France and WFP partner in southern Libya to help crisis-hit communities build resilience

WFP will use the funds to implement projects that benefit participants and their communities through tackling food system challenges, boosting climate change adaptation capacity of smallholder farmers, and building people’s skills to help them earn an income or start a small business.

“In the face of growing needs, we must invest in sustainable, inclusive solutions to strengthen food systems,” said WFP Representative and Country Director in Libya Rawad Halabi. “This funding comes at a critical time, and WFP is grateful to France for its unfailing support to our work and the people of Libya,” she added.

France’s timely support comes at a crucial moment as the recently released 2021 Humanitarian Response Plan for Libya estimates that 699,000 people are in need of food and agricultural livelihood assistance – a doubling of needs compared to the life before COVID-19 pandemic.

“Through this renewed partnership with WFP, France aims to support job creation in Libya’s Fezzan region, reinforce food security of crisis-affected communities and contribute to the Government of National Unity’s efforts towards economic diversification and water preservation in line with regional and international initiatives to promote integrated ecosystem management on the continent such as the Great Green Wall,” said Ambassador of France to Libya Béatrice Le Fraper du Hellen. “As we continue fighting against COVID-19, focusing on community resilience is key.”

WFP will provide vocational training to equip women and youth with skills that match available job opportunities in the market. Trainings, designed in cooperation with local communities, also provide participants with entrepreneurship skills to help them earn a living and secure their families’ food needs, while boosting the local economy at the same time. Participants receive food assistance enough for one month for their household after attending the trainings.

The other two activities in Libya’s south will include training in hydroponic techniques – an innovative cultivation method that uses less water than traditional agriculture – to help 80 smallholder farmers and their families adapt to climate change.

WFP will also rehabilitate a community marketplace in Sebha, the major urban hub of the South. This marketplace will contribute to food security of local communities through improved access to markets, as well as supporting social cohesion and inter-communal dialogue in this tribally and ethnically diverse city by providing a neutral, non-affiliated meeting space for people to gather.

Following a first allocation of funds last year of EUR 350,000, this new contribution confirms France’s commitment to supporting communities that have been impacted by recent crises.

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The United Nations World Food Programme is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.  We are the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

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