A Saudi diplomat has been named ambassador of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). "I am honored to be the first Saudi citizen selected for this post," Ambassador Abdul Aziz Arrukban told Arab News. It is the first time that WFP has opened its office in Saudi Arabia after operating from Dubai in the past. Educated in the US, Arrukban worked closely with various Saudi charitable organizations and Saudi committees respectively for Palestine, Iraq and Sudan before he moved to the WFP as its ambassador. Arrukban said his new assignment is a tribute to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its contribution to the cause of poverty alleviation and support to WFP for more than 25 years. He said that of the 800 million impoverished people benefiting from WFP, 60 percent are Muslims. Again, of the 24,000 who die every day, 18,000 are children. Arrukban said Saudi Arabia has donated over $500 million to the United Nations agency during the last 25 years. The latest project taken up within the framework of the cooperation program involves the adoption of 200,000 families in Palestine. "This program is being pursued under the umbrella of the Saudi-Palestinian committee headed by Minister of Interior Prince Naif Bin Abdul-Aziz. Of these, 100,000 are from the West Bank and the remaining from Gaza," he pointed out. --MORE 1010 Local Time 0710 GMT