many of our donors every year.
We get most of the contributions from governments.
Due to the increasing demand, we need to think about how to diversify the sources.
We have now opened up new options with the major international development banks.
Another new type of financing is the private sector.
We are looking for new approaches via digital solutions such as the ShareTheMeal app, which will be recognized by Apple and Google this year.
The younger generation almost exclusively donates in this way.
We have a budget of about $ 8 billion.
Because of Covid-19, the demand will rise to up to 15 billion US dollars in the coming year.
We see four countries acutely moving towards famine.
These are Yemen, South Sudan, northeast Nigeria and Burkina Faso.
The pressure on us is increasing.
I am impressed by Germany, among other things.
We are getting over one billion euros this year - great support from the Federal Foreign Office and the BMZ!
The German aid covers the entire range of our activities.
No other donor does that.
Germany is the second largest donor and a reliable partner by our side.
WORLD:
What is the situation of your employees on site?
Klamert:
We have almost 20,000 employees, 90 percent of them in the field.
We received almost all of our team presence even during Covid times.
There is a very high level of commitment to the mission and vision of our organization.
Most of the employees are not based in the capital cities, but often in conflict areas or refugee camps and work with the UNHCR or local NGOs.
The situation for our employees is therefore often extremely stressful.
Our headquarters are in close contact with the employees in the field and have to think about where the need lies and how they can specifically support them.
There are also “Global Offices” in the major capitals to keep in touch with the donor governments about the local situation.
WORLD:
The World Food Program received the Nobel Peace Prize this year.
Congratulations!
Klamert:
This award is feedback on the subject of peace.
This is an important responsibility for our organization that we take on.
This Nobel Peace Prize also goes to the United Nations as a multilateral organization.
That means: How do we together manage to implement concepts for peace?
We feel great joy, but also this great responsibility.
It is - especially in times of the Covid pandemic - about global solidarity across national borders.