Nobel Peace Prize 2020 Awarded To World Food Programme

The Nobel Peace Prize on Friday awarded to the World Food Programme for feeding millions of people from Yemen to North Korea, with the coronavirus pandemic seen pushing millions more into hunger. 

The WFP was honored for "its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting as 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. 

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

"With this year's award, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to turn the eyes of the world towards the millions of people who suffer from or face the threat of hunger," Reiss-Andersen said. 

The numbers are dizzying but only a fraction of the total number in need. Despite making progress over the past three decades, the UN's goal to eradicate hunger by 2030 appears out of reach if the current trends continue, according to experts. The global recession caused by the virus risks pushing an additional 83 to 132 million people into hunger, the UN said in a report published 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. The virus will also affect the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony on December 10 in Oslo, which has been scaled back due to corona restrictions. The award consists of a gold medal, a diploma, and a cheque for 10 million Swedish kronor (950,000 euros, $1.1 million).