UNV and WFP sign Memorandum of Understanding to fortify their collaboration

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the World Food Programme (WFP). The agreement will increase the deployment of UN Volunteers in support of the 2030 Agenda and includes a joint action plan to guide future collaboration.

This Memorandum of Understanding is a stepping stone for more fortified and promising collaboration between the two organizations for the benefit of future generations. UNV has long been a proponent of WFP, and UN Volunteers have steadfastly supported its delivery over the years.

Notably, UNV and WFP have been working together in the Sahel region, where it is estimated that over 20 million people are affected by conflict and 2.4 million people are mired in poverty, hunger, and in need of food assistance.

“This agreement is a great starting point for both UNV and WFP to set a solid foundation for further cooperation. We look forward to expanding our collaboration with WFP beyond West and Central Africa, where the largest numbers of UN Volunteers – 173 out of 224 UN Volunteers – serve,” said Mr. Olivier Adam, UNV Executive Coordinator.

This region, which includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger, is a particular priority for WFP, and UNV has been providing substantial support to combat insecurities and instability. In 2019, 628 UN Volunteers served in the region, 36 percent of them women, actively addressing challenges in the areas of health, education, human rights, security, refugees, and the environment.

“We are grateful to UNV for the support that volunteers are providing to WFP. Their talent and energy enriches our efforts to help the world achieve Zero Hunger by 2030. And we believe we are giving these volunteers valuable experience that will benefit us all in the end,” said Mr. David Beasley, Executive Director of WFP.

UN Volunteers have supported the provision of assistance for refugees in Cameroon, food assistance in Mali and Eurasia, disaster and emergency preparedness in Myanmar, as well as promoting peace through climate action in Africa.

The growing partnership between UNV and WFP will open up opportunities for further deployment of UN Volunteers to support resilience building, monitoring, and evaluation, logistics, school feeding, COVID-19 response, as well as the implementation of recommendations of the upcoming Food Systems Summit in 2021.

Original source: UNV