The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a landmark Cooperation Arrangement at the Asia and the Pacific Food Systems Forum 2026, committing to work together on food systems transformation, emergency assistance, and nutrition-sensitive policies to address food insecurity and build resilience across the region.
The agreement underscores a shared commitment to transform food systems, enhance climate resilience, and protect vulnerable communities from the growing threats of conflict, climate shocks, and economic volatility. This partnership comes at a critical time as Asia and the Pacific account for over one in five of the world’s hungry population, with 69 million people facing acute food insecurity, according to WFP’s latest Global Outlook on food insecurity.
The collaboration will focus on five key areas: food systems transformation, emergency assistance, analytical and knowledge products, policy support and dialogue, and capacity development. These efforts aim to diversify agricultural production, strengthen value chains, improve access to safe and affordable nutritious food, and promote sustainable, climate-resilient food systems.
“This cooperation agreement with the World Food Programme strengthens ADB’s growing collaboration with global partners to accelerate food systems transformation in Asia and the Pacific”, said Fatima Yasmin, ADB Vice-President for Sectors and Themes. “By combining ADB’s investment capacity with WFP’s operational reach, we can scale solutions that improve food security and nutrition, particularly for the most vulnerable communities.”
Through this collaboration, WFP and ADB will work together to design and implement policies and investments that integrate nutrition objectives into national strategies, while promoting behaviour change and awareness to improve diets and health outcomes. The partnership will also prioritize emergency relief and livelihood recovery in fragile and conflict-affected settings, combining immediate food assistance with medium-term resilience-building measures to protect vulnerable
populations.
“This partnership with ADB marks a pivotal step in our shared mission to end hunger and malnutrition in Asia and the Pacific. By combining WFP’s operational expertise with ADB’s financial and policy leadership, we can drive transformative change in food systems, build resilience, and ensure that no one is left behind,” said Rania Dagash-Kamara, WFP Assistant Executive Director for Partnerships and Innovation.
The agreement also emphasizes the generation of evidence-based knowledge products and operational tools to guide policy and programme design. By fostering policy dialogue and coherence across agriculture, climate, and rural development agendas, WFP and ADB aim to create an enabling environment for nutrition-sensitive food systems. Capacity development initiatives will further strengthen the institutional and technical capabilities of governments and local stakeholders to scale up impactful interventions.
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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
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