European Union provides support to WFP as Syrians face unprecedented food insecurity
DAMASCUS – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a donation of €2 million from the European Union (EU) for monthly food assistance for Syrian families facing unprecedented levels of hunger.
The donation will help Syrians across the country, but particularly those in the northwest hardest hit by conflict, displacement, soaring food prices and COVID-19. Families will get a monthly nutritious food basket at a time when parents are struggling to afford basic food items.
“After almost 10 years of relentless war and shelling, many Syrians have exhausted all their resources and need our support more than ever. The European Union is committed to continue providing humanitarian aid and food assistance for as long as the man-made crisis in Syria causes intolerable human suffering,” said European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič.
A record 9.3 million Syrians are food insecure and an additional 2.2 million are at risk across the country. Families are facing multiple shocks compounded by COVID-19, including food prices that are now the highest ever recorded. Basic food items are 2.5 times more expensive than they were last year and highly vulnerable families are increasingly dependent on food from WFP to survive.
“Syrian families have nothing left and the needs have never been greater,” said WFP Representative and Country Director in Syria Corinne Fleischer. “WFP is grateful for the EU’s support, and this funding will help us reach some of the country’s most vulnerable people who risk slipping further into hunger and poverty after more than nine years of conflict.”
The EU is a close partner and a significant donor to WFP’s operations in Syria. Since 2012, it has contributed over €190 million to WFP’s lifesaving work in the country. Thanks to continuous funding from donors like the EU, WFP provides 4.8 million Syrians each month with food, nutrition support, school meals and snacks as well as assistance designed to help them rebuild their livelihoods.
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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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