WFP hails Kuwait’s $50 million grant for Yemen efforts
KUWAIT: The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) on Monday welcomed the $50 million grant it was handed by the Kuwaiti government for emergency food assistance in Yemen. The funds, recently announced by Kuwaiti Permanent Representative to the UN in New York Mansour Al-Otaibi, will help the WFP distribute over two months-worth of wheat flour and oil to more than 2.5 million people, the UN agency said in a statement. Commenting on the contribution, WFP Director in the United Arab Emirates and Gulf Cooperation Council region Representative Mageed Yahia said it “reflects the generosity of the people and the Government of Kuwait.
“Under the leadership of His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwait has again stepped up its support to WFP to help us reach vulnerable families in Yemen,” he added. Yemen, which has been pushed to the brink of famine amid an over threeyear conflict, is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis with 22 million people out of the country’s 29 million in need of humanitarian assistance. It has left close to 18 million people in search of food and over eight million depending entirely on external food assistance, based on UN estimates.
“This significant contribution from the Government of Kuwait could not be more timely, particularly given that the needs of Yemeni people are increasing,” WFP Yemen Country Director Stephen Anderson said. It will help the WFP to continue delivering food assistance to Yemenis, he confirmed. The WFP went on to describe Kuwait as a “major supporter” of its humanitarian assistance programs, contributing close to $190 million to the UN agency’s global operations over the last decade. Kuwait has helped “make significant steps towards alleviating hunger for some of the world’s most vulnerable people,” it added. — KUNA