Founding of World Food Programme

The World Food Programme was created by the United Nations in December 1961 as a three-year experiment in providing food aid through the UN system, and it became permanent a few years later. It is based in Rome and grew out of a proposal by the United States, supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization. The organisation delivers food in emergencies caused by war, famine and natural disasters, and also runs programmes in schools and for nutrition and resilience. It relies on voluntary donations from governments and others. It operates in dozens of countries and is among the largest humanitarian organisations in the world. In 2020 it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to combat hunger and to prevent hunger being used as a weapon of war.

Open on the timeline