Saudi Arabia was one of the strongest partners of the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) in 2006, WFP director James Morris said in an interview with S.P.A. on Friday, adding that he hoped Saudi generosity would prompt other Gulf nations to contribute more to the world s hungry. The Saudi royal family has been very good to us, and we are profoundly grateful. And more importantly, the generosity of Saudi Arabia has touched millions of lives, said Morris. Saudi Arabia made a great difference in the world last year, and an even stronger relationship with them is really important to us. The $34 million in contributions from the kingdom helped feed 830,000 people in Lebanon during the war last summer, and has fed more than a million people in Cambodia, according to Morris. Saudi assistance to WFP increased tenfold between 2005 and 2006, something that Morris hoped will inspire other countries of the Gulf region to contribute more. Dubai also was a major contributor to WPF, and Morris believed that others in the Emirates will be generous. My hope is, some day 10 percent of our overall support will come from the Gulf region, he said. WFP is responsible for feeding those in crisis through donations from countries and organizations around the world. There are 854 million people globally who suffer from hunger, and WFP has programs to provide for those in need, particularly women and children. Well over half our work is in countries that belong to the Organization of the Islamic Conference, said Morris. Half our work is in Africa, and our largest program is in the Sudan. The agency also makes it possible for children to attend school by providing meals for 22 million students, and 58 million people overall. There is still 150 million children around the world that need help. Many of them live in Islamic countries, and we want to be sure that we do everything that needs to be done, said Morris.
