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Official statements announcing key developments in WFP operations and activities.
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4 May 2005

Lao government gives WFP top award for ground-breaking work with vulnerable poor

Bangkok - The Government of Laos has given WFP\'s outgoing representative in the Southeast Asian country its highest possible award for a foreigner in recognition of his efforts through the agency to assist the hungry poor in Laos over the past five years.

29 April 2005

Djibouti drought threatens 30,000 with grave food shortages

Djibouti - WFP warns that 30,000 people in Djibouti face serious food shortages following three years of poor rains. The agency is appealing for US$2.5 million to assist the drought victims, including almost 6,000 malnourished children under the age of five, over the next six months.

26 April 2005

Drought leaves two million Kenyans in need of food aid

Nairobi - WFP warns that two million Kenyans - particularly in the arid and semi-arid lands in the northern and eastern parts of the country - will need food assistance until August, despite a general improvement in weather conditions.

26 April 2005

Quick U.S. response allows WFP to cancel ration cut in Darfur but funding still critical

Khartoum - WFP has announced that thanks to a rapid donor response, the agency will not be forced to carry out expected ration cuts in May for close to two million people living in Sudan\'s western region of Darfur. The reprieve follows WFP\'s warning three weeks ago of impending ration cuts due to a lack of funds which remains a concern.

23 April 2005

As PM Koizumi visits Tsunami sites in Aceh, WFP chief hails Japan's 'exemplary' support

Banda Aceh - As Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi tours this disaster-hit zone of Indonesia to observe Japan\'s humanitarian aid at work, WFP hails his country\'s generous support of the food aid agency\'s tsunami emergency operation.

21 April 2005

"Critical" malnutrition among children in Niger

Niamey - WFP warns that approximately 350,000 children under five years old in the West African state of Niger could be suffering from malnutrition according to the results of a survey published in the capital Niamey.

20 April 2005

WFP Executive Director congratulates new pope

Rome - The Executive Director of WFP has congratulated Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger on his election as Pope Benedict XVI, saying it is a basic principle of every faith in the world to feed the hungry.

20 April 2005

Yahoo! to the rescue of new humanitarian video game

Rome - Internet giant Yahoo! has joined the group of hosting companies providing support to meet unexpected high demand for Food Force, the humanitarian video game launched last week by WFP.

19 April 2005

WFP starts emergency food aid to 150,000 drought victims in Cambodia

Phnom Penh - With an estimated 500,000 rural Cambodians struggling to cope with food shortages caused by a searing drought, WFP has started distributions of emergency rice rations to more than 150,000 vulnerable people, many of whom have not seen rain since November.

18 April 2005

WFP chief appeals for support to end child hunger in Central America

San Salvador - The Executive Director of WFP, James Morris, has called for continued support from the governments and the private sector in Central America to eradicate child hunger as the best way to overcome poverty in the region.