WFP Calls for Stronger Social Safety Nets Across Asia-Pacific to Protect Food Security

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is calling for stronger social protection systems to safeguard food security and nutrition across Asia and the Pacific, speaking at the Asia and the Pacific Social Protection Week hosted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila from Oct. 6 to 8.

According to the WFP, well-designed safety nets serve as a critical defense against shocks caused by conflict, disasters, and extreme weather. The agency emphasized that such systems help vulnerable families maintain their food needs before, during, and after emergencies.

Samir Wanmali, WFP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, noted that events such as floods, droughts, or sudden economic shocks can rapidly reverse a family's progress. Wanmali stated that social protection systems designed to be inclusive, nutrition-sensitive, and capable of expanding during emergencies can keep temporary crises from causing long-term damage.

The ADB-hosted event brings together governments, development partners, and stakeholders to assess progress and discuss methods for building resilient and sustainable social protection frameworks. The WFP indicated it will draw upon its experience working with 16 governments in the region to present strategies for improving system efficiency, financial sustainability, and rapid scalability amid constrained national budgets.

The agency noted that these measures are particularly critical as an unprecedented El Niño event threatens to heighten food insecurity in the region. WFP underscored that investing in social protection serves both as crisis response and as a contributor to long-term resilience and regional development.

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