Norway invests NOK 350 million in 'invisible results'

At a time of record numbers of crises exacerbated by climate change, it is more important than ever to invest in prevention. During the climate summit in Dubai, Norway announced NOK 350 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) for five years. The money will be used for early warning-based efforts to improve food security and reduce humanitarian needs in sub-Saharan Africa. 

“This is a programme that will never make headlines because crises are better anticipated and managed. Helping farmers to salvage crops and livestock in advance of droughts or floods helps to ensure that people have food and income. This is how we help to reduce or avert the crisis," said Minister of International Development, Anne Beathe Tvinnereim

Right now, 735 million people are facing an acute food crisis, according to the UN. This means hunger and malnutrition leading to increased illness and death. For children who are malnourished for long periods of time, it can lead to irreparable damage to the body and brain that they have to live with for the rest of their lives. This affects their ability to attend school and lift themselves out of poverty.

- The need for emergency aid globally is at an all-time high, and climate change is one of the major drivers. Investing in prevention is the right thing to do and smart. Right, because it will reduce unnecessary suffering for the people affected, and smart because prevention is more cost-effective compared to responding to crises. In a world where the gap between humanitarian needs and available resources is increasing, we need to use our resources as efficiently as possible," says Tvinnereim.

Several donor countries have shifted large funds from development and prevention to humanitarian efforts to respond to the galloping needs.  However, Norway believes it is important to do both. Co-operation with WFP and other actors is central to this work.

Norway supports WFP's work with national authorities in Niger, Madagascar, Mozambique and Zimbabwe to develop new drought early warning and response systems. The new agreement extends the effort for five more years, expands to include new risk factors such as floods and cyclones, and will include three new countries, Burkina Faso, Malawi and Tanzania.

"We are already seeing good results from the work with early warning-based efforts, but there is a need to scale up the aid to reach the goal of zero hunger," says the Minister of Development.

For more information or an interview, contact:  Helene Sandbu Ryeng, helene.sandbu.ryeng@mfa.no, +47 99406730