Statement by the World Food Program ED Josette Sheeran at the Conclusion of the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan, Republic of Korea

By Jason Corum Published on December 5, 2011

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At a critical time in the world, when resources are scarce but humanitarian needs remain acute, it has never been more important to do aid right. At the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), we believe in delivering the right aid, in the right place, at the right time, and to the right people. No matter how challenging the circumstances.

Here in Busan we have agreed on a New Deal for engagement in fragile states designed to build trust and to achieve better results – in short, to be more effective. For WFP – which works to provide food assistance in almost all the world’s fragile states – this means the need to continue providing life-saving humanitarian supplies in the most difficult environments, with the support of our donors, but always with a view to a transition to recovery and longer-term development.

Most of WFP’s work is in fragile states and we are committed to working in such challenging environments in the most effective and transparent manner possible. In fragile states, food based safety nets and food and nutrition security are an essential tool in building peace and security and in protecting the most marginalized. It is essential to build resiliency and bridge the gap between emergency measures and early recovery and development. WFP is deploying new tools such as Purchase for Progress (P4P) and local purchase in fragile states to help lift communities out of poverty, and support people in their efforts to improve their lives.

I believe P4P is as good an example as any of WFP’s new tools in action. P4P works with smallholder farmers to connect them to formal markets, increasing revenues and stimulating agricultural production. It’s the kind of win-win, virtuous cycle we need more of in the aid and development worlds to build concrete results and ensure life-saving hand-outs turn into a hand up.

WFP strives to be at the cutting edge of innovation in aid efficiency and effectiveness, deploying new tools to empower the hungry to be self-reliant. This includes the use of mobile phone technology to deliver food vouchers, the development of locally-produced specialised foods which help prevent malnutrition in young children and investments in early warning systems which facilitate emergency response. All of these help build fledgling local food markets.

The private sector is a vital partner in the fight against hunger and is now among WFP’s top ten partners and donors. For example, through Project Laser Beam, WFP brings together the expertise of UN agencies with that of Fortune 500 companies, and others in the private sector, to work with local governments and companies to find new solutions to addressing child malnutrition. The project is currently a five-year trial in Bangladesh and Indonesia and is designed to be replicated in other countries where malnutrition is prevalent.

These are just some of the emerging tools we discussed in Busan that make WFP effective and accountable, and which confirm our belief that, together, we can end hunger in our lifetime.