Germany’s support for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) reached an all-time record in 2016 of €791.5 million.

Of this amount, the largest single contribution ever to a WFP operation – €570 million – went to Syria and neighboring countries, helping to restore food assistance to nearly six million of the most vulnerable people in this region last year. 

In addition, the German Government boosted WFP preparedness, resilience, nutrition and innovation programmes through increased multi-year investments, the WFP said.

Germany’s historic contribution of €570 million for WFP operations in Syria and the region allowed WFP to fully reinstate food assistance for more than four million people in Syria and provide electronic vouchers for 1.6 million refugees in neighboring countries.

In addition, funding from the German Foreign Office helped WFP to deliver food via airdrops, airlifts and cross-border deliveries to hundreds of thousands of people besieged in cities and communities across Syria.

In Jordan and Lebanon, WFP programmes funded by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) supported 35,000 Syrian refugees and vulnerable host families to improve farming infrastructure, transfer skills from refugees to host communities, and establish healthy kitchens for school meals.

In times of multiple crises and growing needs, Germany’s investment in WFP Resilience, Nutrition, and Disaster Preparedness reaffirmed the government’s commitment to respond quickly while simultaneously working to eliminate the root causes of hunger. WFP operations funded by Germany in countries such as Haiti, Malawi and Myanmar are improving community resilience and the capacity to deal with crises before they become catastrophes.

In 2016, innovation became another key facet of this partnership, with the launch in Munich of the WFP Innovation Accelerator, funded by the German Foreign Office, BMZ and the Federal State of Bavaria. The Innovation Accelerator enables WFP and partners to develop innovative and efficient solutions to new challenges in humanitarian assistance.

Source: MENA