All over the world the number of people going hungry has continued to rise in recent years. In 2023, over 345 million people in 79 countries did not have access to enough food. They were and are dependent on support from the World Food Programme's (WFP) emergency relief fund.

The Immediate Response Account, IRA, makes it possible to respond quickly and flexibly to crises. The fund can be used to finance emergency aid from the WFP in the form of loans and grants. Nevertheless, the World Food Programme is also struggling with rising commodity prices and inflation making it difficult to fulfil its mission. Since 2023 Liechtenstein has increased its support for the IRA, helping to ensure that the World Food Programme can continue to provide rapid assistance in crises. The WFP assumes that a total of 157 million people will benefit from the 88 programmes in 2024.