German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday urged countries to do more to fight hunger globally after the UN's World Food Programme won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.

Merkel used her weekly podcast to warn listeners that "more than 820 million people are currently suffering from hunger" across the planet.

"The increasingly tense situation in the world shows that even greater efforts by the international community are needed here," she said.

"Hunger, like many other great challenges of our time, can only be mastered together."

Merkel added that Germany spends some €1.5 billion ($1.8 billion) on food security and rural development, making Berlin the third-largest donor worldwide in that field.

Her comments come after the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize to the United Nations World Food Programme, widely known by its acronym WFP.

Read more:Opinion: Nobel Prize for the WFP is appeal for greater cooperation 

The WFP picked up a prize of €965,000 when it became the 101st winner of the award on Friday.

As many as 107 organizations and 211 individuals had been nominated this year.

Speaking on Saturday, Merkel said the award was a tribute to the "great work" done by WFP staff around the world.

"The award ceremony is a recognition of the commitment to international responsibility and international solidarity," she added.

jf/rc (dpa, KNA)