NEW YORK — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has hailed the World Food Programme’s Nobel Peace Prize Award, calling its humanitarian-driven work "above the realm of politics".

In a statement on the awarding of the 2020 Nobel Prize for Peace to the World Food Programme, he said he is delighted by the decision of the Nobel Committee to award this year’s prize for peace to the WFP.

"The World Food Programme is the world’s first responder on the front lines of food insecurity. In a world of plenty, it is unconscionable that hundreds of millions go to bed each night hungry.

Millions more are now on the precipice of famine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The women and men of the WFP brave danger and distance to deliver life-saving sustenance to those devastated by conflict, to people suffering because of disaster, and to children and families uncertain about their next meal."

He added: "I warmly congratulate David Beasley, WFP Executive Director, and the entire staff of the World Food Programme for advancing the values of the United Nations every day and serving the cause of "we the peoples" as the organization marks its seventy-fifth anniversary year." — WAM