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WFP Global Response to COVID-19: June 2020

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Introduction

This June 2020 update provides a snapshot of the measures WFP has put in place to sustain its operations amidst an unprecedented COVID-19 crisis. It provides up-to-date projections of food security needs due to the economic impacts and measures taken to contain the virus, WFP’s scale-up plan to address needs, and how WFP is partnering with governments in this joint efort.

With the declaration of the pandemic, WFP immediately put in place measures to safeguard its assistance to 100 million people. WFP reduced congestion at distribution sites, retail shops and banks; developed health mitigation measures and alternatives to biometric verifcation, face-to-face assessments and malnutrition screening; adapted cooked meal programmes to take home rations, vouchers and home delivered food kits; diversifed its food procurement and fnancial service base to mitigate supply risks; and re-purposed human resource capacities to address more than 475 surge requests required to implement WFP’s response.

Amidst these country-level eforts to continue to deliver, at a global level COVID-19 was disrupting supply chains and risking operations. On 23 March WFP launched an urgent appeal of USD 1.9 billion against its pre-COVID-19 programme of work to pre-position resources and safeguard operations. Three months later, WFP has received USD 1.7 billion against the appeal – enabling the organization to procure an immediate bufer for critical operations. More than half these resources were earmarked to 5 operations (Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Bangladesh, South Sudan), and 26 countries received the equivalent of less than one-month of requirements. WFP also leveraged its multilateral funding and Immediate Response Account (IRA), disbursing USD 445 million as of mid-June to sustain underfunded operations and meet new, unforeseen needs such as in El Salvador where COVID-19 lockdowns and tropical storms left thousands in need of immediate food assistance in June. With limited available balance, there is a risk the IRA – WFP’s lifeline for rapid response – will reach critical levels by end July.

The global crisis is placing signifcant stress on food security, especially in low- and middle-income countries and fragile states. The UN Secretary-General has warned of an impending global food emergency that could have long term impacts as COVID-19 challenges food systems, fattens the informal sector, and impacts economies – pushing millions more into extreme poverty and acute food and nutrition insecurity.

Early WFP projections have been refned and complemented with continuous real-time food security and market monitoring. As of end June 2020 WFP estimates that the number of acute food insecure people in its countries of operation could increase from 149 million pre-COVID-19,1 to 270 million before the end of the year.

The timing could not be worse: countries are entering their annual lean season when access to food is most constrained; the hurricane and monsoon seasons loom; new spikes in internal confict are displacing families; and a plague of locusts threatens livelihoods.

This June 2020 update presents a snapshot of WFP’s response and additional requirements (July-December 2020) based on latest analysis, in line with asks from governments and in coordination with country-level food security and humanitarian partners.