WFP welcomes new country Director for Myanmar

The appointment comes at a critical time as the country grapples with a humanitarian crisis on  an unprecedented scale. There are now 13.3 million people — one in every four— facing food insecurity, while nearly 3.5 million people are displaced by conflict. 

“The people of Myanmar are living through the worst time in their recent history, but I’m struck by the immense levels of resilience and hope that exist,” said Dunford. “As humanitarians, WFP will continue to engage with all sides and explore all avenues to ensure our assistance reaches the most vulnerable people, wherever they are.”

Dunford’s priority is to ensure WFP’s lifesaving assistance reaches more people in dire need, especially those communities in conflict-ridden parts of the country. Under his leadership, WFP plans to assist two million vulnerable people in 2025, through an integrated programme of emergency relief, nutrition and resilience building activities, working closely with communities and local partners.  

Prior to this appointment, Dunford led WFP operations across East Africa as the Regional Director of  the Regional Bureau for Eastern Africa. An Australian national, Michael has extensive management and operational experience and has worked with WFP for almost 25 years. He was WFP Emergency Coordinator at the onset of the Rohingya refugee crisis in Cox’s Bazar in 2017. 

Photos are available in this link. 

Note to the editors:

WFP is the largest humanitarian organization in Myanmar. WFP assistance integrates life-saving support for conflict-affected people; nutrition for children, mothers, and people living with HIV/TB; school meals for young students; and, community resilience-building activities. In response to severe flooding since June, WFP assisted 370,000 flood-affected people with emergency food and nutrition assistance. So far in 2024, 1.7 million people across the country have benefitted from WFP support.

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The United Nations World Food Programme is 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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