The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2020 to the humanitarian organization World Food Programme (WFP), of the United Nations, for its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for preventing the use of hunger as a weapon of war.
It is a valuable recognition that places the fight against hunger on the international agenda, a key issue, as the lack of access to food remains today one of the scourges of humanity, affecting millions of people. It is important to remember that there is hunger in the world, not because of a lack of food, but because its production and distribution is not guaranteed for the entire population.
This award also reminds us of the dangerous link that exists between wars and famine: armed conflict causes hunger, while hunger causes armed conflict. The current internationalization of conflicts, for example in Afghanistan, Yemen or Libya, has resulted in an increase in the responsibility of countries that support the parties in conflict for generating hunger, and the consequences that this has for millions of people.
Finally, the Nobel Peace Prize 2020 is also a tribute to multilateralism at a time when international solidarity and mutual support are in crisis, and when the COVID-19 pandemic has become a global challenge.
