Monrovia – The Norwegian Nobel Committee today, Friday, 10 December, presented the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Award to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) at a special ceremony in Oslo, Norway.
WFP’s Executive Director, David Beasley, received the Award on behalf of the global WFP family during a virtual ceremony because of the Coronavirus pandemic. The in-person presentation event will be held early 2021 if the pandemic slows down.
In October, the WFP was awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to combat hunger among the world’s poorest and most vulnerable populations.
In his acceptance speech, WFP’s Executive Director, David Beasley, expressed gratitude to the Norwegian Nobel Committee for the recognition and “for acknowledging our work of using food to combat hunger, to mitigate against destabilization of nations, to prevent mass migration, to end conflict and… to create stability and peace.”
He also saluted the nearly 20,000 WFP staff worldwide for their tireless efforts in saving lives and changing lives as well as the donor community, NGOs, sister UN agencies, and governments for their enduring partnerships.
At the same time, WFP Liberia’s Country Director, Ms. Karla Hershey, has reaffirmed WFP’s commitment to standing by the Government and people Liberia in meeting the country’s development and food security needs.
“As a trusted and committed partner of this country, WFP will continue to collaborate with the government, people and friends of Liberia including its development partners, as the nation walks the path towards sustainable development in which no one is left behind,” said Hershey.
The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the United Nations World Food Program is in recognition of the important link between conflict and hunger and the critical role that food assistance plays in supporting the first step towards peace and stability.
This is an award that WFP shares with many others. With the combined help of UN and NGO partners in the field, as well as governments across the world, we are able to achieve the remarkable achievement of reaching 100 million people with food assistance every year.