The agency estimates that a staggering 318 million people face crisis levels of hunger or worse this year. Hundreds of thousands are already experiencing famine-like conditions. Current forecasts put WFP's funding at just under half of its needed USD13 billion budget to reach 110 million people - roughly one-third of the most vulnerable. This funding gap means meals cut, rations reduced, and a deepening hunger crisis that will cost countless lives.

"Hunger drives displacement, conflict, and instability and these not only threaten lives, but disrupt the very markets that businesses depend on," said Rania Dagash-Kamara, WFP's Assistant Executive Director for Partnerships and Innovation, who is attending the forum this week. "I'm here to remind everyone that the world cannot build stable markets on a foundation of 318 million hungry people. I come with an intensifying crisis that has a solution in Davos: invest in the global stability your companies need by supporting our proven ability to reduce hunger on the planet."

The private sector has shown repeatedly that it can be a force for good. In 2025, private sector partners were WFP's second-largest donors to the organization's Palestine efforts, and the first to support our Ukraine response in 2022. Since 2020, private sector contributions to WFP have reached just over USD2 billion. At a time of dwindling public resources for humanitarian organizations, private sector funding has never mattered more.

WFP is driving a digital transformation that it expects will generate USD92 million in annual savings. In 2025, AI-driven supply chain optimization has already delivered proven returns with savings of USD25 million projected annually at scale. Machine learning now enables 60-days advance warning of food security risks across 90+ countries. AI-powered fraud detection means every dollar donated goes where it's meant to go, while improved prediction algorithms allow WFP to respond faster and smarter to crises. Bring your expertise and help us to push these technologies further in some of the most difficult contexts in the world.

WFP has spent years proving AI can be deployed in its life-saving humanitarian work under some of the most difficult and hazardous conditions. Now, leaders gathered in Davos can directly support proven food assistance programs that can successfully push back on hunger, helping to stabilize communities and restore vital economic structures.

"The question is not whether technology can address hunger at scale and bring economic benefits to local communities everywhere. We know it can," said Dagash-Kamara. "The question is whether we will have the resources to make it happen, which is why we need the private sector's help. Together we can have unprecedented impact in addressing what is both a humanitarian and economic crisis."

WFP is asking business leaders at Davos to help disrupt hunger through actions that:

• Keep hunger and food security as a top-tier priority, recognizing its direct impact on market stability and workforce productivity.
• Invest in supply chain systems that bolster fragile markets.
• Identify technologies that fortify food.
• Boost WFP's AI-enabled tech capabilities for greater efficiencies and predictive capabilities in early warning systems.
• Harness your corporate influence and client relationships to fund innovative hunger-fighting programmes globally.

The World Food Programme has the deep field experience, capacity and technology to reduce the number of hungry people in the world. The private sector has the expertise, resources and innovation capabilities needed to accelerate our efforts. Now is the time.

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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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