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Dear Board Members,

Please see below for an informative update on the major hotspots WFP is operating in, as well as news about several developments for the WFP USA team.

Thanks,
Erin


Uganda: Following a huge influx of South Sudanese refugees (as many as 300,000) since July, Uganda now surpasses Ethiopia as hosting the largest number of refugees in Africa, with 870,000 total refugees (as of Nov. 3), 546,000 of them South Sudanese. Unfortunately the Country Office is facing serious funding shortfalls, and having to consider ration reductions.

Nigeria: Since March, the number of people in Nigeria who need emergency food assistance has doubled. Today, ongoing violence has plunged more than 4 million Nigerians into hunger. People have been surviving by foraging in the forest. WFP is operating three programs: general food distribution, a nutrition program targeted at children under the age of give, and a cash assistance program. For more info, read this Q&A with WFP’s Emergency Coordinator<https://www.wfpusa.org/articles/qa-from-the-field-boko-harams-hunger-crisis-in-nigeria/>.

Syria: FAO and WFP released a joint announcement this morning that food production in Syria has hit a record low<https://www.wfpusa.org/press-releases/syria-food-production-at-all-time-low/> as widespread insecurity and unfavorable weather conditions in parts of the country continue to hamper access to land, farming supplies and markets. The latest joint assessment by FAO and WFP shows that after 5 years of conflict many farmers have lost the ability to cope. Because the ongoing crisis and associated sanctions have disrupted trade and markets, access to quality seeds, fertilizers, machinery and fuel needed to operate pumps and tractors is limited. Agriculture was the main source of livelihood for rural households before the crisis and it is still producing to a certain extent, but it is stretched to the max. WFP and FAO are working together to invest in more livelihood projects in agriculture as the most effective way to address food insecurity in the long term.

South Sudan: The threat of famine in South Sudan is still very real. A massive humanitarian effort<https://www.wfpusa.org/countries/south-sudan/> continues to help stave off catastrophe. Up to 4 million people – over a third of the population – are severely food insecure. 1.61 million people are displaced inside South Sudan by conflict. Most roads are impassable due to the rainy season, so WFP is relying on costly air operations to save lives in areas inaccessible by other means.

Afghanistan: The UN appealed on Sunday for $152 million<http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-aid-idUSKBN1380DQ?il=0> to provide shelter, sanitation and food for a huge influx of refugees returning to Afghanistan from Pakistan. Thousands are crossing the border each day and this influx of people is straining the capacity of the government and aid agencies as yet more Afghans are uprooted by the war between Taliban insurgents and Afghan troops.

On a lighter note…the redesigned wfpusa.org<http://wfpusa.org> has won its first award, a W3 Silver Award<http://www.w3award.com/winners/list/view/?event=57&award=2&_p=2>! The W3 awards are prestigious in the web design industry, honoring creative excellence on the web. The site won in the category of "General Website Categories - Charitable Organizations / Non-profit."

Humanitarian Crisis Initiative: On October 25th, the first working group meeting of the Humanitarian Crisis Initiative was held at the WFP USA offices. Approximately 20 representatives from the private sector and international financial institutions met to discuss the barriers and opportunities for investment in front-line refugee hosting countries. With forced displacement at unprecedented levels and repatriation rates lower than they have been in decades, there is a need to look at job creation and employment opportunities for displaced people and host-country populations. Livelihood support of this kind recognizes the increasingly protracted nature of humanitarian crises and increases self-sufficiency and autonomy of refugee and host country populations, reducing the long term need for costly humanitarian assistance. The working group identified several opportunities around private sector investment in job creation in these contexts—like modifying international financial institution procurement processes to better support local businesses, for example— that the group can take forward in subsequent meetings. The group aims to meet for a second time prior to the end of the year. Meanwhile, work is underway to establish the two additional working groups on financing the humanitarian crisis and bridging the humanitarian-development divide.


Erin Cochran
Vice President, Communications

[cid:image003.png@01CEB391.849D1540]<http://usa.wfp.org/>

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ecochran@wfpusa.org<mailto:ecochran@wfpusa.org> • www.wfpusa.org<http://www.wfpusa.org/>