OSLO: The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) for its efforts to combat global hunger, with the Norweigen Nobel Committee stating that the WFP acted “as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict”; with a global assistance network that reaches 97 million people across 88 countries.

The Nobel Committee’s chairwoman, Berit Reiss-Andersen, mentioned at the ceremony that “with this year's award, the [Committee] wishes to turn the eyes of the world to the millions of people who suffer from or face the threat of hunger”, adding that "The World Food Programme plays a key role in multilateral cooperation in making food security an instrument of peace.”

The World Food Programme and climate activist Greta Thunberg were some of the leading candidates for the prestigious award this year, having been won by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for his historic peace deal with Eritrea.