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TEHRAN – Ertharin Cousin, the United Nations World Food Programme's (WFP) Executive Director, has arrived for a 2-day visit to Iran. During her trip to the capital, she will meet Government officials, donors and the UN community. She will also visit a camp hosting Afghan refugees, where WFP has been providing food assistance for many years.
The Executive Director will hold a press conference on 21 January. The Iranian public is among the most generous contributors to WFP's efforts to respond to hunger emergencies worldwide. When Typhoon Haiyan devastated a large area of the Philippines last November individual members of the Iranian public contributed more than US$100,000 for WFP's relief operation.
In Iran, WFP provides food assistance to vulnerable Afghan and Iraqi refugees in refugee settlements. The UN food agency also runs food for education projects in refugee camps to encourage girls to attend school. The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has generously hosted the second-largest population of refugees in the world for more than three decades, burdening its local economy.
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WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. On average, WFP reaches more than 90 million people with food assistance in 80 countries each year.
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For more information please contact: Abeer Etefa, WFP/Tehran, Mob. +2 010 666 34352 abeer.etefa@wfp.org Dara Darabandi, WFP/Tehran Mob. (+98 912) 3084147 dara.darabandi@wfp.org