The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today announced the launching of a new operation in Egypt which aims to reduce poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition among nearly 400,000 of the poorest Egyptians.
The operation, costing US$44 million, and to be implemented under the new Country Programme 2007-2011, will focus on capacity building activities and technical assistance to strengthen the Egyptian Government’s capacity to reform safety-net programmes and address food needs of the poor; as well as integrating internationally successful food-based models into national programmes.
“We will definitely focus on strengthening our cooperation with the Government during the coming period,” said Bishow Parajuli, WFP’s Country Director in Egypt. “Experience and history have showed us that development efforts are sustained only in the presence of strong partnership between people, governments and aid agencies,” he added.
Through the new operation, a food-for-education component will ensure the health and nutritional status of children in rural areas by providing daily snacks in some of the poorest governorates.
Additionally, WFP has a goal to expand early childhood education from 13 percent of the population to 60 percent by 2010. In Upper Egypt, a special emphasis has been placed on increasing the school attendance of girls, particularly in areas where their enrolment is very low.
“The nature of WFP’s scope of work in Egypt has changed due to the socio-economic breakthroughs achieved by the Government,” said Parajuli. “We have begun the transition process with the conviction that the country is moving forward in its development and the most vulnerable people will be taken care of by the government when this operation ends in 2011,” he added.
Egypt has been a recipient of WFP aid since 1963. The UN agency has assisted Egypt during humanitarian crises and in development activities which improve the food-security status and quality of life for thousands of Egyptians, with particular emphasis on women and children. The total amount of assistance delivered over more than four decades amounts to US$637 million.
This week delegates from WFP’s Executive Board in Rome, which is made up of 36 donor countries, are visiting Egypt to learn about the successful cooperation between WFP and the Government. Among the delegates will be representatives from the United States, Canada, Ethiopia, Mexico, China and Slovenia.
“The delegation is here to witness the country’s impressive growth efforts and will meet with various Government counterparts to learn about this successful mode of cooperation with WFP,” said US Ambassador to the UN agencies in Rome Gaddi Vasquez who is on the Executive Board mission. “Egypt has achieved tremendous progress towards reaching its development goals. WFP can yet support further accomplishments with the help of various donors and partners, including the United States,” added Vasquez.
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