WFP: 60-Yr History & Role in World Food Security - Essay Sample

Introduction

The World Food Program (WFP), a non-profit organization was established in 1961 as a result of the conference by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 1960. The organization was further officially recognised in 1963 by both the FAO and the United Nations General Assembly upon an agreement of a three-year tentative basis (Mingst, 2020). Later on, in 1965, the organization was further allowed to operate on a continued basis, upon meeting several conditions set for its existence.

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The World Food Organization has a central mission of ending global hunger. Based on this mission, the organization, therefore, works to provide food assistance during emergencies as well as providing the economic and social developed in the vulnerable countries, to increase their food production (O’Connor et al., 2017). Furthermore, among the goals that the World Food Program aims to achieve include saving lives as well as protect livelihoods during emergencies. Besides, the WFP hopes to support the availability and access of food and nutrition as well as reconstruct the lives of individuals in among the delicate areas and in places of emergencies. Furthermore, the organization also has a goal of reducing risks, while enabling individuals, communities as well as countries to accomplish the needs of their food and nutrition. It is also the goal of the organization to reduce hunger to zero by 2030, globally.

As a strategic plan, WFP adopts the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a determination to transform lives to a significant degree by 2030. As Mingst (2020) provides, this particular commitment aims to reach SDG 2 towards achieving Zero Hunger as well as the SDG 17 which involves associating and enhancing the implementation of the SDGs which require great technical knowledge as well as operational ability. Moreover, WFP also commits to work with national governments as they advance towards fulfilling the food security goals.

Description of the Governance Structure

The World Food Program is administered by an executive panel involving a representative individual from each of the 36 member countries globally. The existing executive director is David Beasley, chosen in the position by both the secretary-general and of FAO to serve a term of five years (O’Connor et al., 2017). As the executive director, David is responsible for organizing and implementing the organization's programs, along with its projects, among other aspects. Furthermore, WFP has a deputy executive director as well as an assistant.

Organizational Chart – Staff and Board Members

Source: (Mingst, 2020)

Description of the Programs Offered by the Organization

Through several programs, the World Food Program assists millions of people in almost 83 nations globally every year. Among the most significant programs that the organization offers includes urgent support staff through liberation and restoration as well as development fund along with individual processes (O’Connor et al., 2017). This program is usually applicable in countries that are affected continuously by conflicts where the population is more likely to be malnourished than the ones in the conflict-free country. Amidst emergencies and other situations, the organization is also responsible for providing food assistance as a program. WFP usually uses this program to assist victims of war, political instabilities, hurricanes, floods, as well as food shortages due to crop failures and natural calamities (O’Connor et al., 2017). Upon subsidization of emergencies, the organization further helps communities to rebuild shattered lives as well as livelihoods. Strengthening the resilience of people as well as communities suffering as victims of crises is also another significant program by the WFP. In doing this, the organization applies a development lens in their humanitarian response. Nutrition is also a further program by the organization explicitly focusing on mothers as well as children. The World Food Program addresses malnourishment from the initial phases by aiming the first moments of a child's conception to their second birthday.

Relation of the Identified Programs to WFP’s Mission and Goals

The World Food Program is among the most significant humanitarian organizations in the world and therefore focus their programs towards assisting families adequately all over the world. As such, the organization's programs are entirely related to its goals and mission as they all focus on enhancing food security to vulnerable families globally. According to Campbell et al. (2016), more almost every one out of nine people lack enough food to eat. As such, the organization understands that food and related assistance are among the most significant aspects of solving hunger and poverty. As such, the organization’s programs are set in ways that aim to relieve individuals and communities from issues of food insecurity. By focusing on the identified programs, the organization will, therefore, be able to reduce risks and protect individual families globally.

Issue Research

Food security is an essential aspect of any country that should be enhanced to avoid hunger and other related problems. Burchi & De Muro (2016) explains that food security exists where every individual in an economy have both physical as well as economic access towards adequate and safe food to attain their daily needs towards a healthy regime. Close to a billion people all over the world currently experience the drastic effect of food insecurity which consistently translates to poverty. According to Campbell et al. (2016), regular shifts in the world's economy such as an increase in oil and food prices tend to affect food security causing severe effects to especially the low-income countries in the world.

There are three significant aspects of food security, including availability, access utilization of food. To begin with, food availability exists when a particular economy has a sufficient amount of food to sustain its population. The food can be acquired either locally or through importation from other regions. Communities may fail to produce their food due to inappropriate agricultural practices, lack of adequate resources as well as poor climate conditions, leading to the need for food importation. Further, food success entails sufficient resources to gain a healthy diet. According to Mkamburi & Kamaara (2017), even though there can be enough supply of food feed people, it may not always be accessible to everyone. To ensure food access, individuals need to have sufficient incomes as well as resources to acquire food. As another aspect of food security, food utilization which includes consumption of nutritious diet. As such, people are required to make effective usage of food based on information of care and nourishment as well as access to clean drinking water and sanitization (Mingst, 2020). All these aspects relate to the practices by WFP, considering that it works towards ensuring individuals, communities and the vulnerable communities have food availability, food access as well as proper food utilization.

The food program is a significant issue and therefore demands sufficient attention globally. As such, apart from the World Food Program, another considerable organization that has been successful in addressing the problem is FAO of the UN. FAO is an international non-profit agency that specialises in efforts to defeat hunger globally.

Location of the Organization

WFP is based and headquartered in Rome, France and additionally operates from more than 80 countries from around the world. The organization offer its programs to more than 85 countries around the globe, including Africa, the US, among other regions (Mingst, 2020).

The WFP Clients

The organizations aims to offer its programs to victims of violence, calamities as well as regions that cannot sustain food security due to poor climatic conditions and inappropriate farming agricultural conditions. As such, among the expressed need that the organization attempts to meet include food shortage, poor diet as well as food usability (Mwangi, 2018).

WFP’s Work Evaluation and the Results

The organization evaluates its work and impact through the episodic, independent, systematic assessment of their programs, strategies as well as policies. As a result, this evaluation technique has enabled the organization to capture as well as preserve organizational knowledge, thereby creating an evidence base of the organization’s accomplishment and challenges in several situations from where they can learn and advance (O’Connor et al., 2017). Furthermore, WPS has also been able to reach and help more countries, thereby playing a significant role in enhancing food security.

WFP’s Finances and Major Donors

The World Food Program gets yearly contributions from various sources all over the world to support its efforts towards fighting hunger and ensuring food security. According to Mingst (2020), as at now the total contributions to the organization from various sources amounts to more than US$1.5 billion. Importantly, among the main donors of the organization include governments, corporations, as well as individuals with the seek to make a difference in food security (Mwangi, 2018).

My Professional Contribution to the Organization

As a professional, I see myself contributing to the organization as a program policy officer. With such a position, I would be able to design and manage programmes that effectively reach food assistance needs as well as contribute towards policy formulation for the organization. More importantly, the three habits of mind that I am working on including problem-solving, integrative perspective as well as purposeful communication fit into my assessment of fit for the WFP since they enable the combination of ideas towards addressing the food security issue.

References

Burchi, F., & De Muro, P. (2016). From food availability to nutritional capabilities: Advancing food security analysis. Food Policy, 60, 10-19.

Campbell, B. M., Vermeulen, S. J., Aggarwal, P. K., Corner-Dolloff, C., Girvetz, E., Loboguerrero, A. M., & Wollenberg, E. (2016). Reducing risks to food security from climate change. Global Food Security, 11, 34-43.

Mingst, K. (2020). World Food Programme | UN. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 27 May 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/World-Food-Programme.

Mkamburi, M. A., R. Y., & Kamaara, D. M. (2017). Influence of Talent Management on Employee Performance at The United Nations: A Case of World Food Programme. The Strategic Journal of Business and Change Management, 2(3), 28-48.

Mwangi, I. D. (2018). Funding Mobilization in Non-Governmental Organizations: A Case of World Food Programme (Doctoral dissertation, United States International University-Africa).

O’Connor, D., Boyle, P., Ilcan, S., & Oliver, M. (2017). Living with insecurity: Food security, resilience, and the World Food Programme (WFP). Global Social Policy, 17(1), 3-20.