WFP EXpands Aid Efforts

ROME - Jun 4/08 - SNS -- The United Nations World Food Programme will spend another U.S. $1.2 billion in food assistance to help tens of millions of people in more than 60 nations hardest hit by the urgent food crisis.

"With soaring food and fuel prices, hunger is on the march and we must act now," Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme, said in written remarks delivered today to hundreds of delegates gathered in Rome for an international summit on food security.

"If we do not act quickly, the bottom billion will become the bottom two billion virtually overnight as their purchasing power is cut in half due to a doubling in food and fuel prices," said Sheeran, who oversees an organization that will provide roughly $5 billion to help nearly 90 million people in 78 countries this year.

Sheeran, said the agency is helping the world to weather the storm by tripling the number of people who receive food in Haiti, doubling those who will receive food in Afghanistan, and delivering more critical food assistance to people in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya.

"We have mobilized our 10,000 employees and every dollar and euro given to us, to reach as many hungry people as we can at this critical time," said Sheeran.

Sheeran noted that the international community has made great progress over the past four decades in reducing the percentage of hungry worldwide, from 37% to 17% (in 2002). The agency warned that record high food and fuel prices threaten to unwind hard-earned gains and increase human suffering.

Sixty-two countries wracked by high food prices have been allocated $1.2 billion in funds to alleviate growing hunger. The lifeline extends to communities hit by weather disasters and to poor school children – the first to feel the brutal shocks of hunger.

Haiti: A country where civil unrest has raged is being fast-tracked by WFP which is tripling the number of people receiving food, especially school children and 100,000 mothers and young children. Just over the last two days, 100,000 poor women – heads of households – have started receiving food ($23 million is being rolled out).

Liberia: WFP is scaling up school feeding for 200,000 primary aged children and, along with the World Bank, is exploring the use of cash and food for job programs targeting urban areas ($15 million).

Afghanistan: Amid widespread conflict and insecurity, alongside severe destitution, food assistance is being rapidly expanded to 2.5 million additional people – almost half are urban dwellers priced out of the wheat market ($73 million in additional funds).

Kenya: After post election violence tore whole communities apart, WFP is maintaining commitments to support people who, in addition to high food prices, are affected by drought and unrest linked to food price protests. School feeding programs that had been cut have been restored. A new operation will help displaced persons plus an increasing number of vulnerable people in arid regions ($86 million).

Somalia: WFP is doubling its assistance to reach more than 2.5 million people who face deepening drought in tandem with hyper-inflation and continued conflict on a scale similar to the crisis years of 1992-1993. This year high food prices is compounding the problem. ($163 million in food assistance will help ease their plight).

Cambodia: School feeding will be restarted in Cambodia, providing meals to 250,000 children who were cut off in May because of high food prices ($5.4 million).

Ethiopia: High prices and drought are sweeping through the Horn of Africa, posing a severe threat to millions of pastoralists. Urgent food distributions across the country will help stem the growing crisis ($193 million).

Burkina Faso: WFP is reaching 63,000 additional mothers and children with critical food assistance ($6.9 million)

Mozambique: WFP is targeting $7 million for social safety nets for school children, mothers, infants and toddlers, and HIV/AIDS patients.

Yemen: An additional 300,000 school children are being reached with the help of the World Bank ($8 million).

Senegal: WFP is providing meals in school for 284,000 children during the lean season ($16 million).

Burundi: WFP will expand food distributions and extend school feeding programs into urban areas; will establish food-for-work projects to improve livelihoods of former refugees ($12 million)

Central African Republic: A food safety net is being rolled out for 294,000 people (including conflict victims) made more vulnerable due to the high prices during the lean season ($12 million).

Sierra Leone: More than 200,000 children are being supported with a hot school meal plus another 200,000 people – including urban youth -- receive food ($8.9 million).

Sheeran said more such action is needed to help individuals, families and communities hold the line against hunger, and to create space for UN partners and others to work on medium and longer term solutions to boost agricultural production.