November 23, 2024 05:46 (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
'Third World War has begun:' Ex-Ukraine military commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny | UK-India Free Trade Agreement negotiations to resume in early 2024 | UK can arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits country based on ICC warrant | Centre to send over 10,000 additional soldiers to violence-hit Manipur amid fresh violence | Chhattisgarh: 10 Maoists killed during encounter with security forces in Sukma
WFP plan aims to prevent further food aid diversion in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Image: WFP Ethiopia

WFP plan aims to prevent further food aid diversion in Ethiopia

| @indiablooms | 24 May 2023, 01:20 pm

Following widespread diversion of lifesaving food aid in Ethiopia last month, the World Food Programme (WFP) has strengthened safeguards and controls in a bid to prevent further misuse, the UN agency said on Tuesday.

WFP had paused distributions in the restive Tigray region in the north after finding evidence of significant supplies on sale in local markets, and immediately launched an investigation.

Over 20 million people are in dire need of food assistance in Ethiopia, where communities continue to be affected by the impact of prolonged conflict and a historic drought across the Horn of Africa.

Zero tolerance policy

“WFP has zero tolerance for theft or diversion that prevents critical food from reaching the hungry families who need it to survive. Those found responsible must be held accountable,” Executive Director Cindy McCain said in a statement.

“We are committed to doing everything it takes to guarantee that food assistance benefits the people who need it most,” she added.

Targeting and tracking

The WFP plan will be enacted across all its operations in Ethiopia. Actions include implementing real-time food security and needs assessments, strengthening targeting and management of beneficiary lists and identity checks, and reinforcing tracking to follow food movements from warehouses to beneficiaries.

The Nobel Prize-winning agency will also work closely with Ethiopian regional and national authorities, and with partners, to implement needed reforms so that urgent food assistance can resume in Tigray and supports intended beneficiaries nationwide.

‘Actively assessing’

“Taking food away from the starving is unacceptable, whether in Ethiopia or anywhere else in the world,” said Ms. McCain.

“WFP is actively assessing all high-risk country operations to ensure stringent processes are in place so that our assistance makes it to the millions and millions of hungry people who depend on us.”

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Related Images
Xi Jinping, Putin in Russia 22 Mar 2023, 02:56 pm
Related Videos