The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Committee in Norway announced the news on Friday. The judges said the WFP got the award, "for its efforts to combat hunger" and "for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas". Another reason was the WFP acted, "as a driving force to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict". The WFP tweeted: "We are deeply humbled to receive the prize. This is an incredible recognition of the dedication of the WFP family...to end hunger every day in 80-plus countries."
The WFP is the world's biggest humanitarian organization. Last year, it helped over 97 million people in 88 countries. Its workers often work in very dangerous conditions in hard-to-access areas of the world. Over two-thirds of its work is in conflict-affected countries. People in war zones are three times more likely to not have enough to eat. COVID-19 will add to global food insecurity. The WFP said: "There will likely be 265 million starving people within a year." The UN Secretary-General called the WFP "the world's first responder on the frontlines of food insecurity".