The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Libya has welcomed a contribution of JPY 200 million Yen (about US$1.53 million dollars) from Japan for food distribution in the west and the east of Libya.
The WFP said the project aims to provide food assistance to more than 10,000 beneficiaries, including vulnerable and food-insecure people, as well as schoolchildren.
The Japanese government has recently confirmed a new contribution of US$ 500,000. This is to provide general food assistance to some 8,500 vulnerable IDPs, host communities, and returnees in the south of Libya who are suffering from high food prices, exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine.
“WFP is extremely grateful to the Government of Japan for these generous contributions coming at a crucial time in a world struggling with the impact of COVID-19 and the conflict in Ukraine,” said Maysaa AlGhribawy, WFP’s Representative and Country Director in Libya.
“Both Japanese contributions will allow WFP Libya to support thousands of people in need who are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and rising food prices. This will provide monthly in-kind nutritious and unconditional food assistance in the targeted districts across the country, where the market functionality has been greatly affected by global supply chain disruptions,” she said.
“Food security is one of the key sectors that Japan is tackling, in line with the ‘Food Security in Africa’ initiative,” launched at the sixth round of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development held in Nairobi in 2016,” said Masaki Amadera, Chargé d’Affaires of Japan to Libya/Special Coordinator for Libya.
WFP plans to use part of the funds received from the Government of Japan towards the continuation of the central kitchen school feeding programme. This targets schoolchildren aged between 6-14 years in Benghazi.