The World Food Programme (WFP) has won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.
The United Nations organisation, the 101st winner of the prestigious award, was praised for its efforts in tackling global hunger.
Presenting the award, the Nobel Committee urged the world to pay attention to the suffering of the hungry.
What is the WFP and what do they do?
Accepting the Peace Prize, WFP chief David Beasley said the award belonged to the “family” of aid workers on the front line.
Last year, the UN organisation helped 97 million people, distributing 15 billion rations across 88 countries.
It prides itself on being "the leading humanitarian organisation" in a world where, by its own estimates, some 690 million people - one in 11 - go to bed on an empty stomach.
Mr Beasley said: “They are out there in the most difficult, complex places in the world.
“Whether it’s war, conflict, climate extremes, it doesn’t matter. They are out there and they deserve this award.”
A glimpse of the globe-trotting aid chief’s Twitter feed demonstrates the scale of the global food crisis.
Mr Beasley uses a series of personal videos - shot in obscure locations including a locust swarm in Africa and the site of the Beirut blast - to highlight how quickly the WFP can respond.
We are deeply humbled to receive the #NobelPeacePrize. This is an incredible recognition of the dedication of the @WFP family, working to end hunger everyday in 80+ countries.
— David Beasley (@WFPChief) October 9, 2020
Thank you @NobelPrize for this incredible honor! pic.twitter.com/bHcS0usWQa
At the devastated Port of Beirut, the South Carolina-born official tells his followers “we’re all hands on deck” distributing supplies after the explosion wiped out most of Lebanon’s grain reserves.
Port of #Beirut: This is where we'll be setting up @WFP operations, temporary warehousing & mobile office space. You can see there's lots of work to do. Together we're going to get this emergency response off the ground for the people of Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/EihnE7VFE3
— David Beasley (@WFPChief) August 9, 2020
The hands-on former Republican governor earlier shot a video of himself at the back of a cargo jet delivering supplies to the stricken city, telling viewers: “You are literally looking at a catastrophe right now.”
“You’re not gonna catch us sleeping,” he says in the video.
Live from #Beirut: This 3rd flight from @UNHRD just hit the tarmac and we're now unloading temporary warehouses, forklifts & mobile cranes. Cargo now en route to the port. As I said yesterday, there's no time to waste. We're going to get this operation moving & food coming in! pic.twitter.com/X0bFeHpc64
— David Beasley (@WFPChief) August 10, 2020
On any given day, the WFP has 5,600 trucks, 30 ships and nearly 100 planes on the move.
The outlook for the world has grown even bleaker this year due to the pandemic, which has led to earnings losses, made food more expensive and disrupted supply chains.
Another risk to food supplies is the locust plague in eastern Africa, which Mr Beasley points out can eat away at crops designed to feed thousands:
Locusts, heavy rains & #COVID19 are bearing down on East Africa. Just one square km of a #DesertLocust swarm can consume the same amount as 35,000 people - in one day! We've got to move fast to fight this triple menace.
— David Beasley (@WFPChief) June 12, 2020
More in this new report: https://t.co/PYYzGswPrQ pic.twitter.com/rEM8HiCTP6
The WFP said a quarter of the world’s population does not have reliable access to safe and nutritious food.
In Africa, nearly half the population faces shortages.
A WFP spokesman said their workers “go to remote areas sometimes risking their lives” to fill the breach.
He added: “It’s not office work, it’s on the ground, concretely.”
Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? This four-wheeler has defied the odds & can cruise both land and water!
— David Beasley (@WFPChief) July 27, 2020
Meet our very own amphibious humanitarian vehicle from @WFP_SouthSudan. #MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/a0wwrHkRxx
Sometimes we all need a helping hand, or a pull! Things are no different for our teams at @WFP_SouthSudan, who have been busy pushing through the mud to deliver food assistance.
— David Beasley (@WFPChief) July 13, 2020
When we work together, anything is possible. #MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/2OnYIltgaY
They provide emergency relief, cash and in-kind assistance and “resilience building” operations which aim to shore up food supplies.
#BurkinaFaso: I was last here in Bissighin over a year ago. You wouldn't believe how it used to be: the land was barren, it was impossible to grow anything. Now look at all these crops. Families that fully relied on food assistance no longer do. This is what progress looks like! pic.twitter.com/Wn6Jc4u622
— David Beasley (@WFPChief) October 8, 2020
The organisation is entirely funded by volunteer contributions - governments make up the vast bulk of the yearly budget.
The US, Germany and the UK were the three biggest donors in 2019.
The UAE was the sixth-biggest donor, contributing more than $272 million last year.
In June, Mr Beasley thanked the UAE from the back of a C17 jet:
#BehindTheScenes: Just recently I had the chance to meet the flight crew of this UAE-provided C17 in Ghana, carrying parts of a field hospital we've been setting up in Accra for aid workers. As I said, this contribution to @WFP is going to help us save lives & change lives! #TBT pic.twitter.com/0oWkinJr7B
— David Beasley (@WFPChief) June 14, 2020
The organisation said conflict, climate shocks and coronavirus were “emptying bowls faster than we can fill them.”
"Everything is at stake but month by month it's all hands on deck. It's not Chicken Licken here saying the sky is falling - it really is falling," Mr Beasley previously told The National.
