Government Partners Help WFP Resume Food Assistance To Syrian Refugees
ROME – Following an unprecedented social media campaign, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced today the tally of contributions by government donors towards the reinstatement of food assistance to nearly 1.7 million Syrian refugees.
ROME – Following an unprecedented social media campaign, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced today the tally of contributions by government donors towards the reinstatement of food assistance to nearly 1.7 million Syrian refugees.
Thanks to substantial support from government partners in donor countries, a total of US$88.4 million has been raised to date. As this exceeds the goal of US$64 million required to fund the refugee programme in December, it allows WFP to cover some of the refugees’ food needs in January.
Over recent days, the following (in alphabetical order) have announced contributions: Belgium (US$138,000), European Union (US$6.2 million), Germany (US$5.4 million), Ireland (US$1.1 million), Netherlands (US$7.5 million), Norway (US$10.2 million), Qatar (US$2 million), Saudi Arabia (US$52 million) and Switzerland (US$2.1 million).
The total also includes US$1.8 million from individuals and private sector donors.
“We are extremely grateful for this extraordinary support, which means that by next week, Syrian refugees in five neighbouring countries will be able to use their electronic vouchers again to buy food for their families from local shops,” said WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin.
“I take this opportunity to thank all of our donors who during the year have provided the money to ensure that Syrian refugees have access to food. As this increasingly ‘hand-to-mouth’ operation moves into winter, we are counting on our donors not to lose sight of the needs of these vulnerable people. We are already focused on January, when the needs will be just as great.”
WFP’s donation page is still up and running on http://www.wfp.org/ForSyrianRefugees and the public can continue to contribute to WFP’s life-saving assistance for displaced Syrians.
Since the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, WFP has succeeded, despite fighting and problems of access, in meeting the food needs of millions of displaced people inside Syria and up to 1.7 million refugees in the neighbouring countries of Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.
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WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. In 2013, WFP assisted more than 80 million people in 75 countries.
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