The last rains were in April. For the past two years, the water that planting and harvests depend on has not arrived in October, putting the futures of children including Odile’s in question.
Hers is a sad story and an all too common one across the island nation off the southern coast of Africa, which is struggling with extreme weather linked to climate change – 1.1 million people are suffering from hunger, with nearly 14,000 people in “famine-like conditions” – a figure expected to double by the end of the year.
In the south of Madagascar, many people are subsistence farmers who’ve lost their livelihoods as well as their only source of food due to erratic weather.
The World Food Programme (WFP) is at the forefront of the United Nations system in sharing information with its member states and the general public, and is committed to demonstrating effectiveness and efficiency. WFP shares information through various channels, including its public website and shares more details in its Executive Board site, which can be accessed by governments.
Annual Reports
The Annual Performance Report (APR) focuses on what WFP has achieved. It details how WFP used the resources entrusted to it in any given year consistent with its mandate and in support of expected programmatic and management results. The publicly available APR dashboard provides a global overview of key results of WFP’s performance in terms of beneficiaries reached, food and cash-based transfers, capacity strengthening, service delivery and related direct expenditures. Furthermore, WFP Country Offices produce Annual Country Reports (ACR) to inform donors how their funds were used in specific countries during the reporting year. This includes an annual financial report covering all activities in the country portfolio.
Annual Accounts
WFP publishes audited financial reports, the Annual Accounts, that are audited by the auditor general (or equivalent position) of a member state of the UN or FAO. In addition to certifying the accounts of WFP, the external auditor has authority to report to the Board on the efficiency of financial procedures and the general administration and management of WFP. The audit of the WFP accounts is conducted in accordance with the International Standards of Auditing. The most recent accounts were audited by the French Cour des Comptes and received an unqualified audit opinion.
Internal Audit
The Office of the Inspector General of WFP conducts objective and independent assurance and oversight activities to protect the integrity, efficiency and effectiveness of WFP’s programmes and operations, and detects and deters fraud, waste and abuse through internal audit, advisory services, inspections, and investigations. Internal audits are carried out in conformance with the Institute of Internal Auditors’ International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing. Internal audit reports issued by the Office of the Inspector General and are publicly available. The Office of the Inspector General also publishes an Annual Report providing its assessment, based on the scope of the work undertaken, of the effectiveness of WFP’s governance, risk management and control processes.