Nobel Peace Prize to WFP – VG

At exactly 11 a.m., the leader of the Nobel Committee, Berit Reiss-Andersen, announced the award from the World Food Program (WFP), which is part of the UN.

– During the corona epidemic, hunger has become a growing problem. If the UN food program does not get the support it needs, the world will face widespread famines, Reiss-Andersen says in his justification.

WFP informs VG that the leader of the World Food Program, David Beasley, of the United States, is in Niger and of course he is delighted that the organization he leads has received this award.

– I must admit it was a bit of a shock and surprise. I have no words. It’s fantastic, says David Beasley laughing over the phone as NRK seizes the recent Peace Prize winner.

– What was your first reaction, asks NRK?

– Are you joking with me?! Are you kidding! That was my first reaction. He does not expect to receive such an award. OMG I’m so happy.

Beasley is quick to say that it is not him who receives this award, but rather it is for all the men and women who risk their lives every day when they work at the World Food Program.

– I hope this award can be an inspiration for others around the world to follow WFP’s example at a time when there is more suffering than we have seen in a long, long time.

– This is recognition of the hard work of so many.

Read VG’s interview with the head of WFP: – let me do my job

– Important and correct:

WFP Norwegian Vice President Elisabeth Rasmusson says she is very happy that the organization is finally receiving this great recognition.

– I think this is a very fair price and I am glad that the World Food Program finally receives this great recognition. It’s well deserved, Rasmusson tells NTB.

Rasmusson, who was secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council until she joined WFP in 2013, says she is very happy on behalf of the organization’s employees.

– They do a formidable job every day in some of the world’s toughest situations, he says.

She believes that the award will be a great motivation for her colleagues.

– They have to deal with war, natural disasters and reach the crown. All have been forced to stay in the countries where they are located and work around the clock.

Rasmusson also notes that the award can provide more information about the organization and the role it plays.

– I think it means more funding. When he was responsible for fundraising, we had to fight every day to get money, he says.

The reason: hunger and crown

Berit Reiss-Andersen explained that there is a link between hunger and the corona pandemic, in his justification.

– There will be 250 million hungry during this year. This award is a call to the countries of the world so that WFP does not receive too low grants, says Reiss-Andersen.

– Those of us who live safely in Western societies have not experienced hunger or seen hunger. It is important to increase the knowledge that the whole world must help fight hunger. All the countries of the world must contribute to guaranteeing food security, he continues.

Reiss-Andersen is clear that the corona epidemic was decisive for the election of WFP:

– This crisis shows that we are all in the same boat, but the crisis hits much harder in societies where hunger is widespread.

He also notes that it is difficult for organizations like WFP to obtain sufficient financial support.

– WFP has the ability to reach areas where it is incredibly difficult to access and does an excellent job, but depends on the financial support of taxpayers, he continues.

Tributes to the award

The director of the Norwegian Institute of Foreign Policy, NUPI, Ulf Sverdrup points out that the price is relevant in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic, where millions more people are expected to live below what is considered the poverty line .

– It is a good price awarded to a UN organization that is tackling a major problem in the world, namely food shortages. The world food program is part of a global humanitarian system that is crucial for the world’s poor, Sverdrup tells VG.

This is WFP

The World Food Program (WFP) is a United Nations organization and the world’s largest humanitarian organization, whose goal is to combat hunger and poverty. It was established in 1963, as part of the “Food for Peace” program.

The organization receives the Peace Prize for its efforts in the fight against hunger, for its contributions to creating conditions for peace in conflict-prone areas and for being a driving force in the work against the use of hunger as a weapon in war and conflict.

The World Food Program is the world’s largest humanitarian organization to fight hunger and promote food security.

In 2019, the Food Program helped nearly 100 million people in 88 countries affected by acute food shortages and hunger.

ONU connection: – Amazing

United Nations Secretary-General Anne Cathrine Uteng da Silva describes this year’s Peace Prize for the World Food Program (WFP) as fantastic recognition.

– My immediate reaction is that this is great and a bit surprising. It is a wonderful recognition. The world food program helps 90 million people every year, and not least until the crown crisis, this is a very important organization in the UN, Uteng da Silva tells NTB.

He also believes that it is a good choice for the winner of the peace prize, because WFP contributes in areas that the rest of the world does not see, but where help is most needed.

– Last year they have been very active in Yemen, one of the world’s biggest humanitarian crises and perhaps the most neglected.

Won last year

In 2019, it was the President of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, who received the Peace Prize. He received him for his efforts for peace and intergovernmental cooperation, and especially for his crucial initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighboring Eritrea.

Peace Prize Winner: – I have seen brothers massacring their brothers

The previous year, it was the Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege and the Iraqi Nadia Murad, for the fight against sexual violence in the war.

also read

VG met Denis Mukwege: The fight against war rape

Jagland ended up in committee

Thorbjørn Jagland (69) ended up on the Nobel Committee after this year’s award ceremony. He has been involved in deciding who will receive the Nobel Peace Prize since 2009.

Jagland chaired the Norwegian Nobel Committee from 2009 to 2015. The first prize under his leadership was awarded to the President of the United States, Barack Obama. Jagland was re-elected as a member in 2015 and his term expires this year.

Also read: Thorbjørn Jagland ended up on the Nobel Committee.

These were the pre-favorites:

• World Health Organization (WHO). Hot candidate for several years now due to this year’s crown crisis.
• Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. The bookmaker favorite of 2019 and the top of the charts this year. Thunberg has continued the fight this year, despite the crown crisis and travel has been difficult.
• The world’s youngest Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand for the way she led her country after the 2019 Christchurch massacre and for her leadership during the crown crisis.
• The president of the United States, Donald Trump. Nominated by several, including for the job of normalizing relations between Serbia and Kosovo.
• Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul. Imprisoned with other women in May 2018 after fighting to lift the ban on driving women. He has spoken of torture, including electric shock, spanking and sexual abuse in prison.
• The Black Lives Matter movement, to highlight the lack of global awareness of systemic racism and racist violence in the police force.
• Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and / or Reporters Without Borders to emphasize the importance of a free and independent press and send a signal to the international community about the critical importance of journalism and freedom of expression in the world. Other candidates in the same category have previously been Turkey’s largest and most respected opposition newspaper, Cumhuriyet.
• The EU, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Doctors Without Borders and other organizations for their role in the migration crisis in the Mediterranean region or other efforts for refugees.
• The World Food Program for the work the organization does for people fleeing conflict may also be a refugee-related candidate.
• Uyghur Ilham Tohti jailed. Sentenced to life in prison in China, he has fought for the minority to which he belongs. The former university professor was convicted in China of separatism after praising people suspected of carrying out terrorist attacks as heroes.
• Democrat Nathan Law. Known as one of the student leaders who led the so-called umbrella revolution in Hong Kong in 2014, and in 2016 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the city. He had to flee Hong Kong recently after the introduction of the security law there.
• British nature legend and filmmaker David Attenborough
• Sudanese activist Alaa Salah. He has led protests for democracy in his home country.
• Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, who in August was poisoned by the nerve agent Novitsjok in his home country. German authorities believe that he was the victim of an assassination attempt and that the aim was to silence him.
• Fawzia Koofi, Afghan politician and activist for women’s rights. She has fought for several years for the place of women in Afghan society and has now been assigned an important role in the Afghan peace process.

(Sources: PRIO, NTB file, TIME, BBC, CNN and Sportsbetting)