United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Cindy McCain has called for strengthened partnerships in Asia and the Pacific to increase climate resilience and financing for smallholder communities vulnerable to food insecurity.
McCain was one of the speakers at the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Asia and the Pacific Food Security Forum in the Philippines.
Half of the world’s climate-related emergencies have been recorded in Asia and the Pacific, where 72 million people are food-insecure. Climate crises in the region are fueling hunger, displacement, and even conflict, McCain said.
“We must increase efforts to empower farmers and rural communities across the Asia-Pacific region to protect their food security and nutrition against the growing threat from climate change. In a region rich in ideas and resources, innovation and partnerships are essential to support climate-smart agriculture and sustainable livelihoods,” McCain said.
The WFP and ADB have expanded their partnership since 2020, working together from Afghanistan to Lao PDR and the Philippines – supporting communities to build climate resilience and improve nutrition. This collaboration will soon reach Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
On her first visit to Manila since taking office, the WFP Executive Director met Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to consolidate the partnership with the Government to address hunger, malnutrition and climate resilience.
WFP is supporting the Government in its efforts to provide nutritious school meals to all schoolchildren by 2030 and reach 1 million food-insecure families with food e-vouchers by 2027. WFP’s work in the Philippines also focuses on emergency preparedness and response and the provision of technical and supply chain services.