October 7, 2007
No. 139
The Government of Canada announced today that it is contributing $25 million to
United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to meet the emergency food needs of
Afghanistan’s most vulnerable families. The Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of
International Cooperation, and the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Foreign
Affairs, made the announcement on the occasion of their recent visit to Afghanistan.
“On this Thanksgiving weekend, Canadians are reminded that we also have a
responsibility to the people of Afghanistan,” said Minister Oda. “This renewed
partnership will help ensure that vulnerable Afghan children and families will continue
to receive the necessary food aid provided to them as part of the World Food
Programme’s activities in Afghanistan.”
“Canada is a proud supporter of the World Food Programme,” said Minister Bernier.
“We are working in partnership with our allies, the United Nations family, the Afghan
government and local agencies to ensure that more families are receiving nourishment,
more people are working, and more children are in school.”
Speaking from Ottawa, the World Food Programme’s Afghanistan director, Rick
Corsino, said, “Canada’s contribution to this program is, and has been, integral to our
success in southern Afghanistan.”
Today’s announcement builds on the results being achieved in the region. In 2007
alone, more than 8,700 tonnes of food have been distributed to more than 400,000
people in Kandahar province. Through the Food-for-Work Programme, more than 80
kilometres of roads have been rehabilitated, 60 water reservoirs created, and three
million cubic metres of irrigation canals rehabilitated. Through the Food-for-Education
Programme, more than 200 teachers have received training, more than 200 literacy
courses are underway, and more than 5,000 students have received books and
materials.
WFP’s main goals in Afghanistan are to save lives in crisis situations, to improve
capacity of vulnerable groups, to manage shocks and meet basic food needs, and to
increase school enrolment in food-insecure areas (especially among girls). WFP works
closely with the Afghan government and also supports inter-agency coordination in the
South with agencies such as UNICEF and the World Health Organization.
For more information on Canada’s programming in Afghanistan, please refer to the
Government of Canada’s Afghanistan website at http://www.canada-afghanistan.gc.ca.
For more information on the WFP’s activities in Afghanistan, visit: http://www.wfp.org.
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A backgrounder is attached.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Jean-Luc Benoit
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of International Cooperation
Telephone: 819-953-6238
Media Relations Office
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
819-953-6534
info@acdi-cida.gc.ca
http://www.cida.gc.ca
Isabelle Bouchard
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
613-995-1851
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
http://www.international.gc.ca
Backgrounder
UNITED NATIONS WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME
Canada’s New Government, through a strengthened partnership with the United
Nations World Food Programme (WFP), will enhance its support for economic and
social development to meet the emergency food needs of Afghanistan’s most
vulnerable people.
The WFP is the food aid arm of the United Nations system. WFP’s main goals in
Afghanistan are to save lives in crisis situations, to improve the capacity of vulnerable
groups, to manage shocks and meet basic food needs, and to increase the enrolment
of primary school children (especially girls) in food-insecure and low enrolment areas.
WFP works closely with the Afghan ministries of Rural Rehabilitation and Development,
Health and Education. WFP also supports inter-agency coordination in the South (e.g.
with UNICEF and the World Health Organization).
Since 2002, WFP’s operations in Afghanistan have shifted from a primary emphasis on
emergency assistance to sustainable rehabilitation and recovery. It has done so
through a number of innovative programs, including its highly successful
Food-for-Work programs and its Food-for-Literacy programs.
How is food aid monitored, reported on and accounted for?
WFP monitors food distribution in all projects worldwide and reports regularly to
donors. In Afghanistan, WFP works through local communities, government officials
and implementing partners to monitor food distribution. These partners receive training
in project planning, monitoring, and reporting.
Monitors submit standardized progress, distribution and completion reports to WFP,
who compile and submit monthly progress reports to the Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA) on food distribution and community improvement projects.
CIDA field staff monitor this process closely, keep regular contact with WFP field staff,
and also conduct regular monitoring visits themselves.
How is the food distributed?
Emergency Food Assistance: For acute food shortages experienced by displaced
persons or drought-affected communities, monthly food packages target the most
vulnerable people—female-headed households, children and the elderly.
Food for Work: Monthly food packages are provided to internally displaced families as
they are returning to their homes and are able to work on community improvement
projects, which are selected according to needs (as expressed by the communities) and
assets available.
Food for Education: Roughly 16 percent of adults (5 percent of women) in Kandahar
can read and/or write. In partnership with UNICEF and WFP, Food for Education
provides opportunities for adults, mostly women, to address their families’ monthly food
needs while gaining literacy skills.
