Addis Ababa- 28 July 2017 – The African Union Commission and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have jointly launched a new global report, entitled World Food Assistance 2017: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead. The report, which is launched on 26 July 2017, shows how food assistance saves lives in humanitarian crises while addressing the root causes of hunger.
World Food Assistance 2017 highlights the huge costs that are linked to poor humanitarian access, instability and inefficient food systems at a time of skyrocketing humanitarian needs amid multiple complex emergencies across the globe. For example, WFP has seen costs spike by more than 140 percent over 7 years. Two regions home to major food emergencies – East and Central Africa and the Middle East and North Africa – account for a staggering 70 percent of this expenditure.
World Food Assistance 2017 finds that improvements in humanitarian access, country capacity to cope with instability induced by a range of shocks, and food system improvements could lead to yearly cost reductions of US$1 billion, US$2.2 billion, and US$440 million, respectively. In total, this could lead to annual savings of US$3.5 billion.

As the African continent faces an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, World Food Assistance 2017 presents key data and recommendations toward strengthening food assistance programming on the continent.
“The publication and launch of this report is timely and pertinent especially in Africa today. It is timely given the humanitarian crises now besetting the African continent currently due largely to violent conflicts and climate-induced natural calamities leading to forced displacement. Today, the continent hosts 17.8 million people forcibly displaced from their homes. Of this, 5.6 million are refugees and asylum seekers. A total of 13.2 million are internally displaced persons. The problem of food insecurity and malnutrition is particularly severe in situations of forced displacement especially among women and children”, said Dr. Khabele Matolosa, Director of Political Affairs of the African Union Commission. A special thanks and appreciation also to the WFP for the continued support you have accorded to millions of vulnerable populations during the various crisis that have afflicted our continent and dedication to this project.”

“National governments are at the forefront of ensuring their countries’ food security,” said Angelline Rudakubana, Director WFP Africa Office and Representation to the African Union and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, World Food Programme. “Today’s discussion affirms the need for concentrated efforts to work in close partnership to address the root causes of hunger through food assistance on the continent.
The report illustrates that food assistance is much more than food aid. Food assistance represents a wide range of programmes and activities that can support vulnerable people and communities with regular access to nutritious food and thereby contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Adoption of the recommendations set forth in World Food Assistance 2017 will help in developing appropriate policies to promote food assistance on the continent and ensure that food assistance programmes are able to reach areas that are most vulnerable and most affected. In particular, the report highlights the importance of addressing the political drivers of hunger, strengthening national capacity and South-South cooperation, and providing for stronger engagement with the private sector.