USA's third donation of wheat aid to Yemen handed over

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has received the thirdand final donation of wheat aid provided by the U.S. government's Food for Peaceoffice to Yemen.The total donations of the Office since the beginning of this year amounted to21,800 metric tons of wheat, valued at US$ 20 million.In 2013, the United States provided 77,500 metric tons of food to WFP in Yemen. Thelatest batch of wheat was discharged at Hodeidah port in April and will be distributed by WFP as part of food rations to some of the 2.8 million severely foodinsecure Yemenis being assisted in the first half of 2014. Food insecurity is a level ofneed where people struggle to buy or produce enough food for a healthy life on adaily basis.“The United States has consistently been our largest donor, and this contribution reflects its continuing commitment to the well-being of the people of Yemen.Moreover, it ensures that we can meet all our requirements to provide much-neededemergency assistance to the poorest segments of Yemeni society,” the WFP CountryDirector Bishow Parajuli said in the handover ceremony held by the WFP at its Sana'awarehouse on Monday.“WFP is extremely grateful to the U.S. Government and people”, Parajuli added.Speaking at the ceremony, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Karen Sasahara lauded theAmerican government-WFP partnership as a model for providing badly neededhumanitarian assistance: “It is through partnership and cooperationbetweeninternational donors with the Yemeni government and private sector that we haveany chance of combating this country’s humanitarian crisis.The USAID is working hard to align humanitarian efforts such as these foodassistance contributions with longer-term development efforts in order to buildresilience against future crises,” she said.The 2013 US contribution to WFP Yemen was worth more than US$68.5 million,enough to feed more than 3 million hungry Yemenis for six months. WFP expects asimilar amount this year. These additional funds will help support a relief andrecovery operation being launched in July with an emphasis on enabling a gradualshift from relief to livelihood support and building resilience.The operation, which aims to provide assistance to 6 million people, covers a rangeof interventions including helping to develop agriculture, rural infrastructure,rainwater conservation and rural employment, as well as providing treatment andprevention of acute and chronic malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, andmeals and take-home rations for children regularly attending school.The WFP carried out all these activities with the full cooperation and support of theYemeni Government.During a recent meeting with WFP, Prime Minister Mohammed Salim Basindwa said:“I am looking forward to continuing the longstanding strong relationship betweenYemen and WFP and thank all donors and government institutions for theircontinued partnership with WFP.”In 2013, WFP’s operations in Yemen reached nearly 5 million people, through emergency food assistance, cash transfers, food assistance to IDPs and returnees,nutritional support for children under five and pregnant women and nursingmothers, as well as refugees.The WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. Onaverage, WFP reaches more than 90 million people with food assistance in 80countries each year.