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TOKYO – At the invitation of the Government of Japan, Ertharin Cousin, the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), will make a two-day visit to Japan from today to participate in the World Assembly for Women (WAW! Tokyo 2014).
WAW! Tokyo 2014, jointly hosted by the Government of Japan, KEIDANREN (Japan Business Federation) and other groups, is an international forum for women that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dubs the "women's Davos forum." It brings together political, business, and opinion leaders from around the world to discuss common issues relating to women, and how to promote their active roles.
As the head of the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger, Ms. Cousin will participate in a high-level roundtable discussion entitled"Global Issues and Women's Initiatives" on 13 September. She will provide insight into the critical role of women in achieving a world without hunger.
Cousin's agenda also includes high-level meetings with government officials to further enhance the strategic partnership with Japan. Her visit comes at a time when WFP is facing unprecedented humanitarian needs, including massive emergency food responses underway in Syria, Iraq, Ebola-affected countries in West Africa, South Sudan and Central African Republic.
This is Cousin's third visit to Japan since becoming WFP Executive Director in 2012. As one of WFP's strongest advocates, the Government of Japan has consistently been among WFP's top donors. In 2013, the Government of Japan contributed over US$238.4 million to WFP programmes, making it the fifth largest donor.
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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.
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For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org): Yuko Yasuda, WFP/Tokyo, Tel. +81 3 5766 5364, Mob. +81 90 9844 9990
