2023 Annual Allocation to WFP Immediate Response Account (IRA)

Founded in 1961, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian agency saving and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working to improve nutrition and build resilience. Against the COVID-19 crisis, climate shocks and an unprecedented number of violent conflicts since World War 2, food insecurity is reaching record levels on all continents. Early 2023, up to 345 million people are acutely food insecure or at high risk; famine-like conditions remain a real possibility for 43 million people in 51 countries facing emergency or catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity, against 283 and 45 million people in June 2022. In April 2022, WFP joined the Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance (GCRG) created by UN Secretary-General Guterres in response to the worsening of hunger crisis provoked by rising food prices after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine; until root causes are addressed, the emergency goes on.

As a voluntary-funded organization, WFP receives most of its grants with donor conditions, limiting its use to a specific context or modality. Thus, WFP created the Immediate Response Account (IRA), a flexible revolving fund that can be activated within 24 hours of the onset of a crisis to cover such situations. Allocations from the IRA are made as loans to eligible operations in anticipation of receiving donor contributions. If no such donations are received, the loan is deemed to be a permanent, non-reimbursable grant from the IRA to the operation. This allows countries to operate with funds when needed, even when no funds are already committed. The IRA is fully oriented to operations.

In line with the Good Humanitarian Donorship principles, Switzerland recognizes the necessity of predictable and flexible funding to respond to rapid needs in humanitarian crises. By financing the IRA, Switzerland is making a contribution with high added value, where needs are most dire. It limits administrative burden and reduces WFP's fundraising costs.

WFP’s mission is a world in which every man, woman and child has access at all times to the food needed for an active and healthy life.

The vision for 2030 underlying WFP’s strategic plan for 2022-2025 is that the world has eradicated food insecurity and malnutrition (SDG 2 - Zero Hunger) and national and global actors have achieved the SDGs (SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals).

The overall goal of WFP is providing immediate food assistance in life-threatening situations while supporting countries in ensuring no one is left behind.

The IRA can be used for any WFP field operation or project.

WFP's 2022-2025 Strategic Plan’s five outcomes are:

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 programmes and systems are strengthened.
5. Humanitarian and development actors are more efficient and effective.

Risultati principali attesi:   WFP fights hunger in 82 least-developed and low-income countries where victims of conflicts and natural disasters, refugees, displaced people and the hungry poor face severe food shortages.

Risultati fasi precedenti:  

• In 2021, WFP surged operations against the 4Cs (conflicts, climate shocks, COVID-19, rising costs) that created a more than doubling of extreme hunger; it provided assistance to 128 million people in 80+ countries (+11%; 54%♀; 21% 0-6 year old). It maintained efficient assistance and dignity of assisted people through delivery of USD 2.3 billion of cash-based and voucher assistance (32% of assisted people).
• WFP continuously increased its budget and reached a record USD 9.6 billion contributions, allowing greater operations (2019: +12%, 2020: +10%).
• In 2022, IRA allocated more than USD 385.2 million to WFP operations in 36 countries thanks to donors from 13 countries for a total value of USD 97.6 million. Largest allocations were granted to Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen.
• WFP is the laureate of the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.

Fase 16 01.01.2023 - 31.12.2023   (Completed)