UN World Food Programme Mourns The Loss Of Respected Colleague Ayman Omar
DAMASCUS -- It is with great sadness that the staff of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Syria and beyond mark the death of their colleague Ayman Omar, Head of Security for WFP’s operation in Syria and the region.
Ayman, 36, passed away on Monday 28 July in a road accident near Damascus, following a field mission to Aleppo. He had been WFP’s head of security for Syria since June 2012.
“Ayman was the embodiment of the humanitarian commitment in Syria. He was a brave and caring friend and colleague who had a deep sense of responsibility for the safety of everyone -- our beneficiaries and the people with whom he worked,” said WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin. “It was in a very large part thanks to Ayman’s leadership that WFP was able to provide food assistance to people in very difficult locations. He also ensured that our communications team was able to get the message out about the immense needs of the people and work WFP performs in Syria. Ayman was truly a humanitarian hero.”
Ayman Omar, from Alexandria, Egypt, entered WFP in 2009, working at the regional bureau in Cairo and in Tunisia supporting the agency’s response to the crisis in Libya before joining the team in Syria, where WFP provides food assistance to nearly 4 million people each month. Prior to working with WFP, he served with the UN Mission in Haiti and was a police officer in Egypt.
He is survived by his mother, daughter, brother, sister-in-law and nephews.
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WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food in emergencies and working with communities to build resilience. In 2013, WFP assisted more than 80 million people in 75 countries.
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