Attachments
Overview
With a range of factors contributing to heightened food insecurity, 2022 proved to be another challenging year for Nepal. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, combined with natural hazards and the global food crisis, exacerbated already precarious conditions faced by households vulnerable to shocks. The ramifications of the global food crisis, in particular, were felt more strongly in the second half of the year, where nearly one in five households had insufficient food consumption as of October. [1] One in seven households did not have enough food to meet their daily needs, a five-fold increase compared to June.
Through its Country Strategic Plan (2019-2023) in Nepal, WFP continued to make a strategic shift towards increased technical assistance to the Government of Nepal to build resilience, while maintaining its flexibility to respond to crises and address root causes of food insecurity and malnutrition in alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2 (zero hunger) and 17 (partnerships for the goals). In 2022, WFP reached 1.8 million people across its lifesaving and life-changing activities, while strengthening its partnership with the Government.
As part of its emergency response, WFP provided cash and nutrition assistance to communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring the most vulnerable groups, including pregnant and lactating women and children aged 6-23 months, had access to basic food and nutrition.
WFP supported the National School Meals Programme by distributing fortified food to schoolchildren, on top of a one-time take-home ration during school closures due to COVID-19. In parallel, WFP continued to facilitate a sustainable transition to government ownership and supported the implementation of a home-grown school feeding model. WFP continued the mother and child health and nutrition programme, complemented by technical assistance to the Government in the development and harmonization of the national nutrition plan, policy and guidelines. WFP also supported the Government in advancing the rice fortification agenda through the finalization and approval of national rice fortification standards, despite significant funding shortfalls.
WFP’s climate adaptation activities supported vulnerable farmers to strengthen local food systems and resilience to climate shocks and diversify livelihoods. WFP’s engineering work also contributed to infrastructure development and improving access, connecting remote communities to markets and providing easier access to food and basic social services.
WFP co-led the National Logistics Cluster, playing a crucial role in providing common logistics support to the Government and other partners for the COVID-19 response and monsoon response, until its deactivation in August.
Furthermore, WFP completed the second phase of its Emergency Preparedness and Response project and commenced the third phase, focusing on a transition plan for the Government to take over the management of the humanitarian staging areas built in strategic locations across the country.
WFP conducted food security analyses and monitoring to generate evidence through a combination of traditional assessment methods and new technologies. During the year, WFP scaled up its food security monitoring through three rounds of household surveys and monthly market monitoring that identified food insecurity trends and pockets of food-insecure populations. Using the forecast-based anticipatory action mechanism, WFP tested the use of anticipatory cash assistance at scale for the first time in support of the Government’s emergency response, reaching vulnerable households at risk of monsoon flooding in western Nepal. Families were able to buy food and other immediate necessities and protect their household assets, effectively reducing the impact of the floods.
Government capacity strengthening at the national, provincial, and local levels remained a key priority across all WFP activities. WFP’s support contributed to policy development and informed evidence-based decisions, including the finalization of the federal and provincial bylaws of the Right to Food and Food Sovereignty Act 2018.
WFP remained available to the humanitarian community, providing on-demand services including provision of cash-based transfers, engineering, common administration and logistics support.
WFP prioritized protection and accountability to affected populations throughout its activities, while also contributing to gender equality and social inclusion. WFP also stepped up its efforts to ensure mainstreaming of disability inclusion across all its operations. Lastly, environmental and social sustainability policies were taken into account in all WFP interventions.