World Food Programme honours Archbishop Desmond Tutu for battling hunger

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has honoured South African and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu as a Global Champion in the Battle against Hunger.

This is in recognition of Desmond Tutu’s long-time advocacy on behalf of the world’s most vulnerable people, according to the agency.

“Throughout his life, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has been a voice for the hungry, the poor and the vulnerable,” said WFP Executive Director, Josette Sheeran in a statement January 26, 2012.

The WFP noted that Archbishop Tutu has been a staunch advocate for universal human rights, including the right to food, as well as the rights to clean water, shelter, hygiene, sanitation and health care.

Archbishop Tutu is the fourth recipient of the WFP’s Global Champion Against Hunger award. Recent recipients include Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary-General; King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, of Saudi Arabia; and Peter Bakker, former CEO of global logistics company TNT.

The WFP presented the award to Archbishop Emeritus Tutu during a dinner at the ongoing 2012 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

By Ekow Quandzie