WFP In Numbers Country Brief February 2021 US$ 141,862 cash distributed

s US$ 1.34 m six-month (March 2021 – August 2021) net funding requirements

12,695 people assisted in February 2021 56% 44%

Operational Updates

• This month, WFP continued its humanitarian Operational Context support to the victims of Typhoon Goni (Rolly) in the Bicol Region through cash assistance. For A middle-income country, the Philippines is the second fastest February alone, WFP reached 2,303 growing economy in Asia but has struggled to transpose these households (11,515 individuals) who improvements into tangible human development gains. remain displaced and/or vulnerable after Poverty is at 19.8 percent in 2020. Now combined with the disaster hit. WFP has been supporting the COVID-19, natural hazards, and man-made conflicts affected families with cash-based transfers since contribute to food insecurity rates in the country. December 2020 with contributions from the WFP supports to the Government of the Philippines in its Government of Australia and the Central emergency response to natural hazards and armed conflicts, Emergency Response Fund and has partnered

while gradually shifting to prioritise capacity strengthening with Western Union as the financial service measures through technical support and augmentation of provider for cash disbursements. Thanks to its logistics capacity as the Government responds to the needs of generous donors, WFP has distributed a total of the population affected by COVID-19. US$ 434,772 (PHP 21.14 million) in the As a signatory to the Memorandum of Understanding with the provinces of and from Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty, WFP is December 2020 to February 2021. committed to supporting the Government with strategic measures for building resilience to food and nutrition • WFP continued to support the Bangsamoro insecurity, supporting nutritional rehabilitation of Autonomous Region in Muslim ’s undernourished children, and providing skills enhancement (BARMM) efforts in improving food security and leading to higher income opportunities for the rural poor. agricultural livelihood of decommissioned and WFP also supports the Government’s Inter-Agency Task Force soon-to-be decommissioned combatants and on Zero Hunger in its goal of putting an end to hunger by smallholder farmers in the provinces of Lanao del 2030, in line with United Nations Sustainable Development Sur and . This is part of WFP and Goal 2: Zero Hunger. BARMM ministries’ efforts to protect the environment, improve disaster resilience, and uplift the lives of combatants and farmers. To jumpstart their income generation and productivity while they wait for harvest season, WFP is supporting participants with cash-based transfers in exchange of their work in vegetable production and nursery and fruit trees planting since December 2020. In February, WFP reached an additional 236 farmer households (1,180 individuals).

• In February, WFP sustained its logistics support to the Government of the Philippines in response to multiple crises (typhoons and COVID-19):

o 12 trucks were mobilized by WFP to move hygiene kits, kitchen kits, and bottled water from Metro to northern ( City, Tuguegarao City, and Province), Legazpi City, and City on Population: 110 million 2020 Human Development Index Ranking: 107 out of 189 behalf of the Office of Civil Defense. Childhood stunting: 28.8% (National Nutrition Survey, Income Level: Lower middle 2019)

Contact info: Catherine Mones ([email protected]) Country Director: Brenda Barton Further information: www.wfp.org/countries/Philippines

WFP Country o Four trucks were provided to support the Department of Social Welfare and Strategy Development (DSWD) Region V in moving cargo between and Country Strategic Plan (2018-2023) .

March 2021 – August o In , WFP also supported the Allocated 2021 Total Requirement Contributions (in Net Funding DSWD Central Office in moving 945 mt of (in USD) USD) Requirements rice from the National Food Authority (in USD) warehouse to the DSWD National Resource 48.56 m 28.24 m 1.34 m Operations Centre for re-packing and assembly of family food packs for emergencies. Strategic Result 1: Everyone has access to food

Strategic Outcome 1: Crisis-affected people in the Philippines are Monitoring able to meet their food and nutrition needs during and immediately after an emergency. • WFP supported a study conducted by the Focus area: Crisis response Institute of Human Nutrition and Food of the Activities: University of the Philippines. The study, entitled • Provide unconditional food and nutrition assistance through “Status and Determinants of Food Insecurity and the governments’ safety net or partners to crisis-affected Undernutrition in Urban Areas” is aimed at communities following natural disasters or human-induced shocks and disruptions understanding the impacts of COVID-19 and their risks to the health and growth of Filipino Strategic Result 2: End malnutrition children. It focused on City, one of the Strategic Outcome 2: Women, boys, and girls in provinces most populated urban areas in the country. prioritized by the Government have adequate and healthy diets to Preliminary results suggested that among the reduce malnutrition in line with government targets by 2022. 6,349 assessed households: (1) livelihood was Focus area: Root Cause most severely impacted by the pandemic; (2) Activities: severe food insecurity stood at 7 percent; and • Provide direct and technical assistance to boys, girls, (3) almost all households benefited from social women and care providers as well as technical assistance protection programmes of the city government. to government, build evidence and advocate to ensure nutrition specific and sensitive multiple sectorial responses lead to adequate and healthy diets during the critical times New WFP Philippines of development. Representative Reaffirms Strategic Result 5: Capacity Strengthening Commitment to Achieve Zero Strategic Outcome 3: Vulnerable communities in Mindanao have Hunger with the Government of the improved food security, in support of government targets by 2022. Philippines Focus area: Resilience Activities: • Support the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and local governments to address the Food Security and Nutrition (FSN) needs of all segments of the population (activity category: 9, modality: CS/food/cash) to further consolidate and enhance existing peace and development plans Strategic Result 5: Capacity Strengthening

Strategic Outcome 4: National and Local Government have enhanced capabilities to reduce vulnerabilities to shocks by 2022. Focus area: Resilience Activities: • Support national and local capacities for disaster risk reduction and management as well as climate change adaptation • Strengthen and augment government and partners’ Newly appointed United Nations World Food emergency preparedness and response capacity to include Programme (WFP) Representative and Country supply chain and ICT Director Brenda Barton (right) formally presented her letter of credentials to Foreign Affairs Secretary Download WFP’s ShareTheMeal app and help feed a child Teodoro Locsin Jr. during a courtesy call at the with just a tap on your phone: https://apple.co/1QxNv9G Department of Foreign Affairs on 24 February 2021. She reaffirmed WFP’s commitment to support the Donors Government’s programmes to enhance food security and nutrition across the nation, in line with the UN Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, particularly SDG Philippines, United States of America, United Nations 2: Zero Hunger. Ms. Barton and Secretary Locsin Central Emergency Response Fund, and World Bank. discussed WFP’s work in the Philippines, which began in 1968, but was formally re-established in 2006 Operational Updates (continuation) following the Government’s request to WFP to support the ongoing peace process in Mindanao.

WFP Philippines Country Brief Photo credits: Page 1: © WFP/Arete/Ramon Angelo Mendoza; Page 2: © DFA/OPD/Charlyn Lau February 2021