World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

An Australian delegation, headed by Richard Donald Marles, Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Australia, recently visited a WFP warehouse in El Salvador. The event celebrated Australian-Brazilian cooperation through “twinning” whereby Brazil donated the food stocks and Australia covered the transportation cost.
 

Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Australia, Richard Marles, chats with Robert Oliver, WFP Deputy Country Director in El Salvador during their visit to the WFP warehouse in San Juan Opico. Under the twinning arrangement, emerging donors like Brazil donate food to WFP and traditional donors like Australia donate funds to cover transportation costs. 

 

General view of the WFP warehouse and stocks in San Juan Opico. As part of the twinning scheme, Brazil donated more than 2 million metric tons of rice and beans whereas Australia donated more than USD 1 million to cover the associated costs to El Salvador. Australia has also paid for transportation costs of Brazilian donated food to Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
 

Carlos Soriano (left), Senior Logistics Assistant, explains to the Australian official the nature of WFP warehouse operations in El Salvador. The food donated by Brazil-Australia can feed 160,000 people for 30 days in case of a crisis or an emergency.

 

WFP Logistician, Carlos Soriano (in front of the Brazilian flag), leads the warehouse tour. Next to the Richard Marles, Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs is Katrina Cooper, Australian Ambassador of Mexico and Central America.

 

The Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Australia, Richard Marles, speaks during a ceremony at the WFP warehouse. Sitting at the main table are (l-r) WFP Deputy Country Director, Robert Oliver; Australian Ambassador to Mexico, Katrina Cooper; Marles, and Brazilian Ambassador in El Salvador, Jose Fiuza Neto.
 

During his speech, the Ambassador of Brazil, Jose Fiuza Neto, stressed Brazil´s commitment to support El Salvador’s most vulnerable people, especially women and children, with relief food assistance during emergencies. The “twinning arrangement” is an innovative way of fostering cooperation between traditional donors like Australia and emerging donors like Brazil.
 

(l-r) Australian Ambassador to Mexico, Katrina Cooper; WFP Deputy Country Director, Robert Oliver; Richard Donald Marles, Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Australia, and Brazilian Ambassador in El Salvador, Jose Fiuza Neto.
 

Thanks to the twinning arrangement, Brazil donated more than 2 million metric tons of rice and beans (worth USD1.5 million) to WFP emergency operations in the aftermath of Tropical Depression 12E in October 2011. Meanwhile Australia donated USD 1 million to cover transportation costs of the food.