G/AG/GEN/170  
 
18 September 2020  
(20-6335) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Agriculture  Original: English  
 
 
RESPONDING TO THE DEVELOPMENT EMERGENCY CAUSED BY COVID -19  
WFP'S MEDIUM -TERM PROGRAMME FRAMEWORK1 
SUBMISSION BY THE WFP  
The following submission, dated 18 September 2020, is being circulated at the request of the  World 
Food Programme (WFP).  
 
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Addressing the "development emergency " low and middle -income countries are facing due to the 
scale and scope of the global COVID -19 pandemic requires a comprehensive and integrated response 
which upholds humanitarian and  human rights standards. The World Food Programme (WFP) is 
uniquely positioned to support governments, local organizations and other partners to quickly adapt, 
design and deliver their own interventions. Thanks to its presence and capacity in over 80 count ries, 
WFP can also rapidly scale -up and directly deliver complementary programmes where required.  
1  A CRISIS THAT WILL AFFECT NEW POPULATIONS  
1.1.  The impact of COVID -19 will disproportionately affect low and middle -income countries and 
could lead to a food secu rity and nutrition crisis of historic proportions. More than 800 million people 
around the world were food insecure before this crisis. An additional 200 million are expected to lose 
access to basic food and nutrition in the months ahead.2 
1.2.  Health care systems in these countries are likely to be overwhelmed, while the combination of 
a sharp global recession and dependence on volatile import, export and credit markets threatens 
trade, generates unemployment and loss of income, and constrains the ability o f countries to 
respond to rapidly increasing needs. Food insecurity and malnutrition are projected to deepen among 
poor and marginalized populations – with estimates indicating the number of people suffering from 
acute hunger could double – and expand amon g groups that were previously able to meet their own 
needs. People at particular risk include those living in densely populated urban areas and camps, 
those who rely on markets for access to food, people employed in the informal sector, and 
school -aged chi ldren and their families. Structural and socio -economic inequalities based on gender, 
age, disability, income and other factors will be exacerbated, and compound the risk of hunger.  
1.3.  In the face of these challenges, WFP will support governments through thr ee programme pillars 
that are central to effective, efficient, and equitable responses and where WFP has demonstrated 
value as a partner to governments, UN Agencies and International Financial Institutions. These are:  
1.1  NATIONAL SOCIAL PROTECTION SYSTEMS  
1.4.  As the pandemic threatens to deepen existing vulnerabilities and create new ones, WFP will 
help governments to design, adapt and implement social assistance interventions that respond to 
the impacts of COVID -19 and to strengthen existing shock -responsive soci al protection systems. 
 
1 Extracted from the document Responding to the development emergency caused by COVID -19, WFP, 
June 2020. https://docs.wfp .org/api/documents/WFP -
0000117124/download/?_ga=2.204408848.1042125494.1600330240 -452813577.1576669866 . 
2 FSIN, 2020 https://www.wfp.org/publications/2020 -global -report -food-crises . G/AG/GEN/170  
 
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  Drawing on decades of experience in safety -net programming in crisis contexts, and on extensive 
technical expertise in analysis, assessment, programme design, in -kind and cash delivery systems 
and accountability to affected populatio ns, WFP can help governments to:  
• increase understanding of needs and changing vulnerabilities arising from the crisis;  
• adapt existing safety nets to increase the value or coverage of in -kind or cash -based social 
assistance;  
• establish new schemes to reach p opulations that are not covered by current safety nets;  
• maintain programmes that protect populations from other shocks, like extreme climate 
events, that will compound COVID.  
1.2  BASIC SERVICE DELIVERY  
1.5.  WFP can support governments in continuing to ensure essen tial nutrition and school -based 
services to protect children and women, build human capital and enable recovery.  
1.6.  School -based  programmes  – Due to COVID -related school closures, 370 million school 
children are currently missing out on school meals. In count ries across the globe, school feeding 
programmes provide a crucial and widespread safety net that supports children and their families. 
Recognizing their importance, many countries are adapting programmes to continue supporting 
children during school closu res. As some countries will soon turn their attention towards school 
reopening, meals and health programmes can provide incentives for families to send their children 
back to school. Without them, many – especially girls – won't resume their education, res ulting in a 
lost generation that will never recover from this crisis.  
1.7.  Based on its global experience and partnerships, WFP is uniquely positioned to:  
• support school reopening: WFP, the World Bank, UNESCO and UNICEF have developed a 
framework to support nat ional preparations to safely reopen schools. WFP and UNICEF 
have also launched a global health and nutrition campaign to support return to school. 
Working with partners, WFP can help governments put in place robust school feeding and 
health programmes, ens ure appropriate physical distancing and prevention eff orts, and 
promote proper water, sanitation and hygiene services for school children and staff;  
• advise governments on alternative ways to deliver school feeding programmes while 
schools are closed, and  support linkages with social safety nets.  
1.8.  Nutrition  – It is essential that nutritionally vulnerable populations do not get left behind or 
deprioritized during the COVID -19 response. Many countries will have to dramatically shift the way 
at-risk groups, es pecially women, infants and young children, receive preventive and lifesaving 
support as movement restrictions and service prioritization affect access to clinics and nutrition 
services.  
1.9.  WFP can leverage existing partnerships and support governments to:  
• deliver essential medicines, non -pharmaceutical supplies and specialized nutritious foods;  
• shift service delivery from health facilities to the communities;  
• scale-up interventions for individuals whose nutritional status has been affected by the 
pandemic;  
• use data collection and analysis to assess access to food and nutrition, identify the most 
vulnerable populations, and target key interventions for the delivery of preventive services;  
• advocate for the strengthening of services for those at risk of being  left behind in the 
response.  
1.3  FOOD SYSTEMS  
1.10.   The COVID -19 pandemic is placing significant stress on all components of food systems 
(production, trade and distribution, and consumption), threatening the food security and livelihoods 
of millions of vulnerable people. Sustaining, protecting and improvin g food systems during the crisis 
is vital to reduce economic and food insecurity risks to communities, especially the most vulnerable, 
and enable a quicker and more inclusive recovery.  G/AG/GEN/170  
 
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  1.11.   WFP can build on its partnerships to support governments and work with  actors along the 
food value chain – from farmers to traders, processors, distributors, and retailers – to:  
• sustain and strengthen market functions by leveraging WFP's supply chain expertise to help 
ensure food availability, also through the procurement a nd provision of timely market 
information;  
• increase smallholder farmers' productivity and reduce post -harvest loss by supporting 
producers' access to seeds, fertilizers, assets, services and markets;  
• protect the livelihoods of smallholder value chain act ors through programmes that create 
income and job opportunities;  
• ensure the food and nutrition needs of vulnerable populations are met by linking to social 
protection and nutrition systems and through interventions such as home -grown school 
feeding.  
1.12.   Acros s these three areas – social protection systems, basic service delivery and food systems 
– WFP will support national responses to save lives and protect livelihoods while strengthening 
systems to reinforce government leadership and accountability.  
1.13.   With a focus on the countries, groups and people most at risk of being left behind, WFP's 
actions will help achieve the objectives of the integrated support package offered by the United 
Nations Development System to protect the needs and rights of people living under the duress of 
the pandemic.  
 
 
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