Source: TH
Context: India has signed an MoU with the World Food Programme (WFP) to send 10,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan
- Last month India declared at the India Central Asia Joint Working Group on Afghanistan, that 20,000 MT of wheat would be sent through the Iranian port of Chahbahar.
The situation in Afghanistan: As per WFP, nine out of 10 Afghan families could not afford enough food at present, and at least 20 million Afghans were facing the threat of starvation.
India’s stance on Taliban: India has not recognised the Taliban government in Kabul, but it has maintained that it requires “unimpeded access” to the people of Afghanistan to ensure that the humanitarian goods being sent reach them without getting diverted to tribal warlords and local Taliban leaders.
About World Food Programme
| About | The World Food Programme is an international organization within the United Nations that provides food assistance worldwide. It is the world’s largest humanitarian organization and the leading provider of school meals. |
| Founded | 1961; HQ: Rome, Italy |
| Founders | Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) |
| Memberships | Member of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG) |
| Objectives | To end hunger by protecting access to food, improving nutrition and achieving food security, supporting SDG implementation and partnering for its results |
| Strategic Plan | “Turning the tide against hunger” (2022-2025); Share the Meal Initiative: An initiative of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) that allows donations through the ShareTheMeal app |
| Vision | Eradicate food insecurity and malnutrition by 2030 (SDG 2 – Zero Hunger) |
| Outcomes | 1. People are better able to meet their urgent food and nutrition needs; 2. People have better nutrition, health, and education outcomes; 3. People have improved and sustainable livelihoods; 4. National programs and systems are strengthened; 5. Humanitarian and development actors are more efficient and effective |
| Funding | Funded entirely by voluntary donations from governments, corporations, individuals, and not-for-profit entities |
| Prizes | WFP has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace 2020 for its efforts to combat hunger |
| Report | Global Report on Food Crisis |
| WFP and India | WFP has been working in India since 1963. Working to improve the efficiency, accountability, and transparency of India’s subsidized food distribution system, fortification of government-distributed food, and mapping and monitoring of food insecurity |
