- Title: SYRIA: 56 million dollars needed for Syria aid in 2012 says WFP
- Date: 18th October 2012
- Summary: VOLUNTEERS OFFLOADING THE BOXES
- Embargoed: 2nd November 2012 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Syrian Arab Republic
- Country: Syria
- Topics: Conflict,Social Services / Welfare
- Reuters ID: LVA3L5O84AX8OHAWW841ASD2TD21
- Story Text: The World Food Program is in need of 56 million dollars for the last few months of 2012 in order to cope with the increasing number of people displaced because of the Syria conflict.
The World Food Program (WFP) is still in need of 56 million dollars for the last few months of 2012 in order to cope with the increasing number of people displaced because of the Syrian crisis, a WFP official said on Thursday (October 18).
"The budget for our current project is 163 million dollars. We have more than 50, 60 percent of it. But we are still lacking 56 million dollars to last us until the end of the year", Muhannad Hadi, the World Food Programme's Syria Director told Reuters in Damascus.
For 2013 the WFP in Syria would need funding to cope with an anticipated extra 1.5 million people Hadi said.
"Maybe as of January next year, the size of the program will increase more than 1.5 million people and that we will be needing more funds, more money and more support and we are actively talking to donors and to others to try to provide more funding to this operation", he said.
The WFP is delivering food assistance to people in 14 governorates in Syria, despite the difficulties that they are facing in the cities where military action is taking place.
"Usually the difficulties are logistic difficulties related to the security situation that the country goes through while we try our best always to distribute on the date that we agree with our partners but sometimes there are areas where military activities are happening. That prevents us from reaching the beneficiaries on the exact date", Hadi said.
Hadi added that Syrian government is cooperating positively with the organization that distributes food with Syrian Red Crescent, WFP's main partner in Syria.
The organisation started its Syria operations in December 2011 when it targeted some 50,000 people in need, but that has progressively increased to almost 300,000 families as of September 2012.
Approximately 80 million dollars has been received from the the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the United States, Canada as well as many European countries.
Approximately 2.5 million Syrians are displaced inside and outside the country because of the ongoing conflict between the Syrian government and armed rebels, on Thursday the
Syrian government accused Turkey and Saudi Arabia of sending al-Qaeda fighters in to the country.
In a letter addressed to the Secretary General of the UN Security Council, Syria said it has "confirmed information" that some parties affiliating with al-Qaeda had concluded a deal with Turkish and Saudi parties to transfer fighters to Syria via the Turkish territories.
Meanwhile the UN International Mediator Lakhdar Brahimi is continuing his effort to reach a ceasefire for the Muslim Eid al Adha religious holiday.
Brahimi is expected to arrive in Syrian on Friday in an official visit where he will meet with senior Syrian officials.
ENDS - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: Footage contains identifiable children: users must ensure that they comply with local laws and regulations governing the publishing of this material.