WFP Welcomes US$40 Million Kuwaiti Donation For Conflict-Hit Syrians
ROME – The United Nations World Food Programme today welcomed a contribution of US$40 million from the government of Kuwait to provide assistance to Syrians in acute need.
“Kuwait has led the way in the region, providing outstanding support for the people of Syria and more than a million refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries,” said WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin. “It costs WFP around US$19 million a week to finance our operation to provide food and voucher assistance. The numbers are growing, so this contribution is very much appreciated,” she said.
The Kuwaiti donation will cover half of the Rome-based agency’s resourcing needs to feed vulnerable Syrians and refugees until the end of the June.
In January, the Emir of Kuwait, His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah, hosted an international conference at which donor governments pledged more than US$1.5 billion, including US$300 million from Kuwait, towards humanitarian aid for Syria.
To date, WFP has received a total of US$397 million for its operations in Syria and the region, from: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), Denmark, the European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Republic of Korea, Turkey, Russia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, the United States and private donors.
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WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. Each year WFP feeds more than 90 million people in more than 70 countries.
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For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org):
Laure Chadraoui, WFP/Beirut-Amman, Mob. + 962795917987 and +9613489925
Elisabeth Byrs, WFP/Geneva, Tel. +41 22 917 8564, Mob. +41 79 473 4570
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Bettina Luescher, WFP/New York, Tel. +1 646 5566909, Mob. +1 646 8241112