WAM

The United Arab Emirates has signed an agreement with the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) to provide emergency food assistance to crisis-affected populations in Sudan and South Sudan.

Beneficiaries include refugees, host communities, internally displaced persons and war-affected returnees.

The agreement, formalized between the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and WFP, was signed on behalf of the UAE by Sultan Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister for International Development Affairs, and on behalf of the PAM by Matthew Nims, Washington office director.

Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, UAE Assistant Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, and Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, were also present at the special ceremony at the UAE Mission to the UN in New York .

As many as 17.7 million people in Sudan and 7.1 million in South Sudan face acute food insecurity due to the war in Sudan.

To help alleviate this crisis, the UAE has committed a total of $25 million in aid – $20 million for Sudan and $5 million for South Sudan.

“WFP welcomes all pledges to support our vital food operations in Sudan. With this contribution, we will be able to help vulnerable people who are at risk of falling into famine,” said Cindy McCain, Director executive of the WFP.

The contribution is part of the UAE’s $70 million commitment announced in April at the ‘International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and Neighboring Countries’ to UN agencies and humanitarian organizations to alleviate the grave crisis humanitarian in Sudan.

“We cannot allow another famine to break out in Sudan. The long-term impacts of famine, particularly on children, are incalculable. This is a call to action to end starvation,” Nusseibeh said.

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