RIYADH — The Kingdom's decades of work with the UN World Food Program (WFP) has helped save millions of lives worldwide, according to the program's head. Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director of WFP, had just concluded a two-day visit to the Kingdom, her first visit to the Gulf region since she assumed office in April. She said: “The Kingdom has been extremely generous to WFP. “For instance, WFP has received over $1 billion from the Kingdom to fight hunger since WFP's establishment in the early 1960s. “In 2008 it made a historic pledge of US$500 million to feed the millions of people affected by the food crisis that hit the world that year. “WFP honored the King (Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques) in 2009 for his generous support of the agency's work with its highest award by naming him Champion in the Battle Against Hunger. “Also, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia contributes annually over 4,000 tons of dates to WFP, in addition to responding to emergency funding appeals in troubled spots around the world. “We can always count on the generosity of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Humanity, when we are struggling with resources to meet the immediate food needs of the hungry poor.” During her visit, Cousin met with Crown Prince Salman, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, and expressed her gratitude to King Abdullah for his generosity and the long-standing collaboration between the Kingdom and WFP in fighting hunger around the world. Also, she met with Dr. Fahd Balghunaim, Minister of Agriculture, and discussed with him WFP's response to emergencies in the region, especially Yemen, Syria and Palestine. Balghunaim said: “The Kingdom values the partnership that we have with WFP and we will continue to work together so no child goes hungry around the globe.”
