The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) welcomes a timely and generous contribution of US$16.8 million from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) to assist Syrian refugees in Jordan and to support nutrition programs for women and children in Pakistan. The contribution, signed in Rome by WFP Executive Director David Beasley and KSrelief's Supervisor General Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, comes as WFP struggles to secure funds to continue support to some 465,000 vulnerable refugees in Jordan – most of them from Syria - and to assist more than 66,000 of the most vulnerable children and women in Pakistan. Out of the donation, US$12.8 million will be allocated to help meet the monthly food needs of 112,000 Syrian refugees living in camps in Jordan for four months; and US$4 million will support WFP's nutrition programs in 14 of the most vulnerable districts of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu Kashmir provinces. Speaking from Rome where he addressed the opening session of WFP's Executive Board meeting Al-Rabeeah said: "Building on our long-lasting and strong partnership with WFP, KSrelief reconfirms its commitment to join hands with WFP to address food insecurity and improve the health and living conditions of vulnerable communities around the world. We understand that, now more than ever, it is our primary responsibility to come together and increase our efforts, to deploy more impactful and long-lasting sustainable solutions to fight hunger, restore dignity and provide hope." Beasley said: "The COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating economic fallout have pushed the most vulnerable communities in Jordan and Pakistan deeper into poverty. Many of them are struggling to survive day-to-day. They cannot cope without assistance". "We are grateful to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people for this contribution which will allow WFP to continue providing vital support where it is needed most." The strong partnership between WFP and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia goes back to 1973 and witnessed a historic transformation with the establishment of KSrelief in 2015. WFP has been one of the center's strongest and most effective partners in addressing challenges caused by hunger, food insecurity and the devastating effects of malnutrition. Since its inception, KSrelief has contributed US$1.23 billion to WFP for food assistance programs in 24 countries.
