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Finland Donates €29 Million Over Four Years To Provide Life-Saving Food In Crises

by World Food Programme | World Food Programme
Thursday, 4 September 2014 02:11 GMT

* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

HELSINKI/ROME – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed a generous contribution of €29 million (US$40 million) from the Government of Finland. This contribution will support WFP’s life-saving humanitarian work in countries gripped by crises, as well as those struggling with hunger beyond the media spotlight.

The multi-year funding commitment was announced during a two-day visit to Finland by Ertharin Cousin, WFP's Executive Director, who emphasised the critical importance of this flexible and reliable funding for the organization, which depends entirely on voluntary donations.                                                 "Finland stands out among our partners, providing an example of good humanitarian donorship," Cousin said after meeting leading members of government and civil society.  "The importance of predictable and flexible contributions cannot be overstated. It is absolutely crucial. WFP depends on these funds which ensure our ability to respond quickly and innovatively in various emergencies. Finland enables WFP to meet the increasing needs of the poorest and most vulnerable - as they deserve, and the world expects."

Finland's support is vital to WFP's current emergency operations in conflict-affected South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Iraq, Syria and Gaza, as well as in countries affected by Ebola in West Africa.  

WFP adapts the delivery of food assistance according to the situation on the ground, for instance by using e-cards or vouchers when markets are functioning instead of in-kind food distributions. This type of flexible response, provided with Finnish support, is welcomed by recipients such as Syrian refugees in Lebanon or Jordan because it offers them a choice of fresh foods and a sense of normality. At the same time, the economies of host communities benefit through increased trade.

"An unusually difficult situation in the Middle East and in several countries in Africa have increased the need for assistance to an unprecedented level," said Pekka Haavisto, Finland's International Development Minister. "WFP is irreplaceable in this context, and in many other humanitarian crises." Finland also supports countries affected by climate change, such as Ethiopia, which receives assistance through resilience building programmes that enable farmers to save, diversify their livelihoods, create assets and insure against drought.  

The announcement of the contribution coincided with the annual conference in Helsinki, "Towards a global agenda for sustainable development post 2015" opened by Minister Haavisto and addressed by Executive Director Cousin.     #                                 #

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food in emergencies and working with communities to build resilience. In 2013, WFP assisted more than 80 million people in 75 countries.

Follow us on Twitter @wfp_media

For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org): Caroline Hurford WFP/Rome Mobile: +39 348 132 5018

 

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