WFP welcomes new funding from European Union to support food assistance for the most vulnerable in Syria
DAMASCUS – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a recent contribution of EUR 15 million from the European Union to help scale up its assistance to over half a million people in urgent need of food assistance across Syria.
The new contribution comes at a time when food insecure families are facing a tough and dangerous winter.
“While the world is struggling with a global upsurge in food and energy prices, vulnerable families in Syria have nothing left to cope with another winter,” says Kenn Crossley, Representative and Country Director of WFP in Syria. “Those already having to choose food over education, medicines, winter clothing and proper accommodation, will now have to choose between food or warmth.”
“In response to record-high food prices and their dramatic impact on the lives of millions of Syrians, the EU has decided to further step-up support for food and basic needs assistance,” says European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič. “Almost 12 years into the Syria crisis, one in two Syrians are food insecure and the most vulnerable need our unwavering humanitarian support.”
This contribution will also support the continuity of the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) which provides vital transport to the humanitarian community in Syria.
Over the past two years, food prices increased four times while the cost of diesel increased sevenfold. With rising inflation and stagnating incomes, families can cover less than half of their monthly food needs with an average income. As a result, Syria has the sixth highest number of food insecure people globally according to the latest ‘Hunger Hotspots’ report issued by WFP and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Since 2021, WFP has scaled up its food assistance to reach an average of 5.6 million people each month, but the needs and price increases keep outpacing resources. Funding from the EU is helping Syrian families to access lifesaving food and rebuild their lives.
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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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