World Food Programme’s Fast Response Averted Famine Threatening 20 Million People in 2016, Secretary-General Says in Video Message for Dubai Management Meeting

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the World Food Programme (WFP) Global Management Meeting, held in Dubai from 20 to 22 January:

Dear colleagues from the World Food Programme,

I send you my warmest greetings.  Thanks to your rapid response by sea, air and road, life-saving assistance reached millions of the most vulnerable last year.  You helped avert famine that threatened some 20 million people.  The women and men of the World Food Programme do not hesitate to step up to the challenge — even in the toughest conditions.

We are working towards building a twenty-first century United Nations focused more on people and less on process, more on delivery and less on bureaucracy.  The international community has committed through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition by 2030.  The World Food Programme has a critical role to play.

I wish you all the best for a successful meeting.