Norwegian Prime Minister congratulates World Food Programme

‘On behalf of the Norwegian Government, I would like to congratulate the winner of this year’s Peace Prize, the World Food Programme,’ said Prime Minister Erna Solberg.

In its announcement, the Norwegian Nobel Committee emphasised that the World Food Programme has helped not only to increase food security, but also to promote peace and stability in regions affected by conflict.

‘The rising hunger crisis under the coronavirus pandemic makes efforts to combat hunger more difficult, but even more important than before. The UN estimates that 270 million people will go hungry in the course of this year, which is twice as many as before the pandemic started,’ Ms Solberg said.

The World Food Programme is one of Norway’s key partners in humanitarian efforts. Norway has provided over NOK 800 million in funding to the WFP so far this year.

The award of this year’s Peace Prize underscores the need for strong multilateral organisations to resolve global challenges such as those relating to peace, security and hunger.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee selects the Nobel Peace Prize laureates and gives grounds for its choice. The committee is independent of the Norwegian Government.