The Sovereign Order of Malta and the World Food Program (WFP) collaborate closely to combat global hunger and support communities facing food insecurity due to conflict, natural disasters, and extreme poverty. Their partnership emphasizes humanitarian aid, including food distribution, medical support, and nutritional programs, often in regions affected by crises where both organizations are active. Leveraging the Order of Malta’s global network of healthcare and social assistance initiatives, they work with WFP to deliver targeted, life-saving aid and to build long-term resilience in vulnerable populations.

The Order’s diplomatic influence and status as a neutral entity further enhance cooperation with WFP, enabling more effective response mechanisms in politically complex regions. Together, they share resources, expertise, and advocacy efforts to promote sustainable solutions to hunger .

In 2018, the then Executive Director of the World Food Programme, David Beasley, was received by the then Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Albrecht Boeselager, in the Magistral Villa, Rome. The meeting was an opportunity to relaunch the common commitment of the Order of Malta and the United Nations agency in some of the countries where for years the Order has been working through its embassies, associations and relief corps to provide medical and social assistance, such as Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea and Ethiopia.

The following year, Executive Director Beasley received the Order of Malta, with its international relief agency for humanitarian aid Malteser international, for an operational visit to find possible future synergies.

In January 2024, the current WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain took the floor during the Conference of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta’s Ambassadors, at the Magistral Villa on the Aventine Hill in Rome and delivered a powerful message of collaboration in helping the world’s poor: “We need short-term and long-term solutions to hunger: to address the immediate threat of starvation, but also tackle its root causes. It’s an investment in our collective future”.