BANGKOK – The United Nations World Food Programme today warmly welcomed a donation of 902 metric tons of rice from the Government of Thailand destined for the vulnerable people of Iraq.
The donation, with a cash value of 15 million Thai Baht (US $372,670) is the second donation from the Government of Thailand to a WFP emergency operation. In 2001, the Government of Thailand gave WFP 3,000 metric tons of rice for its assistance to Afghanistan after the outbreak of war in that Central Asian country.
“We are very pleased to receive this new donation from the Government of Thailand,” said WFP Executive-Director James T. Morris. “This generous gift to the people of Iraq consolidates Thailand’s commitment to humanitarian assistance. We look forward to future support from Thailand for the hungry poor.”
Mr. Morris thanked Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in person for Thailand’s continued assistance to the World Food Programme when the two leaders met in Bangkok in June 2003.
In June, Morris praised the Government of Thailand for its move into the international donor community. Morris noted that the strong economies of South and Southeast Asia give the region the potential to produce more “emerging donors” to WFP than any other region in the world.
WFP launched the largest food aid operation in history in Iraq this year, planning to bring into the country about 2.2 million tons of food commodities by the end of October. The budget for the operation stands at US$1.5 billion.
“We are grateful to Thailand for their support to the biggest and most challenging operation in the 40 years of WFP’s existence,” Morris said, noting that conflict is one of the leading causes of hunger worldwide. “Every donation counts to us.”
Earlier this year, a private consortium in Thailand mobilised 30 metric tons of rice for WFP’s Iraq emergency.
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a ceremony this week for the presentation of the cheque to the WFP Asia Regional Director, Anthony Banbury, presided over by Pracha Guna-kasem, the Advisor to the Foreign Minister, and other officials from the MOFA.
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WFP DELIVERS TWO MILLION TONS OF FOOD TO IRAQ
ROME – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced today that a staggering two million tons of food have now been delivered to Iraq since its emergency operation started on 1 April.
“This is the largest amount of food assistance ever delivered in a single emergency operation over such a brief period,” said WFP Executive Director James Morris. “The task of providing such volumes of food aid to the entire population of Iraq – 27 million people – over seven months is an incredible achievement carried out under very difficult circumstances.”
The logistical challenges associated with ensuring the availability of up to 500,000 tons of food - some 20,000 truckloads - every month included obtaining the right quantities and types of food as well as processing, storing and distributing it. All this in a country struggling to overcome the damage of war.
Six transport corridors – from Turkey, Syria/Lebanon, Kuwait, Iran, Jordan and the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr - have been used to deliver food into the 18 governorates inside Iraq. With the logistics operations now being scaled down, only Jordan, Syria and Umm Qasr remain active.
“Not a single truck would have moved without an integrated team approach, involving both WFP’s Iraqi staff as well as hundreds of international staff, borrowed from WFP offices around the world,” said Torben Due, WFP Country Representative in Iraq. “As the operation draws to a close at the end of this month, we will begin handing over to our colleagues at the Iraqi Ministry of Trade, who will continue to distribute the monthly food rations.”
As WFP completes its Emergency Operation at the end of October, the focus has shifted to gradually handing over the supply chain of the Public Distribution System to the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and the Iraqi Ministry of Trade (MOT). Part of WFP’s role in ensuring a steady supply of food into Iraq is the renegotiation of Oil For Food contracts under Security Council Resolution 1483. Since August 2003, WFP has successfully re-negotiated 294 contracts for 2.2 million tons of food valued at more than US$900 million for delivery into Iraq through June 2004.
Although Iraq has benefited from a better cereal harvest and the lifting of economic sanctions, much of the country’s population is poor and still in need of assistance, according to a recent FAO/WFP food supply and nutrition assessment. While a food crisis has been averted, the nutritional situation of several million mothers and children in central and southern Iraq is still cause for concern.
WFP staff will continue to remain involved to prevent hunger in Iraq, including carrying out a survey on food security, strengthening national capacity, support (including training) for the Public Distribution System, especially in the area of cross-border transport, warehouse management, monitoring, databank management and negotiation of contracts. A key future project will support a national government-administered school feeding programme in order to encourage children to attend school.
“Make no mistake. This operation has been a logistician's nightmare, with a very complex mix of assumptions, unknowns, and uncertainties, not least among them was the duration of the war, the intensity of military operations and the state of silos, mills and roads,” said Morris. “There is a long way to go, but the courage and dedication of all staff involved are an inspiration for us all.”
* * *
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency. In 2002, WFP fed 72 million people in 82 countries including most of the world’s refugees and internally displaced people. WFP Global School Feeding Campaign -- As the largest provider of nutritious meals to poor school children, WFP has launched a global campaign aimed at ensuring the world’s 300 million undernourished children are educated.
For more information please contact:
World Food Programme:
http://www.wfp.org/index.html
The donation, with a cash value of 15 million Thai Baht (US $372,670) is the second donation from the Government of Thailand to a WFP emergency operation. In 2001, the Government of Thailand gave WFP 3,000 metric tons of rice for its assistance to Afghanistan after the outbreak of war in that Central Asian country.
“We are very pleased to receive this new donation from the Government of Thailand,” said WFP Executive-Director James T. Morris. “This generous gift to the people of Iraq consolidates Thailand’s commitment to humanitarian assistance. We look forward to future support from Thailand for the hungry poor.”
Mr. Morris thanked Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in person for Thailand’s continued assistance to the World Food Programme when the two leaders met in Bangkok in June 2003.
In June, Morris praised the Government of Thailand for its move into the international donor community. Morris noted that the strong economies of South and Southeast Asia give the region the potential to produce more “emerging donors” to WFP than any other region in the world.
WFP launched the largest food aid operation in history in Iraq this year, planning to bring into the country about 2.2 million tons of food commodities by the end of October. The budget for the operation stands at US$1.5 billion.
“We are grateful to Thailand for their support to the biggest and most challenging operation in the 40 years of WFP’s existence,” Morris said, noting that conflict is one of the leading causes of hunger worldwide. “Every donation counts to us.”
Earlier this year, a private consortium in Thailand mobilised 30 metric tons of rice for WFP’s Iraq emergency.
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a ceremony this week for the presentation of the cheque to the WFP Asia Regional Director, Anthony Banbury, presided over by Pracha Guna-kasem, the Advisor to the Foreign Minister, and other officials from the MOFA.
* * *
WFP DELIVERS TWO MILLION TONS OF FOOD TO IRAQ
ROME – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced today that a staggering two million tons of food have now been delivered to Iraq since its emergency operation started on 1 April.
“This is the largest amount of food assistance ever delivered in a single emergency operation over such a brief period,” said WFP Executive Director James Morris. “The task of providing such volumes of food aid to the entire population of Iraq – 27 million people – over seven months is an incredible achievement carried out under very difficult circumstances.”
The logistical challenges associated with ensuring the availability of up to 500,000 tons of food - some 20,000 truckloads - every month included obtaining the right quantities and types of food as well as processing, storing and distributing it. All this in a country struggling to overcome the damage of war.
Six transport corridors – from Turkey, Syria/Lebanon, Kuwait, Iran, Jordan and the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr - have been used to deliver food into the 18 governorates inside Iraq. With the logistics operations now being scaled down, only Jordan, Syria and Umm Qasr remain active.
“Not a single truck would have moved without an integrated team approach, involving both WFP’s Iraqi staff as well as hundreds of international staff, borrowed from WFP offices around the world,” said Torben Due, WFP Country Representative in Iraq. “As the operation draws to a close at the end of this month, we will begin handing over to our colleagues at the Iraqi Ministry of Trade, who will continue to distribute the monthly food rations.”
As WFP completes its Emergency Operation at the end of October, the focus has shifted to gradually handing over the supply chain of the Public Distribution System to the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and the Iraqi Ministry of Trade (MOT). Part of WFP’s role in ensuring a steady supply of food into Iraq is the renegotiation of Oil For Food contracts under Security Council Resolution 1483. Since August 2003, WFP has successfully re-negotiated 294 contracts for 2.2 million tons of food valued at more than US$900 million for delivery into Iraq through June 2004.
Although Iraq has benefited from a better cereal harvest and the lifting of economic sanctions, much of the country’s population is poor and still in need of assistance, according to a recent FAO/WFP food supply and nutrition assessment. While a food crisis has been averted, the nutritional situation of several million mothers and children in central and southern Iraq is still cause for concern.
WFP staff will continue to remain involved to prevent hunger in Iraq, including carrying out a survey on food security, strengthening national capacity, support (including training) for the Public Distribution System, especially in the area of cross-border transport, warehouse management, monitoring, databank management and negotiation of contracts. A key future project will support a national government-administered school feeding programme in order to encourage children to attend school.
“Make no mistake. This operation has been a logistician's nightmare, with a very complex mix of assumptions, unknowns, and uncertainties, not least among them was the duration of the war, the intensity of military operations and the state of silos, mills and roads,” said Morris. “There is a long way to go, but the courage and dedication of all staff involved are an inspiration for us all.”
* * *
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency. In 2002, WFP fed 72 million people in 82 countries including most of the world’s refugees and internally displaced people. WFP Global School Feeding Campaign -- As the largest provider of nutritious meals to poor school children, WFP has launched a global campaign aimed at ensuring the world’s 300 million undernourished children are educated.
For more information please contact:
World Food Programme:
http://www.wfp.org/index.html