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Self Report 2017

The self-report on WHS Commitments below is organized according to the 24 transformations of the Agenda for Humanity. It is based on commitments pledged at the time of report submission. Click on the 'Expand' symbol to expand each section and read the reporting inputs by transformation.

1B
Act early

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    WFP has been engaged in strengthening local, national and regional capacities in early warning needs assessments and analysis, and this is also being made a strategic objective in many of WFP’s new Country Strategic Plans (CSPs). In addition, WFP has also more directly been lending its expertise in early warning, including as Co-Chair of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Reference Group on Risk, Early Warning and Preparedness.

  • Achievements at a glance

    One milestone is the Cambodian government’s active use of WFP’s Seasonal Explorer in its own monitoring and early warning systems. As Co-Chair of the IASC Reference Group on Risk, Early Warning and Preparedness , WFP has also successfully led higher level (for example, Executive Office of the UN Secretary General) exposure to the IASC report, on early warning particularly in its most recent iteration. Nonetheless, it should be recognized that capacity building and strengthening are long-term investments, yielding relatively few specific achievements within a short time frame. Given the ongoing rollout of WFP’s CSP framework, capacity-building and strengthening activities articulated in them (covering areas such as analysis and early warning) are merely a first step, and more concrete results are expected to follow as the CSPs become institutionalized.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Each WFP country office measures achievements in its CSP implementation through WFP’s Corporate Results Framework (CRF) that tracks country-level performance against SDG2 (achieving zero hunger) and SDG17 (creating global partnerships). Globally, WFP is engaged in several IASC working groups looking at improving data collection, indicators and thresholds, with progress measured against IASC-wide agreed objectives.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    A primary challenge continues to be the lack of multi-year funding for capacity development efforts. In terms of its IASC Co-chair role, WFP’s largest challenge has been ensuring that the IASC’s report on early warning retains its humanitarian character and is not overwhelmed by political considerations outside the humanitarian community.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    WFP plans to further develop linkages with peace and development communities, in particular the UN Operation and Crisis Centre (UNOCC) and Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO).

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Act early', what would it be

    Continued engagement among IASC partners should be linked to a funding mechanism that resources action as a result of early warning.

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    5B - Invest according to risk

1C
Remain engaged and invest in stability

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    In the context of supporting peacebuilding efforts, WFP recognizes that conflict is a leading cause of hunger. As most of its largest operations take place in conflict-affected countries, WFP has a strong interest in contributing to achieving peaceful outcomes.

  • Achievements at a glance

    During the second half of 2016, WFP contributions to peacebuilding interventions were implemented in Colombia and Kyrgyzstan (still ongoing as of early 2017). Lessons learned from these activities are being incorporated into WFP conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding guidance for field staff, to help encourage replication.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Through an update for the Executive Board on progress made against its peacebuilding policy. Progress is being assessed through a review of information gathered from country offices on measures undertaken to improve conflict sensitivity of programmes and on implementation (where appropriate) of activities with a peacebuilding component.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Currently the technical capacity of WFP staff in conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding is limited in many countries, and there is a need for dedicated funds to build the capacity of field staff in these areas.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    Finalization of guidance and training packages for WFP field staff on conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Remain engaged and invest in stability', what would it be

    N/A.

  • Specific initiatives

    The Peace Promise

2A
Respect and protect civilians and civilian objects in the conduct of hostilities

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    As the largest UN humanitarian agency operating in deep field locations in many complex emergencies, WFP often faces constraints in humanitarian access. At the same time, WFP is taking a systematic and structured approach to assessing and overcoming access constraints to improve its ability to achieve the SDGs and particularly, its Zero Hunger goal.

  • Achievements at a glance

    In the second half of 2016, WFP conducted trainings on humanitarian access for roughly 75 WFP and partner staff in Iraq and Afghanistan, and conducted field support missions on access in Nigeria and Myanmar.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    WFP headquarters regularly monitors, in conjunction with our regional and country offices, the effects of access constraints on our operations and the affected communites. WFP also conducts evaluations of staff trained in access to assess changes in performance.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    The ability to gain access is determined by a number of external factors out of the control of the organisation. As such, WFP has not always been successful in changing the behavior and policies of the relevant actors to ensure free and unfettered humanitarian access.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    In 2017, WFP will be further refining its access training, and providing it to additional field-based colleagues. WFP is also developing a training on humanitarian negotiations skills and techniques, and will remain engaged in supporting the professional development efforts of the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiations.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Respect and protect civilians and civilian objects in the conduct of hostilities', what would it be

    Continued support and funding are required to pursue efforts to strengthen the capabilities of staff and partners to properly plan and implement strategies to gain and maintain humanitarian access to those in need.

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    2B - Ensure full access to and protection of the humanitarian and medical missions

2B
Ensure full access to and protection of the humanitarian and medical missions

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    The largest UN humanitarian agency working in deep field locations in many complex emergencies, WFP operates according to humanitarian principles that require full access to populations in need. Despite often facing challenges in gaining humanitarian access, WFP takes a systematic and structured approach to assessing and overcoming these challenges, recognizing that access is central to its ability to support countries achieve the SDGs, particularly SDG2 (Zero Hunger).

  • Achievements at a glance

    As a strategic partner of the Centre of Competence for Humanitarian Negotiations, WFP has sent its staff to the Centre's regional workshops, contributed to the development of the Centre’s tools and methods and conducted joint missions with its strategic partners in Afghanistan and Myanmar. WFP has also been sharing experiences with its partners and working with them to develop an interview protocol for gathering good practices from the field. Training has included humanitarian principles and overcoming dilemmas in access and protection.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    WFP is monitoring the number of staff trained and supported through the Centre of Competence and WFP's own internal principled access trainings. WFP will also organize internal consultations within its regional and country staff body to identify best means of measuring changes in performance.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Gaining principled access depends on a number of external factors which are outside of WFP’s control. Consequently, WFP has not always been successful in influencing the behavior and policies of the relevant actors to ensure free and unfettered humanitarian access. Given the sensitive and largely confidential nature of negotiations for gaining principled access, not all staff and agencies have been willing to share experiences, challenges and best practices.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    WFP will continue to support and participate in the events of the Centre of Competence. WFP will finalize its interview protocol and conduct further interviews with field practitioners, and will continue to deliver trainings on principled access to its staff and partners.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Ensure full access to and protection of the humanitarian and medical missions', what would it be

    Continued support and funding is required to pursue efforts to strengthen the capabilities of staff and partners to properly plan and implement strategies to gain and maintain humanitarian access to those in need.

  • Cross cutting issues

    Humanitarian principles

2D
Take concrete steps to improve compliance and accountability

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    According to its Accountability to Affected populations (AAP) commitments, WFP must give account to, take account of and be held accountable to the people it seeks to serve, specifically women and girls. Under its AAP commitments WFP informs about the rationale behind targeting of both women and girls and supports avoiding any backlash that could lead to violence against women. Gender equality and women’s empowerment is central to fulfilling WFP’s dual mandate of ending global hunger and saving lives, and WFP has readily supported the WHS commitment of ensuring gender equality for all.

  • Achievements at a glance

    WFP successfully mainstreamed gender into 100 percent of its newly approved emergency preparedness and response programmes in 2016, and launched its ‘Guidance on Prevention and Response to Gender Based Violence (GBV)’ which places efforts to combat GBV firmly in the context of food assistance while helping staff and partners identify and tackle GBV risks linked to hunger and malnutrition.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Continuous assessment is done through WFP’s AAP corporate indicators that capture sex-disaggregated data on access to information about WFPs programmes, people's entitlements and complaints and feedback mechanisms. WFP released its Gender Toolkit, including practical guidance on participatory gender analysis, supply chain and emergency preparedness and response. In 2016, each Regional Bureau developed its Gender Implementation Strategy, providing the framework for the development of Country Office Gender Action Plans, which guide gender mainstreaming (including a gender-based violence focus) in country-level programming and operations. Moreover, progress in implementation of the Gender Policy is measured through the 15 UN SWAP Performance Indicators and the 39 benchmarks of the Gender Transformation Programme.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    While all persons affected by emergencies have an equal right to humanitarian assistance that meets their immediate needs, not all persons are affected in the same way or have the same needs, priorities and coping strategies. Given that gender and age (and other factors like social and health status, disability and chronic illness) influence how women, men, girls and boys experience emergencies, WFP has developed and tailored existing tools, including in AAP, to ensure that gender is integrated into emergency preparedness and response, which is essential to economically, efficiently and effectively saving lives and reducing hunger in times of crisis.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    WFP will continue to actively participate in various forums such as the IASC Task Team in AAP and PSEA that promote and advocate for stronger gender mainstreaming, and will ensure gender mainstreaming in the roll-out of the AAP strategy. Efforts to exceed the 15 UN SWAP Performance Indicators will continue in 2017. WFP will continue to be a key contributor to the revision of the IASC Gender Handbook for Humanitarian Action and leading the pilot of the IASC Gender and Age Marker.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Take concrete steps to improve compliance and accountability', what would it be

    Inspiring and committed leadership, adequate (increased) allocation of resources and genuine partnerships are needed to see transformative changes that result in gender justice for women, men, girls and boys.

  • Cross cutting issues

    Accountability to affected people Gender People-centred approach

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    3D - Empower and protect women and girls

3A
Reduce and address displacement

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    Within the UN, WFP is the mandated provider of food assistance to refugees, as set out in as the Global Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Joint Strategy on Enhancing Self-reliance in Protracted Refugee Situations with UNHCR and the WFP Strategic Plan (2017-2021). Through these, WFP has been a major actor in the global refugee landscape alongside UNHCR. Similarly, WFP’s commitment to address displacement stems from its role as the largest provider of food assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs).

  • Achievements at a glance

    WFP and UNHCR adopted a Joint Strategy on “Enhancing Self-reliance in Food Security and Nutrition in Protracted Refugee Situations” aimed at setting parameters for collaboration on self-reliance in food security and nutrition in protracted refugee situations. In September 2016 at the Summit on Refugees and Migrants in New York, WFP and UNHCR co-hosted a high-level event on “Enhancing Self-Reliance in Food Security and Nutrition in Protracted Refugee situations” on how partners can work together across the humanitarian-development nexus to restore the dignity of refugees while enhancing social cohesion in countries of asylum. In Uganda, WFP and UNHCR support efforts to better integrate refugee farmers in local agricultural value chains, while strengthening social cohesion within the host community. Enabled by Uganda’s progressive legal and policy framework, the programme has provided refugee and host community farmers training in production, post-harvest handling techniques, support to establish community grain stores and financial literacy.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    WFP assesses performance through its own monitoring and evaluation tools and reporting products such as the annual Standard Project Report, as well as through joint assessments with UNHCR in field locations. At the corporate level, bi-annual high-level meetings are held with UNHCR to evaluate and address challenges encountered in country contexts.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    WFP’s ability to make progress will depend on broader progress made against the Grand Bargain, including on increasing collaborative humanitarian multi-year planning and funding. Successful implementation of the WFP-UNHCR Joint Strategy does not depend on UNHCR and WFP alone, and challenges stem from many countries of asylum not having legal and/or policy frameworks that support refugees and displaced people. Results also depend on sufficient levels of funding for both humanitarian assistance and self-reliance activities.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    WFP will continue its external engagement with partners, and will roll-out the UNHCR/WFP Joint Strategy on “Enhancing Self-reliance in Food Security and Nutrition in Protracted Refugee Situations”. In the meantime, WFP will continue to assist the displaced in many parts of the world.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Reduce and address displacement', what would it be

    Increased or strengthened regulatory frameworks at the national level are a means of strengthening support to refugees and other vulnerable groups.

  • Cross cutting issues

    IDPs Refugees

3D
Empower and protect women and girls

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    In the pursuit of gender equality and women’s empowerment (central to WFP’s dual mandate of ending global hunger and saving lives), WFP’s Gender Policy (2015-2020) underlines the centrality of gender equality for sustainable development. WFP is also guided by its AAP commitments emphasising accountability to beneficiaries, specifically women and girls – through engaging women in the process of identifying WFP objectives, targeting rational and other assistance criteria. WFP’s Purchase for Progress (P4P) programme aims to adopt a gender transformative approach to economic development that Involves women farmers more fully in increasing food production and food security and nutrition more generally.

  • Achievements at a glance

    WFP successfully mainstreamed gender into 100 percent of its emergency preparedness and response programmes approved in 2016 and launched its ‘Guidance on Prevention and Response to Gender Based Violence (GBV)’ which places efforts to combat GBV firmly in the context of food assistance while helping staff and partners identify and tackle GBV risks linked to hunger and malnutrition. To support women’s role in agriculture, WFP’s P4P programme has increased women's membership and leadership in farmers’ organisations (FOs) over the past eight years. Since 2008, women's participation in FOs has tripled; as of December 2016, 48 percent of leadership positions in FOs were held by women.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    In 2016, WFP Regional Bureaux developed their Gender Implementation Strategies outlining the development of Country Office Gender Action Plans (which guide gender mainstreaming with a gender-based violence focus in country-level programming). WFP also measures progress through the nine action areas of the corporate Gender Action Plan, the 15 UN SWAP Performance Indicators, and the 39 benchmarks of the Gender Transformation Programme. AAP corporate indicators also capture sex-disaggregated data, particularly on access to information about WFPs programmes. To assess women’s role in agriculture, WFP reports on sex-disaggregated output and outcome indicators related to the performance of FOs and women and men farmers.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Due to a lack of resources in some country offices, results seen in increased women's participation and leadership positions within farmers' organisations has varied. Without the adequate resources to provide women with trainings, access to credit, equipment and seeds, ensuring these targets is challenging. Ensuring that all WFP employees and partners are fully gender-competent also requires time, although WFP has developed and tailored existing tools to ensure gender is integrated into emergency preparedness and response. In addition, greater consistency and systematisation in the implementation and impact of AAP is an area of improvement that WFP will focus on during 2017.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    WFP will continue to work in fora such as the IASC Task Team in AAP and PSEA that promote stronger gender mainstreaming. Efforts are ongoing to surpass the 15 UN SWAP Performance Indicators (so far, WFP exceeds 11 and meets 3 UN SWAP indicators), and WFP released its Gender Toolkit in 2017 to sensitise staff and partners on the what-why-when-where-who-how of integrating gender into emergency responses. WFP will remain a key contributor to revising the IASC Gender Handbook for Humanitarian Action, and in line with the IRM is developing a process to strengthen data collection related to its WHS gender commitments.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Empower and protect women and girls', what would it be

    Adequate resources and genuine partnerships are needed to see transformative changes that result in gender justice for women, men, girls and boys, while ambitious gender-related performance targets are crucial to ensure not only economic empowerment, but also the social and cultural empowerment on which economic empowerment is based.

  • Cross cutting issues

    Gender

3E
Eliminate gaps in education for children, adolescents and young people

Individual Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    WFP is part of a global movement calling for the improvement of children’s education in emergency contexts and the need to address education needs for children affected by protracted crises. In this regard, WFP is a member of the Global Education Cluster (GEC) and participates in stakeholders discussions around the "No Lost Generation" agenda.

  • Achievements at a glance

    WFP has commissioned a review of its School Meals programmes in emergency contexts and approaches to provide new strategic directions and recommendations. Benefiting from predictable and stable multi-year funding through a Strategic partnership Agreement, WFP school meals activities in non-emergency contexts, particularly Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar) supported national governments in developing their own quality, sustainable school meal programmes, becoming a credible and reliable partner and making long-term commitments.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    WFP has commissioned four impact evaluations of school feeding in the Syrian emergency, as well as in Niger, DRC and Lebanon, to measure progress on key indicators and better understand what works and what does not work in emergencies or protracted crises. Results are forthcoming.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Lack of funding for and prioritisation of education in crises continues to be a roadblock to making gains in education in such contexts. Possible areas for improvement include instilling a greater focus on children's needs in the areas of food and nutrition security and education.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    WFP will continue its engagement with the GEC and various stakeholders. It will strengthen its knowledge base and evidence generation through impact evaluations and will continue to advocate for and implement school feeding in emergency contexts.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Eliminate gaps in education for children, adolescents and young people', what would it be

    N/A.

3F
Enable adolescents and young people to be agents of positive transformation

Individual Commitment

3G
Address other groups or minorities in crisis settings

Individual Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    WFP recognises the importance of identifying people whose food insecurity intersects with other characteristics exacerbating their vulnerability. Disability is one such characteristic and in many contexts, food-insecure persons with disabilities require special attention to guarantee their access to assistance and ensure that assistance is tailored to meet their needs. Signing the Charter on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action therefore reflects commitments that WFP sees as central for a comprehensive response to food and nutrition insecurity.

  • Achievements at a glance

    In light of the commitments in the Charter, WFP has outlined its approach to strengthening the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the areas that the Charter highlights. Work to implement the approach has already begun, including conducting an internal review of available policies and guidelines that provides guidance on the inclusion of persons with disabilities, and an examination of WFP’s current capacity for data collection related to persons with disabilities.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Progress will be assessed against the priority areas that have been identified in WFP's outline of its approach to ensure inclusion of persons with disabilities.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Consideration for persons with disabilities is reflected in a number of WFP policy documents and operational guidelines and at a programmatic level disability is taken into account as part of programme implementation. Despite evidence of integration of persons with disabilities in WFP’s operations, more work is needed to ensure the consistent consideration of persons with disabilities through all stages of the programme cycle.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    WFP is taking four concrete steps to strengthen the inclusion of persons with disabilities in its programmes: i) strengthening of data collection on food-insecure persons with disabilities, ii) development of operational guidance for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in WFP programmes, iii) collection of lessons learnt from WFP programmes that are inclusive of persons with disabilities, iv) formulation of a policy position on inclusion of persons with disabilities.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Address other groups or minorities in crisis settings', what would it be

    N/A

  • Cross cutting issues

    Disability Food Security

  • Specific initiatives

    Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action

4A
Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    With its considerable experience and expertise in the use of cash-based transfers (CBT), WFP’s focus is shifting from delivering cash to supporting countries implement SDG2. WFP works with UN partners and the World Bank to provide technical assistance and capacity development to governments to establish or enhance cash-based social safety nets which are also shock responsive. WFP is developing five-year country strategic plans to facilitate longer-term country capacity strengthening. Working with partners on AAP contributes to country ownership, especially in implementing of innovative solutions aimed at reducing vulnerability to disaster risks and climate change and sustainable recovery from climate shocks.

  • Achievements at a glance

    WFP has been using government-owned CBT delivery systems to provide assistance to vulnerable populations, particularly in emergency contexts. In Fiji following the February 2016 cyclone and in Ecuador in the wake of the April 2016 earthquake, WFP provided cash assistance to the affected population using the government’s social safety net mechanism. The R4 Rural Resilience Initiative is recognized as a leading example of integration of safety nets, climate risk insurance and resilience-building, and WFP developed an AAP Strategy that outlines organizations’ vision and approach to achieve more accountable programmes. WFP continues to make achievements in providing technical support to strengthen national social protection systems – for instance Lebanon’s use of WFP’s OneCard for its National Poverty Targeting Programme and Uganda’s use of SCOPE as a sub-national registry. Multi-year funding agreements to support resilience-based activities have been established with several donors.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    WFP’s new financial framework will enable exact reporting on WFP's use of CBT, such as on what proportion of WFP assistance is being delivered through vouchers or cash. Monitoring and evaluation will continue to be part of WFP’s corporate reporting efforts, and WFP’s Strategic Plan (2017-2021) includes a new corporate results framework with indicators towards revised strategic results and country specific outcomes. WFP is tracking joint resilience-building initiatives in its operations, and is implementing the Three-Pronged Approach (3PA) and other initiatives aimed at reinforcing capacities of national partners.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    A low rate of cash-based transfer rollouts among partners as well as fragmented donor responses towards CBT (partly due to a low risk appetite for cash as opposed to in-kind assistance among some donors) make it challenging to program effectively. WFP will continue to identify and reduce challenges across its activities. In climate change, new partnerships are being sought with non-traditional partners such as scientific climate institutions. Greater consistency in the implementation of AAP, coordination among social protection partners and building synergies among humanitarian and development stakeholders will also be prioritised.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    In its CBT programme, WFP is in the process of rolling out a beneficiary information management system (SCOPE) in country offices and exploring how to extend it to other humanitarian actors. Through its partnership with the IFRC, WFP will aim to build CBT capacity in local Red Cross/Red Crescent societies in four pilot countries. On climate analysis, WFP will systematize lessons learnt and develop/finalize tools to build staff capacity. WFP will continue to strengthen governments’ capacities for more effective and cost-efficient social protection systems, and will embed national capacity-building efforts and roll-out the Three-Pronged Approach (3PA) in 2017.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems', what would it be

    Humanitarian actors need to fully embrace this transformation area in a non-selective way, while adopting a “reinforce” rather than a "replace" approach to national institutions of varying strengths, acknowledging that partnerships contribute to country ownership, and political commitments should leverage the capacities and local knowledge of national and local institutions.

  • Cross cutting issues

    Accountability to affected people Cash

4B
Anticipate, do not wait, for crises

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    As Co-Chair of the IASC Reference Group on Risk, Early Warning and Preparedness, WFP leads on preparedness efforts. WFP needs to factor climate/environment considerations into its operations - through the use of food assistance as a means to build climate-resilient assets, and share knowledge. This helps communities become less vulnerable and adapt to increasing incidence of extreme weather events and a changing climate. WFP is conducting climate risk and food security analysis in several countries to better inform policy and programme design, as well as comprehensive risk management approaches as well as to strengthen its early warning and monitoring systems.

  • Achievements at a glance

    The Rural Resilience Initiative (R4) provided USD 5.1 million in micro-insurance protection for participants, while supporting them to reduce their exposure to climate disasters and improve their livelihoods. The Food Security Climate Resilience Facility (FoodSECuRE) was also fast-tracked to respond early to droughts in Guatemala and Zimbabwe during the 2015/2016 El Nino phenomenon. Under the ARC Replica, WFP allocated a USD 1.6 million multilateral contribution from Denmark for developing relevant capacities, developing systems and piloting Replica policies (initially planned for Kenya). WFP has produced 18 climate risk and food security analyses focusing on Asia and the Pacific, Eastern and Central and the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. From this exercise, incorporation of climate variability and climate change into our food security analysis and the development of new approaches / methods to analyze the linkages to food security and nutrition have emerged.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Monitoring and evaluation is part of WFP’s regular corporate reporting efforts. WFP is in the process of implementing a new multiannual Strategic Plan (2017-2021) including a new corporate results framework with revised strategic results, adjusted and country specific outcomes towards/against which all outputs and activities will be contributed and measured. The new framework will take into account some new and specific indicators to align WFP’s monitoring and evaluation with its commitments made in the context of achieving SDGs 2 and 17.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Innovative risk financing mechanisms require substantial investments of time before producing an effective product that can be adapted to different contexts. The major challenge has therefore been securing predictable multi-year funding during the implementation and scaling up phase of programmes. For instance, a coherent IASC/United Nations Development Group/UNISDR policy – the Common Framework on Preparedness – would serve as a baseline for preparedness, but limited donor investment remains a challenge.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    WFP will continue to develop and scale up predictable financing mechanisms for anticipatory and early response as well as recovery. A coherent and integrated climate risk management approach will be mainstreamed into several country strategies and funding proposals. In particular WFP is working to develop operational linkages between sovereign insurance mechanisms (such as the ARC Replica) and micro insurance schemes (like those promoted under R4). May 2017 will see the operational launch and first steering meeting of the Global Preparedness Partnership, which WFP and five other UN agencies play a key role in.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Anticipate, do not wait, for crises', what would it be

    Integrating enhanced understanding of climate change impact on food security and nutrition will enable the scaling up of innovative comprehensive early warning systems, disaster risk reduction approaches and predictable financing mechanisms to build climate resilience to help address the long-term impact of climate change on food and nutrition security.

  • Cross cutting issues

    Food Security

  • Specific initiatives

    Global Partnership for Preparedness

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    5B - Invest according to risk

4C
Deliver collective outcomes: transcend humanitarian-development divides

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    WFP is committed to undertaking joint needs assessments with partners such as FAO, OCHA, UNHCR, UNDP and the World Bank. A growing proportion of the world’s hungry and malnourished live in urban areas, requiring WFP to adapt its approaches to challenges in urban areas – while energizing innovation to contribute towards achieving Zero Hunger and the SDGs. In addition WFP has been working with faith-based organizations and is reaching communities directly in partnership with faith leaders to increase its programmes’ impact and to advocate for food security and nutrition at local and international levels.

  • Achievements at a glance

    WFP led the work with the Global Food Security Cluster partners in developing specific assessment tools for urban needs assessments, and WFP is one of the top contributors to Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX) platform for open data. In Turkey, WFP partnered with national/local authorities, UNHCR and the Turkish Red Crescent (with EU support) to roll out a new cash-based humanitarian relief programme - the Emergency Social Safety Net, and WFP made its Green Box innovation available to Global Humanitarian Lab members to optimise their energy consumption. In June 2016, Pope Francis addressed WFP’s Executive Board and WFP launched a consultation with faith leaders on a direction for inter-religious engagement. Since then, WFP has attended the Faith Works Africa conference in Abuja, held an inter-religious side event at the UNGA in 2016 and ensured that a focus on food was part of the Prayer for Peace held by the Community of Sant’Egidio, Assisi.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Through its participation in working groups and steering committees, WFP is monitoring if the Global Report is used by donors to allocate funds based on needs. WFP’s Innovation Accelerator in Munich is supporting 20 Sprint projects, such as a hydroponics pilot launched in Peru based on the principles of user-centred design - and since adopted by Algeria and Jordan and adapted to local contexts. While it is too early to report on specific numbers, WFP regional bureaux have begun mapping inter-religious engagements at country office level and advocacy with faith-based organizations has been integrated into WFP’s Country Strategic Reviews and Country Strategic Plans being developed through 2017-2018.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Against the backdrop of insufficient resources to adequately respond to the multiple requests, WFP’s ability to make progress will depend, to some extent, on the broader progress that is made against the Grand Bargain, including on increasing collaborative humanitarian multi-year planning and funding. Individual country offices’ capacity to explore new partnerships in the face of on-going Level 3 emergencies has proved to be a challenge in some contexts. The need to staff ongoing and new emergency operations may compete with the establishment of new initiatives. Additionally, dedicated resources are required to support capacity-strengthening initiatives.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    WFP is working within the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) to roll-out the Chronic IPC, bring humanitarian and development partners together; pilot joint market assessments for multi-purpose cash for refugees; roll out WFP/UNICEF joint food and nutrition security assessment guidelines (JANFSA); undertake joint IFAD/WFP climate analysis, among others. WFP plans to deepen its consultation with religious communities as part of civil society participation and civil society capacity-strengthening. WFP is exploring country-level humanitarian and development engagements, as well as the establishment of a WFP advisory council of religious leaders. WFP is will also situate its inter-faith engagements within the new SDG2 Advocacy Hub, launched in January 2017.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Deliver collective outcomes: transcend humanitarian-development divides', what would it be

    Engagement with faith organizations and faith leaders involves substantial commitments of time in order to forge sustainable partnerships. Also, commitments of staff time are required to forge and sustain meaningful dialogue and joint advocacy towards hunger solutions.

  • Cross cutting issues

    Religious engagement

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    4A - Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems 5E - Diversify the resource base and increase cost-efficiency

5A
Invest in local capacities

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    WFP has a long history of partnering with local responders and has more than 1000 civil society partners engaged in 75 percent of its programmes. Some eighty percent of these partners are local as opposed to international. During the Grand Bargain negotiations, WFP successfully argued that the target for transfers to national and local responders should be raised from the 20 percent suggested in the HLP report to 25 percent, and through its co-leadership and training provided to food security cluster members, WFP works deliberately to prepare local NGOs for direct partnership with international donors.

  • Achievements at a glance

    WFP’s 2017-2021 Strategic Plan commits WFP to "make(ing) strategic demand-side investments in the capacity strengthening of relevant national and local NGOs, farmers’ organisations and other community-based organisations to help communities lead and sustain their own fight against hunger and achieve SDG2". WFP has aligned its strategic goals and actions to the SDG framework, which includes a “Whole of Society” approach to achieving SDG2 - Zero Hunger involving the formulation and implementation of 3-5 year Country Strategic Plans. As WFP puts into practice its new Country Strategic Plans in 2017, countries in Zimbabwe have set targets for increasing the number of national partners and the volume of work carried out in collaboration with them. In Pakistan for instance, the Food Security Cluster serves as the secretariat for a comprehensive Zero Hunger Strategic Review.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    A Partnerships Action Plan is now an integral part of the Country Strategic Review process, allowing country offices to articulate their capacity-strengthening activity plans. Progress will be monitored through the corporate monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework. However, to date WFP has been unable to report on an indicator in the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR) related to capacity development due to its financial systems not permitting it. Moving forward, WFP’s new Financial Framework Review (FFR) will enable WFP to report more comprehensively on this and similar indicators.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    While it is still early to comment on challenges given the ongoing operationalization of the Strategic Plan, WFP’s ability to continue increasing its disbursements to local partners (which have increased steadily over the past five years) will depend on adequate resourcing.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    In addition to making the strategic investments in local capacity strengthening as envisaged in the Strategic Plan (2017-2021), WFP has launched a pilot initiative with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to jointly invest in the RC/RC National Societies in four countries: Burundi, Dominican Republic, Pakistan and Sudan. The pilot initiative will serve as a catalyst for further joint investments in the capacity of national and local responders.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Invest in local capacities', what would it be

    N/A

  • Specific initiatives

    Grand Bargain

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    4A - Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems

5B
Invest according to risk

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    WFP’s dual mandate of ending global hunger and saving lives –has long underpinned WFP’s embrace and promotion of a resilience-building approach to the design, planning and implementation of programmes. WFP is promoting and has put in place innovative humanitarian financing, particularly through the Food Security Climate Resilience Facility (FoodSECuRE), Rural Resilience Initiative (R4) and African Risk Capacity (ARC) Replica, illustrating how innovative tools can be used to improve cost-effectiveness of humanitarian action, accelerate response and better manage climate risks in the long-term.

  • Achievements at a glance

    In 2016, R4 reached about 200,000 people across Ethiopia, Senegal, Malawi and Zambia. R4 provided USD 5.1 million in micro-insurance protection to its participants, while supporting them to reduce their exposure to climate disasters and improve their livelihoods. In 2017, R4 will expand to Kenya and Zimbabwe. In the context of 2015/16 El Niño, FoodSECuRE was fast-tracked to respond to the impacts of drought in Guatemala and Zimbabwe. Through the forecast-based finance window of the facility, resources for early action helped 500 smallholder farmers in each country to implement resilience-building measures. Under the ARC Replica, WFP allocated USD 1.6 million for developing relevant capacities and systems (piloted in Kenya).

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Monitoring and evaluation is part of the regular corporate reporting efforts. WFP is in the process of implementing a new multi-annual Strategic Plan (2017-2021) including a new corporate results framework with revised strategic results, against which all outputs and activities will be measured. The new framework will include some new and specific indicators to align WFP’s monitoring and evaluation with commitments made by WFP in the context of SDGs 2 and SDG17 as well as the Grand Bargain.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Innovative risk financing mechanisms require timely investments before reaching an effective product adaptable to different contexts. Securing multi-year funding during the implementation and scaling-up phases of programmes (R4, FoodSECuRE and ARC Replica) has been a challenge. As the ARC Replica is a new approach, challenges persist with preparatory work to set up the administrative framework, legal review and implementation procedures. Risks resulting from the ARC non-payouts have so far threatened to compromise its rollout.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    WFP continues to develop financing mechanisms for early response and recovery. Integrated climate risk management approaches will be mainstreamed into WFP’s new Country Strategic Plans. In 2017, R4 will be expanded to Kenya and Zimbabwe, while FoodSECuRE will work with national meteorology services in Niger and Sudan to develop forecasting and decision making prototypes. WFP is engaged in preparatory work for implementation of ARC Replica in 2018/19 in Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Malawi.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Invest according to risk', what would it be

    Tools such as weather index insurance, forecast-based finance and contingency financing can reduce risks and make livelihoods more resilient. Large-scale global investments in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of emergency preparedness and response systems through these tools is needed.

  • Cross cutting issues

    Food Security

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    4B - Anticipate, do not wait, for crises

5D
Finance outcomes, not fragmentation: shift from funding to financing

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    WFP continues to emphasize the importance of un-earmarked funds that allow WFP to respond flexibly, predictably and quickly in areas where there is greatest need. Within WFP’s new Integrated Road Map (IRM) programmatic and financial architecture, existing tools will support WFP staff to promote flexible donor funding. WFP strongly advocates for predictable multi-year funding to enhance sustainability of activities, help avert pipeline breaks and reduce price volatility to ensure beneficiaries’ continued access to food. It uses videos and social media as part of its efforts to strengthen donor visibility and encourage donors to contribute more flexible contributions.

  • Achievements at a glance

    In 2016, WFP developed a Multilateral Visibility Strategy (2016-2017) to increase visibility of multilateral contributions. WFP engaged bilaterally with four key multilateral donors (Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland) to advocate the high value of multilateral funding to WFP operations and helping the taxpaying public of countries providing multilateral funds to understand and appreciate this support for WFP activities. WFP also drafted an 18-month Visibility Strategy for multilateral funds, following a request from governments providing these funds to increase visibility for their contributions. These steps are in line with WFP’s programmatic and financial architectural update (IRM) allowing WFP to develop a clear ‘line of sight’ that links results to the resources utilised for better performance management and measurement of efficiency and effectiveness. WFP staff are able to more clearly articulate the benefits of multilateral funding and un-earmarked funding to maximise effectiveness of lifesaving operations, and lessons learned are expected to be shared.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    The Multilateral Visibility Strategy allows WFP to demonstrate efficiency gains achieved through two key indicators - measuring increased awareness (using a survey) among key stakeholders on the importance of multilateral funds, as well as the percentage in multilateral funding (e.g. fully flexible funding or the Immediate Response Account) received. WFP also measures progress by assessing its social media feedback to create visibility among important key stakeholders in donor governments. On the WFP’s programmatic and financial architectural update (IRM), guidance material has been produced to assist country offices in donor mapping and resource transfers and in multilateral funding messaging.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    An overarching challenge is to ensure that the Multilateral Visibility Strategy is adopted throughout the organisation, at all levels, and embedded in the day-to-day communications, outreach and advocacy activities. The impact of the multilateral visibility requires long-term investments to achieve tangible changes in donor behaviour as well as positive public reception. WFP will continue to implement its newly adopted communication and reporting tools to share examples and best practices including those emanating from crises, to promote awareness on benefits on flexible funding in line with Multilateral Visibility Strategy.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    In line with the programmatic and financial architectural changes under the IRM, from 2017 onward WFP will be able to demonstrate increased efficiency and improved delivery and assistance to beneficiaries resulting from multilateral contributions in a more granular manner – through the Country Strategic Plans (CSP) and Country Portfolio Budgets (CPB). In addition, in line with commitments under the Grand Bargain, WFP strives to provide visibility for multilateral contributions in order to promote Good Humanitarian Donorship. In 2017, this will consist of constant development and dissemination of donor-oriented communications products, as well as regular reporting and feedback on impact and reach of WFP's efforts.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Finance outcomes, not fragmentation: shift from funding to financing', what would it be

    Flexible contributions need to be promoted and advocated by the humanitarian community whenever opportunities arise – including through dissemination of communications materials through social and traditional media. This is crucial given that visibility of multilateral contributions that highlight the impact of flexible un-earmarked funding is important and appreciated by donor governments.

  • Specific initiatives

    Grand Bargain

5E
Diversify the resource base and increase cost-efficiency

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    This commitment is related to efforts already underway to seek new ways of reducing costs and improving efficiency. For example, WFP’s Financial Framework Review (FFR) seeks to provide greater comparability between WFP’s financial system and those of other UN organizations. The 2016 Annual Partnership Consultation with NGO partners identified where WFP capacity strengthening could benefit partners and an action plan for increased WFP investments was agreed on. WFP has also committed to making local retail and transport sectors more efficient resulting in lower food prices, increased purchases from local producers, and capacity strengthening across sectors.

  • Achievements at a glance

    WFP’s Cost Excellence Initiative identified Programme Support and Administrative (PSA) savings of USD 3.8 million in 2015 which were reinvested in priority areas, and are expected to yield savings of USD 6.2 million in 2017. Supply chain capacity-strengthening efforts have also reduced retail prices, transport costs and increased purchases from smallholder farmers in 6 countries, while WFP has achieved 97 percent compliance with International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) standards.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Through the Cost Excellence Initiative, progress is determined by generating savings and improvements in processes and service delivery. In addition, a partnership action plan is an integral part of the Country Strategic Review process, allowing country offices to articulate capacity-strengthening plans. Progress will be monitored through the corporate monitoring and evaluation framework. Lessons from Financial Framework Review (FFR) pilots will help to capture lessons learned before the FFR’s roll-out in all country offices in 2018.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Challenges range from the limited buy-in of stakeholders, availability of resources, compliance with an ambitious timeframe for implementation, organizational readiness (including capacity), process knowledge and technical skills. While efforts to address these challenges are ongoing, WFP continues to find it challenging to report on a QCPR indicator related to capacity development because its financial systems have not permitted it. Going forward, the new financial framework is expected to resolve this.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    Process optimization work will continue throughout 2017, including the development of a self-service platform to improve travel planning. The FFR will be implemented in up to 16 countries in 2017 with full roll-out in 2018 and country offices are considering strategic capacity-strengthening investment opportunities as they engage in the Country Strategic Plan (CSP) roll-out. WFP is part of an inter-agency working group analysing how to establish a standard for reporting on common outcomes. Moreover, WFP is creating a supply chain capacity-strengthening plan involving local private sector and governments, and WFP will expand Environmental Management System and introduce environmental sustainability policies.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Diversify the resource base and increase cost-efficiency', what would it be

    Process improvements for increased efficiency will require continuing momentum with management and staff accountability for the changes that need to be made.