WFP | United Nations World Food Programme - Fighting Hunger Worldwide



WFP Welcomes Investigation Into its Food Assistance Operations in Somalia (Mar 11)
ROME – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today said it would welcome an independent investigation into its food assistance operations in Somalia.  At the same time, the agency said it would not engage in any new work with three transport contractors named in a report from the United Nations Monitoring Group on Somalia, which alleged they were involved in arms-trading.


Japan extends 7,50,000 dollar fund for improving health, nutrition in MP (Mar 10)
The Japanese government said it will allocate 7,50,000 dollar fund for improving the health and nutrition in rural areas of Madhya Pradesh, a move it says a part of its ''commitment towards eradication of global hunger and malnutrition'.(..)In response to a request from the United Nations WFP, the allocation is made from Japan's WFP International Emergency Food Reserve (IEFR) to train local women to deliver improved services such as vaccination for infants and supplementary nutrition to curb malnutrition.


Haiti Summit Under Way (Mar 10)
  A Miami summit on Haiti reconstruction brings together government agencies and private contractors looking to participate in an expected rebuilding bonanza.(..)The hastily arranged Haiti summit got under way Tuesday and continues Wednesday at the Sofitel Miami Hotel. It has drawn about 140 people interested in participating in the rebuilding efforts in Haiti.(..)Members include firms like Agility Logistics, a large government contractor that is already active in Haiti coordinating humanitarian aid under the United Nations' World Food Programme.


Displaced villagers are going back to Sudan (Mar 10)
Just over half of about four million people who fled the civil war in South Sudan have returned there after the 2005 peace agreement, the International Migration Agency said on Tuesday.(..)About 4.3 million people in the south relied on food aid last year, according to the UN's World Food Programme.


DRC-UGANDA: Aid workers battle to help "forgotten" refugees (Mar 10)
With at least 67,000 refugees in southwest Uganda, the government and aid workers are still battling inadequate resources in what a UN official described as a "silent emergency".(..)Stanlake Samkange, Uganda's WFP country director, told IRIN the project, due to begin in April, would help improve the plight of Rwandan refugees who have not been receiving food as they are long-time residents – some for up to 14 years.


Empowering Women Through Nutrition Security (Mar 9)
The theme for this year's International Women's Day: "Equal rights, equal opportunities: progress for all," recognizes the importance women play in their communities from being the essential caretaker in almost every society in the world to leading the growth of small businesses in areas such as Africa. (..) According to the World Food Program, it is estimated that iron deficiency, anemia and maternal short stature increase the risk of death at delivery and account for at least 20% of maternal mortality.


Hunger Again In Guatemala (Mar 9)
United Nations and partners seek $34 million to assist drought-stricken Guatemalans. In Guatemala, WFP supports 350,000 people in school and preschool feeding, and mother/child care. The United Nations, together with the Guatemalan Government and aid partners, launched on March 5th, a $34 million appeal to counter food shortages affecting 2.7 million people living in the Central American country's so-called ‘dry corridor,' which even before last year's drought had one of the highest rates of chronic malnutrition in the world.


WFP Boosts Farming In Liberia (Mar 9)
In a bid to encourage local rice production in Liberia and ensure food security, the World Food Program (WFP) purchased 1,000 metric tons (about 20,000 bags) of seed rice from Dokokan Farmers Cooperative in Gbedin, Nimba County, on Friday, March 5. The cost of the rice is estimated at over US$300,000 which, the WFP says, was made available by the United States Government and the foundation of American billionaire and humanitarian, Howard Buffet.


Even Band Aid Is Not Above Criticism (Mar 9)
There are some things that are just too sensitive and difficult to inquire about, and the idea that considerable sums that ordinary people around the world – but especially here in the UK – raised to aid and help their starving fellow humans in Ethiopia in the mid-1980s is one of them. (..) humanitarian operations in the midst of large-scale civil wars where territory is held by rival powers are almost always politicised and misused. (..) in my own country, Somalia, where al-Qaida-affiliated groups have dictated how the World Food Programme delivers emergency food.


Refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo tough it out in Congo Republic (Mar 9)
"The children who are playing have just had a small meal," said Ngbatambala, a community leader. "The ones who are crying haven't had anything since this morning. Here, it is a single meal per day." (..) The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has paid only one visit, last December, to distribute food across the whole region, according to aid workers and refugees.