Progressing together: 50 years of partnership between the Government of Indonesia and the World Food Programme
JAKARTA, INDONESIA – The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of Indonesia are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their partnership this month, and remain committed to working together to address hunger and malnutrition and reach Zero Hunger across the archipelago by 2030.
Since 1998 alone, WFP has assisted 15 million people across Indonesia, through a mix of direct food assistance and cash-based transfers. This includes people impacted by the Indian Ocean Tsunami, when WFP was present on the ground assisting the government provide emergency relief to more than 3 million people whose lives were devastated by the earthquake and tsunami. WFP has also purchased approximately US $600 million worth of food in Indonesia to distribute as lifesav-ing aid in other countries over the past decade.
”Much has changed over the past 50 years: Indonesia is now among the world’s top 20 economies, less than 10% of the population is poor and the prevalence of undernourishment is less than 8%,” said Ronny Prasetyo Yuliantoro, Senior Advisor to Indonesia's Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“As Indonesia evolves, so too has the partnership with WFP — from the 1960s through 2015, WFP was distributing food to poor and disaster-affected families across the archipelago,” said Anthea Webb, WFP Country Director in Indonesia.
“In 2016, WFP no longer distributes food, but seeks to bolster the government’s efforts to achieve food security, improve nutrition and prepare for emergencies,” she added.
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary, WFP, the Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are hosting a high-level policy dialogue in Jakarta to discuss Indonesia’s future food security needs.
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The United Nations World Food Programme - saving lives in emergencies and changing lives for millions through sustainable development. WFP works in more than 80 countries around the world, feeding people caught in conflict and disasters, and laying the foundations for a better future. Follow us on Twitter @wfp_media, @wfpindonesia.
For more information please contact:
Diandra Pratimi, WFP/Indonesia — diandra.pratami@wfp.org
Jessica Lawson, WFP/Bangkok (RBB) — jessica.lawson@wfp.org
